For beginners of florists who want to grow a flowering and useful plant in the room, you can recommend the unpretentious Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, care at home for which is simple. It is a compact flower with a rich color palette, the leaves of which have medicinal properties.
How to Plant a Blossfeld Kalanchoe Flower
If you bought a flower Kalanchoe Blossfeld in the store, it is better to transplant, because at home the living conditions for him will be different. For this, it is necessary to prepare a pot, a nutrient soil mixture and drainage. Transplant a flowering plant is not recommended, although some growers advise before planting to cut off all the flowers, which will contribute to a better survival of the flower in a new place.
The diameter of the ceramic or plastic pot should be slightly larger than the capacity in which the flower was purchased. However, note that in a too large flowerpot, the plant will grow green foliage and may not bloom at all. At the bottom of the tank we fill the drainage with a layer of about 3 cm, and on top the soil. We take out the plant from the old pot, shake off the excess land from the roots and carefully plant it in a new place. We lightly ground the earth around the flower, popping up a new one if necessary, watering and leaving it for acclimatization.
Kalanchoe Blossfeld - care
This perennial succulent plant belongs to the family of crustaceans. Care for Kalanchoe Blossfeld at home is to organize, above all, sufficient natural light. It should be bright, but, in order to avoid burns of leaves, without direct sun rays. If there is not enough light, the plant will stretch out, weaken and bloom less. For Kalanchoe, which is located on the windowsill of the north window, then you need to organize additional artificial lighting.
At home, care for the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld also consists in observing the temperature regime in the room where it is located. If you want to admire its bright flowering as long as possible, then in the daytime, keep the room temperature 18-25 ° C, and at night reduce it to 15-17 ° C. He does not like Kalanchoe too hot air, for example, from batteries, low temperatures, as well as drafts.
Soil for the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld
According to the biological characteristic of the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, the plant is unpretentious, so it does not need a special soil. To grow it you can independently prepare a soil mixture consisting of turf, leaf land, river sand, humus, and peat in equal quantities. You can add a little charcoal to the ground. Some plant the plant in a shop primer for succulents. Do not forget about drainage . It can be expanded clay, brick crumb, rubble or pieces of foam.
Kalanchoe Blossfeld - watering
Fleshy leaves and stalks Blossfelds are able to accumulate moisture, which evaporates very slowly thanks to the film covering the flower. Therefore, the correct watering also plays an important role in caring for the indoor plant. In the summer, the Kalanchoe should be watered abundantly: the earth clod should not be over-dried. An indication that the plant already needs watering is the upper drying layer of the earth in the flowerpot. However, you need to ensure that the excess moisture does not stagnate, but leaves through the holes in the pot.
In winter, watering the plant should be shortened and watered as needed, checking each time the soil moisture. For irrigation, you need to use soft water. From time to time you can spray a Kalanchoe or even arrange a cool shower. These are the basic rules for watering the flower of the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, how to additionally look after it is read below.
Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - top dressing
There are times when the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld does not blossom. New buds are not pawned, and the leaves dry and fall off. Sometimes blossoming Kalanchoe Blossfeld does not come because of a lack of nutrients. To prevent this, it is necessary to regularly feed this succulent. Fertilize it during the active growth period at intervals of 1 every two weeks. It should be noted that fertilizers containing nitrogen can not be used to fertilize the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, because the plant can not bloom at all because of it.
To feed Kalanchoe, use fertilizer for cacti or fertilizing for flowering plants. Before applying the fertilizer, the flower should be poured with clean water. Experienced flower growers advise when feeding Kalanchoe twice to reduce the dose of fertilizer indicated on the package of the product, since its excess can be disastrous for the plant. It is impossible to fertilize the Kalanchoe during the rest period.
Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - pruning
For the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, home care is timely and proper pruning. To the Kalanchoe had a beautiful rounded shape, you need to remove excess leaves and peduncles from the bush. To do this, use a sharp knife or blade. It is not necessary to tear off the leaves, so you can injure the flower, and it will begin to dry up. As a rule, it is possible to cut the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld even under the root, and after a while the plant will again grow thick leaves.
On a young calanchoe, the tops should be pricked immediately after the growth begins. As new shoots are formed, they also need to be regularly plucked. However, it is better to carry out pruning during the warm season, and in winter it should be stopped. Cropped Kalanchoe and after flowering. By removing the peduncles at their very base, you thereby stimulate the growth of new shoots, in which the flowers will subsequently appear. Pruning is best done in the morning.
Transplantation of the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld
By spring, the plant begins to fade and at this time it is necessary to trim the faded flower stalks. This will direct the strength of the flower to the remaining buds. After the end of flowering, the calanchoe is at rest. During this period, the flower restores its strength and lays new buds. In the spring, the Kalanchoe must be transplanted, replacing the land with a new one. On the day, a container with a flower is put on the window, and after about 10 hours, a light cap is either shaded or transferred to a dark place. Keeping such care for the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, to the winter on your plant will appear beautiful bright flowers.
Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - reproduction
To grow the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, care at home for which includes the reproduction of this flower, you need to know how to do it correctly. If the bush of your Kalanchoe is obsolete, its crown has grown considerably, and the tree has become lignified, so it's time to update it. The flower of Kalanchoe Blossfeld is multiplied in two ways:
- leaves;
- cuttings.
In advance, you need to prepare the necessary soil and capacity for planting. In order for the plant to take root better, it is necessary to first lower it into one of the following formulations:
- water with rootstock;
- mixture of peat, humus and perlite;
- clean wet sand.
Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - leaf reproduction
To propagate a Kalanchoe, one must cut a leaf from an old plant or use a fallen leaf. It must be dried, and then placed for rooting in one of the above described compounds. We cover the container with a jar and place it in a bright and warm place. After the appearance of rootlets on plants, they can be planted in a pot. It should be noted that the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld grown in this way can differ from the parent plants in the shape of the bush and the shade of the flowers. Careful care at home for the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld will make it easy to grow a beautiful flower from a small leaf.
Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - propagation by cuttings
Propagation of this plant can be cuttings, cut off, for example, when forming a bush or during a transplantation of a Kalanchoe. To do this, select a young stalk about 6-8 cm long. It is best to use soft and succulent apical shoots. First they are dried in air, and then rooted, placing in water or in a moist substrate. When the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in any container. Flowering Kalashoe Blosfelda, grown from the cuttings, is already the next season.
Kalanchoe Blossfeld - Diseases
If you look after the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld correctly, then it can bloom for a very long time. However, this is not always the case, and many growers are wondering why Blossfeld's Kalanchoe does not bloom or the flowers of the plant are very small. There may be several reasons for this, including the flower disease, which can be caused by violations of the conditions of the Kalanchoe:
- excessive watering, especially in the winter cold period can lead to decay of roots and stem, the plant is killed because of this;
- in summer, lack of moisture leads to the appearance of brown dry spots on the leaves and their fall;
- The lack of lighting leads to the melting and falling of leaves, the lack of flowering;
- When viral or bacterial infection of the Kalanchoe, brown wetting spots appear on its leaves. Such leaves must be removed and treated with a fungicide;
- the plant can be affected by aphids, to combat which you can use the store drugs or the solution of nicotine sulfate in soapy water.