A plant for beginners, or how to care for a Kalanchoe.

Kalanchoe - one of the most purchased plants in the world. At the famous Dutch flower auctions, it ranks first in sales. Indoor flowers of Kalanchoe are very decorative, easy to care for and extremely diverse. The combination of these three properties underlies such a high popularity.

Kalanchoe refers to succulents. Conventionally, the entire diversity of these plants can be divided into three large groups.

• Kalanchoe, blooming bright beautiful flowers.
• Kalanchoe, bred for decorative foliage.
• Kalanchoe bryophyllums , interesting for their unusual way of reproduction. At the edges of their leaves, new baby plants are formed, which, reaching a certain age, are separated from the mother sheet and fall to the ground. Here they take root and continue their independent development.

How to care for Kalanchoe.

Kalanchoe are very patient, ready to adapt to different conditions, forgive mistakes and inattention to flower growers. For a long life and flowering they need sunlight, fresh air, watering during growth and cool dry earth in a rest period.

For those who want to know the answer to the question "how to care for Kalanchoe," we will give below the main parameters of their content.

Temperature regime . It prefers moderate temperature, but it can withstand its reduction to 6-8 ° С. Succulents are loved when the difference between day and night temperatures is high enough. Therefore Kalanchoe feels great outside the room, on the balcony or balcony.

Lighting . It needs good lighting, direct sunlight.

Watering . Watering is mild, rare. Between watering the soil must dry up. Stagnant water leads to decay, so when planting a plant, you need to take care of the good drainage. In winter, watered once in 10 - 14 days.

The soil. Need infertile soil with an admixture of sand. It is best to use zemlesmes for succulents, sold in flower shops.

Top dressing . In spring and early summer, once a month, you can feed up for cacti and succulents.

Air humidity. Spraying is not required. The plant likes fresh air, it is recommended to ventilate the room and "walk outside the window" in warm weather.

Transfer. Transplanted in the spring after the end of the rest period.

Pests . Danger is a spider mite, scab and thrips.

How to care for Kalanchoe when breeding.

Kalanchoe very easily multiplies, so it makes sense to replace old plants with new ones that have a more fresh and well-groomed appearance. They can be obtained from leaf or stem cuttings and shoots.

Below we describe how to care for Kalanchoe when propagating by propagation.

We prepare the cuttings. For this we cut off the young strong shoots 10-15 cm long from the mother plant. We release the lower part from the leaves and leave them for one to two days to dry.

Ready cuttings are planted in the soil for succulents to a permanent place, carefully primed land.

The seedlings do not need to be covered with a film or placed in a greenhouse. The recommended temperature is 20-25 ° C, moderate watering. Usually the Kalanchoe is easily rooted and quickly develops into a full-grown plant.

Reproduction with the help of seeds is less common, but it also does not require special efforts. The seeds germinate at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. Shoots need moderate watering and pinching after the appearance of several leaves.

Kalanchoe bryophyllums easily reproduce with the help of plant-children, transplanted to a permanent place for rooting. No additional efforts (except irrigation) are required when breeding them.

Therapeutic properties of Kalanchoe.

Many Kalanchoe are able to have wound healing and hemostatic effect. Leaves and stems of the plant must be washed, crushed, wrapped in gauze to attach to the damaged area.

Tincture of Kalanchoe leaves has an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect and can be used to rinse the throat and gums, wash the nose and eyes.

Kalanchoe juice is a biostimulator. It can be used in cases where the human body needs support after long periods of overload or severe illness.

The most effective among the species is the Kalanchoe pinnate, it is used in the pharmacological industry to create medicines.