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Plants united by the Kalanchoe origin are found in nature in most of the Southern Hemisphere. Kalanchoe Kalandiva, representing the miniature, magnificently blossoming Kalanchoe Blossfeld subspecies, is no exception.
Like other varieties, Kalanchoe Kalandiva is grown as a room culture and is deservedly considered an unpretentious plant, the care of which is possible even for a beginner florist.
Description of the features of Kalanchoe Kalandiva
Kalanchoe Kalandiva has fleshy upright shoots to which oval or ovate leaves are attached oppositely on short petioles. Since Kalanchoe belongs to succulents, the leaves are rather fleshy, and their richly green surface is glossy.
In the shop small bushes of this type are sold under the name Kalanchoe Kalandiva mini, surprising with large leaves and lush inflorescences.
Indeed, the striking difference from the externally similar species is that the flowering of Kalanchoe Kalandiva lasts about six months, and the double flowers of diameters up to a centimeter collected in racemes can be white, yellow, orange, pink and deep red. Gathering a mix of Kalanchoe Kalandiva on various colors on the window sill, you can during the winter and spring, the period when light and color are most needed, admire bright inflorescences, and then the plant needs a short rest period for growth and new forces.
With proper care, Kalanchoe at home gathers buds in January, and the last flowers wilt only by the beginning of summer.
In addition, the plant grows quickly, unpretentiously and easily propagates in several simple ways. How to care for Kalanchoe Kalandiva to indoor flower pleased lush flowering? What conditions for this culture need to create for a long life and health of the plant at home?
In nature, Kalanchoe grows in open areas, where there is no shortage of light, but direct rays can not harm the shoots, foliage and flowers.
Therefore, for a pot with a plant, it is optimal to find a place on a windowsill facing east or west. If this is not possible, the northern windows will have to provide good illumination for the Kalanchoe and shade bushes on the southern ones. Flowering Kalanchoe Kalandiva falls on the darkest period of the year. A plant, unlike many crops, does not require a daylight duration of more than 9 hours, but illumination in cloudy weather is simply necessary. Moreover, both the lack of light and its excess can lead to the plant “refusal” from budding.
Due to such a small mistake, many amateurs have the impression that this is practically a “one-off” flower, and it will not be possible to achieve its re-flowering by taking care of Kalanchoe at home.
In fact, it is worthwhile only to establish the proper lighting regime, to ensure the bush watering, suitable temperature and feeding, as the Kalanchoe will surely please with lush terry bunches on the tops of the shoots. Special temperature regime Kalanchoe Kalandiva not required. In summer, the flower feels great indoors, on the terrace or veranda, where the air is heated to 18 to 28 ° C.Such unpretentiousness allows to make pots with Kalanchoe into the garden and even organize with their help seasonal gardening.
How to care for Kalanchoe so that the plant is pleased with flowers? In the autumn, when the plants are to plant flower buds, the temperature for Kalanchoe is lowered to 14–16 ° C.At this time, it is important to reduce the intensity of irrigation, as roots that are sensitive to excess moisture can rot at low temperatures:
- When watering in the fall, barely noticeable wilting of the leaves can become a sign of the need for watering.
- In other periods of the year, it is better to focus on the condition of the soil under the plant. If the soil has dried a couple of centimeters, it should be a sign that Kalanchoe Kalandiva needs water.
During the heating season, the plant can not be additionally sprayed, but you need to arrange a small shower for the foliage. This has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes, chlorophyll synthesis and the growth of Kalanchoe.
Serious pruning of overly elongated shoots is extremely important for a fast-growing and compact Kalanchoe Kalandiva.
Such a measure not only returns the bush appearance, but also awakens new growth points, stimulates the appearance of more inflorescences.
Sometimes the lack of flowers causes excessive care for kalanchoe at home, namely, over-feeding the plant with nitrogen, which causes active growth of greenery. When selecting a mixture of fertilizers for this crop, it is better to be guided by the presence of phosphorus and potassium in the mixture. These elements are essential kalanchoe for long mass flowering. As a finished product you can pay attention to fertilizers for succulents and flower indoor plants.
Transplantation of plants is carried out as needed, when the root system of Kalanchoe encompasses the entire earthen room and requires the expansion of “living space”.
During flowering, the roots practically do not grow, and any manipulation of the bush can lead to the loss of flowers and buds. Therefore, replanting Kalanchoe Kalandiva mini or other species is better during the rest period, not more often than in 2–4 years. There are no special requirements for the soil for Kalanchoe. The main quality of soil is friability and considerable lightness. You can take it as a ready mix for succulents or flowering plants by adding a quarter of the volume of washed sand to the last soil.
Propagate Kalanchoe Kalandiva easiest way to get cuttings from an adult shrub:
- Plant parts take root so simply that for this you can use not only the nutrient substrate, wet sand, but even ordinarywater
- After a week, the roots are formed, sufficient to transplant the cutting to a permanent place. At the same time, aerial roots on the shoot take on the role of ordinary ones.
- For flowering with proper care at home, Kalanchoe will be ready in about six months.
If you have patience, you can get young plants from individual leaves of Kalanchoe. To do this, a leaf peeled off with a petiole is slightly dried and rolled in half to a suitable soil. After some time, tiny sockets will appear on the notches around the edge of the sheet, which, as the roots grow and appear, can be separated and planted for growing.
From small seeds, sometimes ripening at home, you can also grow new bushes, but they may not meet the expectations of the grower, because the hybrid Kalanchoe Kalandiva mix, sold in stores, in this case does not retain the parental features.
