Very often on the windowsills among a variety of indoor flowers you can find Kalanchoe. This plant is native to Madagascar and South Africa. Kalanchoe not only has a beautiful appearance, but also extraordinary healing properties.
Name history
One of the ancient legends explains the appearance of Kalanchoe in different countries of the world. For the first time this name is mentioned in a ship's journal entry made in the 18th century. Russian merchants who traded in Africa encountered an amazing case of the cure of one of the sailors. He contracted a very dangerous and rare disease - tropical fever, so it was decided to leave him on a South African island in order to save the rest of the team from inevitable death.
Returning back a month later, the ship again moored to this island and the sailors were surprised to find their comrade completely he althy. It turned out that the locals were able to cure him of a deadly disease with the help of the leaves of a plant they called kalankh (he alth). Today, many housewives grow Kalanchoe at home, whose homeland is southern Africa.
External description
This herbaceous perennial, belonging to the Crassulaceae genus, is very fast growing. Opposite leaves are juicy, fleshy, often green, sometimes yellowish or with a gray-blue tint. The lower ones are ovoid, while the upper ones are pinnate. The flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences, their color can be orange, pink, white or reddish.
Features of care
When growing such exotic flowers at home, it should be remembered that the birthplace of Kalanchoe (a houseplant brought to us from the tropics) is a completely different climatic condition. Therefore, for its comfortable well-being, appropriate care is required. Nevertheless, this plant quickly adapts to the existing conditions and belongs to the category of the most unpretentious. Like most southern plants, Kalanchoe tolerates a lack of moisture, but needs warmth and sufficient lighting.
Optimal soil composition for Kalanchoe
Today, a wide variety of potting mix for indoor plants can be purchased at the store. A composition intended for cacti and succulents is quite suitable for Kalanchoe, whose homeland is the tropics. It is only necessary to add one sixth of the rotted compost to it. It is quite possible to use universal soil for planting, mixing it by about one third with fine expanded clay.
If desired, the soil mixture is prepared independently, there is nothing complicated about it. Have to taketurf and leaf soil (in a ratio of 4: 2) and one part of sand and peat. A little humus or dry manure is added to them.
Temperature and lighting
Since the birthplace of Kalanchoe (a houseplant that settled on our windowsills) is South Africa with its tropical and subtropical climate, the plant is not at all afraid of the sun's rays. In order for it to fully develop, good lighting is necessary. If a slight shading of Kalanchoe cannot harm, then a lack of light will lead to deformation and loss of decorative qualities.
The air temperature must be maintained sufficiently high - approximately 22 ⁰С. Drying and falling of the leaves is evidence that the room is too hot. But in winter, the plant feels better at a temperature of 15 ⁰С. If the thermometer is 10 ⁰С and below, the flower may die.
Irrigation
Kalanchoe (the birthplace of the plant has a dry climate) is able to accumulate water, so it tolerates drought quite calmly. Much worse for this plant is excessive moisture, which can lead to root rot and leaf damage.
Kalanchoe is watered as the soil dries up, usually twice a week in summer and very rarely in winter. Spraying the leaves is carried out only when necessary, when you need to clean them from dust.
Types of Kalanchoe
There are over 200 different types of Kalanchoe. All of them still grow in tropical countries today. Some of them are so different from each other thathard to believe they are related. The only thing that unites all these Kalanchoe plants is their homeland.
Kalanchoe TOMENTOSA (or felt Kalanchoe), which came to us from Central Madagascar, has leaves rounded at the base, the surface of which is covered with thick fluff. This makes them appear silver in color.
Kalanchoe Degremont is considered a very common species.
This plant with succulent leaves, the edges of which are slightly wrapped inside, refers to viviparous. New rosettes are formed right on the cloves of the leaves immediately take their own roots, gradually coming off and falling off. This species is known for its amazing medicinal properties.
Decorative view of Kalanchoe BLOSSFELDIANA is distinguished by small leathery leaves that turn reddish in sunlight. Many commercial farms grow flowering specimens of this Kalanchoe all year round. The birthplace of the flower is the central part of Madagascar.
Thick and juicy stem has Kalanchoe TUBIFLORA (Kalanchoe tubular). On gray-green fleshy leaves, daughter rosettes form in large groups.
Kalanchoe MANGANII has erect thin stems, slightly curved towards the end. They have leaves up to 2.5 cm long. The duration of flowering is affected by air humidity, so this plant needs to be sprayed.
Where the homeland of Kalanchoe, in natural conditions, this plant can grow up to one and a half meters tall. Nevertheless, it has been successfully grown indoors for a very long time andhighly valued for its decorative and medicinal qualities.
