How to prepare soil for Kalanchoe: replanting instructions

Author of the article: Anna Vladimirovna | Updated: 10-02-2022

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For such a native of a warm country in the world as Kalanchoe, in order for it to grow comfortably in your home, it requires not only normal care, but also replanting the plant according to all the rules. Find out what the features of this process are, how to prepare the ground and much more right now.

General information

This beautiful perennial herbaceous crop appeared in our country, where it came from the tropics of Australia and America, the islands of New Guinea, Madagascar, and the Moluccas. At home, this flower has a decorative value; it grows quickly and blooms in winter.

In addition to selecting a certain temperature regime, humidity level, lighting and watering, the plant needs to be replanted. It is held in the spring. Young specimens need to be replanted every year, adults - once every 2 - 3 years. It is worth taking the choice of a pot seriously - it should not only be more spacious than the existing one, but also ideally made of glazed clay. This will allow the plant roots to breathe normally. Good drainage will also be required - the layer thickness is more than 2 cm. The degree of acidity of the soil is required with a pH value of 5.5-7.0.

Optimally, this is a substrate consisting of turf and leaf soil, sand and humus, taken in equal proportions. The replanting procedure is required for Kalanchoe as its root system grows. But if you expose a crop that is blooming to it, your pet will inevitably experience severe stress. The result will be the falling of buds and prolonged difficult acclimatization. Therefore, it is advised to postpone replanting until all the flower stalks have withered and been cut off.

Diseases and pests

Kalanchoe can get sick due to various factors. The most popular plant diseases are described below:

Aphids are the most serious disease for a plant. Identifying this disease is not difficult. Small greenish insects begin to spread throughout the flower. If aphids appear, the plant stops receiving beneficial compounds, the leaves turn yellow, if there are flowers, they begin to fall off. This disease can even cause the death of a Kalanchoe flower. What to do? If the aphids have spread widely throughout the plant, then the affected areas of the flower should be cut off, and the remains should be washed with laundry soap. However, if a small part of the plant is affected by aphids, you just need to rinse the flower with a soapy solution. Such liquid should not get into the soil of the flower.

Aphid

Scale insects are a grayish coating of small insects. As a result, the Kalanchoe rapidly wilts, the fungus spreads, and the plant stops blooming. What to do: When removing scale insects, it is necessary to use an alcohol solution because of the mucus they secrete

After treating the plant with alcohol, you should carefully remove the insects with a cloth without injuring the plant. After the manipulations have been done, the flower will restore itself.

Shields

Dark spots on the trunk and leaves are signs of rotting soil and roots. What to do: Follow the watering schedule. In summer - about 1-2 times a week (but do not forget to check the soil to make sure the top layer is dry). In winter, watering should be done once every 10 days. If the ground is covered with mold or has a rotten smell, it is better to transplant such a plant into a new substrate, washing the roots in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Rot spots

White coating on the leaves - spraying with hard water was carried out. What to do: stop spraying (this plant does not need it). Wipe the leaves with boiled or filtered water.

Spraying with hard water

The leaves turn yellow, dry, curl and fall off - often the drying out and falling of the lower leaves is a life cycle that forms the tree-like stem of the plant, but it can also be caused by drying out soil or very dry hot air in the room (plant next to a heating radiator). What to do: Follow the watering schedule, remove it from a strong source of heat.

If yellowed leaves are visible only from above, your plant is suffering from a lack of light (should be moved to a bright place, avoiding direct sunlight). If the leaves turn yellow along their entire length and curl, there may have been too much bright sunlight, in which case it is better to place the plant in a shaded area.

If the tips of the leaves dry out, you need to pay attention to the size of the pot; perhaps it is too small and the plant needs to be replanted. The leaves are curling - examine the plant for the presence of aphids (read about the fight against aphids above)

The leaves have become soft - most likely the plant was in a hot place, in the open sun, or in a room with dry hot air. What to do: remove the plant from the heat source, water if the top layer of soil is dry. in the future, observe the watering regime and place it in a shaded place with a temperature of 18 - 25 degrees.

How to prepare the soil

What soil is best for your pet? When transporting a plant for the purpose of its subsequent sale, it is kept in a mixture of peat and coconut fiber. Such soil for Kalanchoe is unlikely to be suitable for growing a flower at home. It will need nutritious, loose soil, the optimal composition of which should be maintained during subsequent transplants.

For Kalanchoe, soil with a certain level of acidity is ideal, which is achieved by adding lime or dolomite flour to the soil. The soil mixture for the plant must be able to pass oxygen and moisture, provide sufficient nutrition to the root system, and not contain components that are dangerous to your beauty. It is advised to purchase a soil mixture for flower crops, diluting it by a quarter with sand. You can use soil for succulents. When making your own soil mixture, garden soil, coarse sand and humus are taken in equal parts. For an ideal structure, add 1 part of a mixture of expanded clay or brick chips and crushed coal.

As practice shows, a mixture of 4 parts of purified peat with 2 parts of turf soil and 1 part of river sand is also good for the plant. Before transplanting, it is recommended to steam the soil or warm it in the oven. This procedure will help protect the plant from dangerous pathogens of fungal infections remaining in the humus. Make sure there is good drainage as well. It should be created from small expanded clay or crushed brick. After transplantation, the crop needs to be fertilized 2 times a month until the arrival of autumn. They will allow your pet to quickly adapt to the new soil composition.

Features of keeping Kalanchoe at home

In most cases, Kalanchoe is a flowering plant. But some species do not have flowers or bloom very rarely, for example, Kalanchoe tomentosa, Kalanchoe laciniata. Flowering and non-flowering Kalanchoe species require the same growing conditions.

Kalanchoe can bloom from the beginning of winter until the end of spring

Watering the plant

Watering is carried out once every three days. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

How to determine whether the soil is dry or not? Place your finger on one phalanx in the soil; if the ground is dry, it’s time to water the Kalanchoe.

Water more often (every other day) only in hot weather, and in winter water less often - once every 10-14 days. When watering Kalanchoe, follow the rule: it is better to underwater than to overfill. The plant is afraid of high humidity. Spraying is also not recommended.

Temperature and lighting

Favorable temperatures in summer should be 23–25°C, and in winter – 12–16°C. Kalanchoe can withstand temporary cold temperatures of up to 10–15 degrees, but will die at temperatures below 5°C. The home healer will easily tolerate the heat - during this period, water it more often (every other day). Place the plant pot on an east or southeast window .

Pruning Kalanchoe

Special attention is paid to the formation of a Kalanchoe bush. In order for Kalanchoe to have a well-groomed appearance, in the spring the elongated stems of the plant are cut in half. In the first half of summer, shoots are pinched. After flowering, remove all faded flower stalks.

Feeding Kalanchoe

The substrate in which Kalanchoe grows is fed once a month. For tropical residents, fertilizers for cacti and succulents are suitable, for example, Agricola or Florovit fertilizer, which are sold in bottles in gardening stores and have a liquid consistency. Such fertilizers are diluted with water in a certain proportion, which is indicated in the instructions. However, excess fertilizer will destroy the Kalanchoe. In winter, feeding is stopped.

Transplant instructions

All manipulations must be carried out carefully. Before starting the process, the degree of the stems and roots of the plant is inspected. Because the root system is sensitive to excessive watering and stagnation of moisture. If rot or mold is detected, these parts of the rhizome are removed, and the remaining areas are treated with crushed coal. In cases where the stem has already been damaged, the shoot should be cut below the damaged tissue.

This way, its viable part can be used as a cutting and a flower can be planted. When replanting, the crop is removed along with a lump of soil, being careful not to harm the roots. Shortly before transplanting, the plant is watered abundantly. Then the lump is carefully moved onto the drainage sprinkled with soil, filling the cavities around the flower. Compaction is carried out, leveling the surface, and mulched with a layer of small shell rock, pebbles or large wood chips.

Proper transplantation of Kalanchoe will prevent moisture loss, prevent mold from developing, and prevent falling leaves and children from coming into contact with the surface and taking root. If you neglect these recommendations, after a while you will need to replant the plant, because numerous small rosettes will appear under the adult specimen. They will not only grow, but also take away moisture and nutrients from the main bush.

Kalanchoe - can you keep it at home: the meaning of the flower, signs and superstitions

A blooming Kalanchoe in an eco-bag is an excellent gift for all occasions.
Kalanchoe has medicinal qualities and is beneficial for humans. Therefore, be sure to get yourself this plant. It is quite patient and accepts minimal self-care with gratitude.

As for signs, they all have a positive meaning. Kalanchoe is not a magnet for dark forces, outbreaks of quarrels and abuse, diseases and troubles.

Vice versa:

• Kalanchoe absorbs heavy energy accumulated at the end of your working day
• cleanses the aura of the house, removes negativity from space
• promotes harmonization of family relationships
• encourages changing negative thoughts to positive ones
• brings the family together for pleasant conversations
• if your Kalanchoe blooms, it means that harmony, peace and harmony reign in the house

However, think about it if:

• your green pet suddenly began to fade and died, which means he took upon himself an external dark attack aimed at destroying the harmony of your family,
• it has been living with you for many years and does not bloom, which means there is a lack of sincerity, depth of relationships, and harmony in your family.

Other things to consider

When replanting Kalanchoe, it should be taken into account that it is carried out only when the roots of the plant completely entwine the earthen ball. Even a novice gardener can visually determine this - roots will begin to break through the drainage holes in the pot, and the soil will become compacted and impoverished.

A new pot, where the soil for the plant will be placed, should be purchased 2 cm larger than the old one. Experts consider the optimal container size to be 12–18 cm. Here it is important to take into account the varietal characteristics of a particular flower. Flowering species do not tolerate the proximity of other crops. But if a wide pot was chosen for replanting them, then it is easy to solve the situation with the growth of the green part of the bush and its reluctance to bloom.

It will be possible to plant several young rosettes to the Kalanchoe. From felt varieties or Kalanchoe Lucia, it is possible to create entire indoor gardens that imitate the rocky desert of southern Africa or Madagascar. It is better to prefer a pot made of unglazed ceramics - in it the crop will breathe, and excess moisture will be removed from the ground naturally. Before placing the flower in a new container, it must be doused with hot water and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

If your specimen is large in size, then you do not need to shake it off the soil. It is best to transplant by transferring from an old pot to a new one. The level of the soil mixture should be 2 cm below the edge of the container. After replanting, water the flower and add more soil if necessary. If the plant does not feel well after all the manipulations are completed, it is recommended to feed it with a special fertilizer for succulents.

Why do Kalanchoe leaves turn yellow, curl, dry out and fall off?

Kalanchoe leaf tips dry out.
There are several reasons for this phenomenon, depending on the nature and location of the affected leaves.

• If these are only the top ones, then the plant does not have enough sun light.
• If only the lower ones - you allowed the soil to dry out and have not watered the Kalanchoe for a long time. And also, perhaps, there is a too hot battery under his pot. Therefore, change its place to a cooler one.

A few more reasons:

• tightness of the pot,
• the plant is aging, which means it’s time to pinch off its healthy shoots/leaves and take rejuvenation measures,
• infestation with aphids, if a similar situation occurs in the summer, and the plant itself lives on the balcony or in your garden.

Different methods of reproduction

Kalanchoe is a plant that reproduces very easily. You can get new flowers in a variety of ways. The process of flower propagation is so simple that anyone can handle it. Plant propagation is carried out by children, seeds, stem and leaf cuttings, and offspring. Any method always gives good results. To propagate Kalanchoe by leaf, you can even use fallen old leaves, which take root incredibly easily.

Some varieties of the plant reproduce by children. Small daughter sprouts form on the leaves of Kalanchoe. Children look very much like adult plants. They have small leaves and roots. Adult succulents most often shed such buds themselves, which easily take root in the mother pot. Later they can be transplanted into another container. If you find formed shoots on the leaves, you can safely break them off and plant them in fertile soil.

Propagation by leaves can be carried out at any time of the year. A cut adult leaf is planted in a pot with a moist substrate. It is covered with a jar or glass on top. The leaf takes root in just a few days. Soon it will become an independent plant. Sometimes part of a leaf is used for propagation. It is buried in the ground and after some time a young plant develops from it.

When can a plant be replanted?

Planned transplantation must be carried out in the spring - in April-May. Since Kalanchoe is difficult to tolerate, when planted at this time it will have time to recover, adapt and gain strength before the winter period.

Did you know? The most expensive indoor flower, the Shenzhen Nongke orchid, was sold at auction in 2005 for $202,000.

If the plant has just been acquired, then there is no need to rush to move it to a new container: it should take some time to get used to the new conditions of detention. And only when adaptation is successful can a transplant be carried out.

If for any reason the soil and pot of the plant need to be changed, for example, due to rotting roots or waterlogging of the soil, then replanting can be done at any time. If possible, you need to wait until the flowers fade.

Rules of care

Watering

This flower is able to accumulate moisture in the leaves, so it is important to water it properly. It calmly tolerates forced drought, but may begin to die from overwatering.

When watering, you need to wet the soil well, and the excess that drains into the pan must be drained immediately. The soil should have time to dry out between waterings. In summer, water procedures are carried out more often, and during wintering they are watered no more than once every 10 days. If a homemade Kalanchoe is flooded, its roots will begin to rot and mold will appear.

Fertilizer

This flower needs feeding monthly. It is better to fertilize flowering species with complex fertilizers, only take half the recommended dose on the package. You cannot feed the plant in winter.

Reproduction

Reproduction also means caring for your home Kalanchoe. This flower is propagated in several ways:

• dividing a large bush;
• cuttings;
• leaf planting;
• seeds.

If you have already grown a large bush and need to refresh it, you can separate a part from it and replant it separately. However, it is not always possible to revive a flower after such a “trauma”. The easiest way to propagate is from cuttings. The young stem quickly develops a root system, and if you care for it properly, within a month a lush bush will grow on the windowsill. You can also plant a separate leaf. This planting material takes root quickly, but it will turn into a beautiful plant only after a year. Kalanchoe is also propagated by seeds. True, the seed of this plant is very small, so you don’t need to sprinkle it with soil, just press it in. Then cover the pot with a bag to create your own microclimate for the seeds. They require indirect sunlight to germinate. The pot is placed in a warm place. The bag is removed only when the first shoots appear. Continue growing in a sunny place.

Trimming

To grow a beautiful indoor plant, it needs to be pruned from time to time. In addition, this procedure will help preserve the flower's strength. It is imperative to remove all lower peduncles. Old parts of the plant and wilted leaves must be cut off. In summer, pinch off the top to form side shoots.