A beautiful houseplant, pleasing with its bloom at a time when the window is frosty and everything is covered with snow, although it blooms in nature in spring. In the conditions of greenhouses (and in apartments too), it is possible to achieve flowering in any season. The color of the flowers is diverse: white, pink, yellow, orange, red, and purple is also found. Umbrellas are large. The flowering period is about two weeks. In Kalanchoe Kalandiva there are representatives of both medium-sized (about 40 centimeters), and quite miniature (no more than 15 centimeters).
Kalanchoe of Kalandiva. Care
The plant is unpretentious. It is very easy to care for, since it does not take up much time, it does not require special conditions, and is almost not exposed to diseases. And pests "do not offend him." Probably, natural "solidarity" is triggered here, and there is a feeling that even pests understand that this plant is not only beautiful, but also useful. But more about this later (in the final part of the article).
Prefers good lighting (ideal place - windowsill). Abundant watering is not required for the plant. He doesn’t like frequent hydration, but if you do not water it for a long time, it will surely drop the lower leaves (first they turn yellow, and then fall off). However, after prolonged flowering, you still need to give the flower an opportunity to relax, giving it a drought for three weeks. At this time, you need to reduce the lighting intensity and temperature (up to 15 degrees). The latter conditions are desirable, but not required. In the summer it is useful to carry the plant under the open sky. As you can see, caring for Kalanchoe is completely uncomplicated.
Kalanchoe Kalandiva can bloom at any time, more often - in December. If you want to delay flowering, extending it until April, remove the tops of the stems regularly, stopping this procedure in November. The fact is that flower stalks appear at the ends of the shoots, and if you regularly pinch them, flowering may not start. Therefore, do not get carried away very much.
Stepsoning is carried out all year. Apical cuttings are suitable for this (vegetative propagation). The plant requires periodic rejuvenation, since the crown grows over time, shoots are stretched, and the old trunks become coarse and lignified from the inside, bare from the outside. Because of this, the Kalanchoe Kalandiva loses the compactness of the crown, becomes sprawling, loose, requiring more space.
Plant growth will be less rapid if planted in small pots, less often watered and even less fertilized. By the way, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are contraindicated in a flower: you can never see blooms at all, but the vegetative mass will grow by the day and by the hour.
Cuttings produce roots in both water and soil. In water, this will happen faster (one week is enough, after which it can be planted in the ground). Rooting in the soil also does not require any special conditions. The main requirements are fibrous, moist, loose soil, but not heavy. The plant may die from lack of air and stagnation of moisture. Therefore, use garden soil mixed with peat, with chopped moss or coconut fiber. By the way, Kalanchoe tolerates transshipment very well, regardless of the time of year.
Take a closer look at the choice of cuttings. If the shoots are old, shorten them to 8-7 cm. But it is better to take cuttings from young shoots. After rooting, the plant will give a good shape and branch stronger.
In order to study the beneficial properties of this plant, many experiments were carried out. It turned out that the juice has low toxicity, heals wounds and burns, significantly inhibits the development of inflammation in the exudative phase. Kalanchoe has an amazing ability to cleanse ulcers and wounds, epithelizes (heals and repairs) damaged areas. Therefore, it was used in veterinary medicine, in dental, gastroenterological, surgical, obstetric and gynecological, ophthalmic, otolaryngological practice.