Kalanchoe Bracteata

Kalanchoe bracteata has attractive silvery-grey leaves and forms a small open shrub over time with leaves year-round. In spring and summer this plant blooms with orange-red cruciform flowers. The plant can become leggy with age, but can be pruned to create a more dense growth pattern. Kalanchoe bracteata is an unpretentious and beautiful flower that can be found on the windowsill of many gardeners. Care is not accompanied by difficulties, but before you start such a plant, you need to study the description and types of this flower.

Features

Kalanchoe bracteata is a flower, the family of which is called Crassulaceae. The homeland of the succulent plant is tropical and subtropical climate. In total, there are over 200 varieties of Kalanchoe bracteata. Succulents are a genus of plants that can accumulate water in their foliage and stems. The closest relative of the flower is the bastard.

The description demonstrates leafy stems that are endowed with good juiciness and thickness. Leaves can be of various shapes and are arranged in opposite order. Lobed, serrated and simple foliage is often observed in nature. The bush has flowers of red, purple, green and yellow colors, which can be drooping, erect or four-membered. All of them are large in size.

Outwardly, the "tree of life" is similar to aloe, so many people attribute it to one of the varieties of the famous plant. Both belong to the group of succulents, are almost identical in foliage and are famous for numerous beneficial qualities. But these are completely different types of vegetation that are located in different families.

These plants are called by other names: "home doctor", "home ginseng". Such names are justified by the usefulness of the flower: healing and demand in the medical industry make the plant popular in indoor floriculture.

The flower is endowed with the following medicinal properties:

1. The juice extracted from the leaves can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent. Healing nectar does not irritate the mucous membranes and skin. For this reason, it is often used in dentistry and gynecology to speed up the healing process of damaged areas. For example, applying a few drops of juice to a breastfeeding woman's nipples can help repair cracks. The entire recovery process will take about 4-5 days.
2. The juice will be useful for treating wounds, tropical ulcers, burns, frostbite, bedsores. Stomatitis and tonsillitis will also go away quickly if treated with such a flower.
3. In folk medicine, Kalanchoe bracteata is actively used to solve problems with the digestive system, to eliminate migraines, during infections, with colds and a suffocating cough.
4. Acne, warts, boils will quickly disappear if treated with this plant.
5. With its help, you can effectively cope with toothache.

The medicinal properties of Kalanchoe bracteata have been scientifically proven, so the plant can be purchased at almost any pharmacy. When using Kalanchoe bracteata as a medicine, it should be remembered that any treatment is allowed only after the approval of the attending physician.

Varieties

In total, there are over 200 species of such a plant. However, in indoor growing conditions, you can most often find about 10 varieties. Most of them are famous for the beauty of their flowering, but there are other species that can rarely bloom or simply act as a decorative green flower.

The lobed, or dissected, type of plant is known to many people under the name "antlers". This is a houseplant that initially has straight shoots that will lay down in the future. Due to this quality, such a variety can be grown as ampelous plant varieties. The leaves are fleshy with a deep cut along the contour and are colored in a light green tone. There is a waxy coating on the surface. Flowering is distinguished by numerous yellowish tubular flowers.

The tube-flowered species is located in the subshrub category, reaching 70 cm in height. The succulent plant is adorned with a large number of narrowed and elongated gray-green leaves. The width of the leaves is 0.6 cm, the length can reach 13 cm. On the upper part there are a large number of buds. The plant will delight its owner with red flowers.

The fiery Kalanchoe bracteata is a herbaceous flower with slightly developed branching. The height of the succulent can reach 30-40 cm. The foliage has an obovate shape, the width of which is about 3 cm, and the length is 6-8 cm. The base of the leaves is narrowed. In order for the Kalanchoe bracteata to grow properly, it must be placed in a room where a moderate cool climate prevails.

The paniculate-flowered type reaches a height of about 60 cm. It is characterized by thick leaves painted in a silvery-white tone. The shape of the leaves is obovate, the width reaches 7 cm, the length is 15 cm. The upper part of the landscaping is smaller and sparse. The inflorescence in its shape looks like a panicle, on which there are yellowish flowers with small rounded petals. Abundant flowering is observed in the spring and falls on April and May days.

Conditions of detention

Despite the fact that Kalanchoe bracteata is an unpretentious flower and is able to grow in almost any conditions, it is recommended to study the basic rules for its cultivation. Compliance with the basic conditions will avoid plant diseases.

Temperature and humidity

This succulent is able to feel good in almost any temperature regime. However, some standards should be observed. In the summer, it is preferable to observe the regime of 18-28 degrees, and in the winter - 14-18. If the temperature in the room drops below 10 degrees Celsius, the Kalanchoe bracteata can become ill and die. During cold wintering (subject to the regime of 14-18 degrees), buds begin to form.

Air humidity for a plant is not particularly important. It will develop well in a warm microclimate where dry air prevails, but it will not be afraid of high humidity at low temperatures.

Experienced growers recommend spraying for hygiene purposes. After that, wipe the foliage with a soft cloth or sponge.

Lighting

Daylight hours should be 12 hours. Therefore, in summer, the flower should be placed on the west or east side. In winter, it is recommended to move the Kalanchoe bracteata to the southern windowsill. If it is not possible to provide it with a sufficient amount of light, you should resort to additional lighting. This will require a phytolamp.

Transfer

In addition to maintaining the correct temperature, humidity and lighting, succulents need a competent transplant. The procedure should be carried out in the spring. Young animals are transplanted annually, and adult specimens are recommended to be moved to a new place once every 2-3 years. It is also worth planting Kalanchoe bracteata in a new pot immediately after purchase.

The pot should be correctly sized and more spacious than the previous one. Experienced flower growers advise paying attention to glazed clay options. Such material allows the root system to breathe fully. The thickness of the drainage layer must be more than 2 cm.

It is recommended to choose a soil with an acidity level of pH 5.5-7.0. The best option is a mixture of turf with leafy soil, sand, humus in the same ratio. Do not transplant Kalanchoe bracteata during flowering. As a result, you can face falling buds and difficult acclimatization.

For this reason, the plant should be transplanted after all the flowers wither and the flower stalks are cut off.

Soil preparation

During the transportation of a flower for sale, it is located in a coconut substrate with an admixture of peat. This soil is not suitable for growing at home, so you need to replace it. Kalanchoe bracteata needs loose soil with the support of an optimal composition for further transplants.

Plant the succulent plant correctly in the soil with the correct acidity level. It can be obtained by adding dolomite or lime type flour. The earthen mixture must pass moisture with oxygen to the roots, provide the roots of the plant with sufficient nutrition. Also, it should not contain harmful components.

It is recommended to purchase a potting soil mixture for flower plants and add a quarter of the sand to it. You can buy a special primer targeting succulents. Some growers create such land on their own, using the following ingredients in equal proportions:

1. garden soil;
2. coarse sand;
3. humus.

To create ideal conditions, you can add one share of expanded clay or brick chips. Alternatively, you can use crushed coal.

How to transplant correctly?

All actions must be carried out delicately. Before replanting, it is required to carefully examine the stem with roots. If the presence of rot or mold is found, these areas should be removed, and the remaining parts should be treated with crushed coal. If the level of damage has reached the stem part, it is recommended to cut the shoot slightly below the damaged tissue.

With the help of such actions, you can use the healthy part of the plant as a cutting and transplant the Kalanchoe bracteata. The dive should be done together with a small amount of soil, without damaging the root system. Before transplanting, the succulent must be watered abundantly. After that, the lump should be carefully moved to the drainage layer sprinkled with earth and fill all the free space around the Kalanchoe bracteata with soil. Then you will need to tamp the surface and mulch it with shell rock and fine pebbles or large chips.

How to care?

Kalanchoe bracteata is an unpretentious and hardy plant that can be grown in almost any conditions. Even novice growers are able to cope with the growing process, as this picky flower can forgive most care mistakes.

However, despite the fact that care is simple, you should study the basic rules thanks to which Kalanchoe bracteata can decorate the house and please its owners with useful properties.

Watering

For irrigation, you must use warm and soft water that has settled well. The flower should not be watered often, but only after the upper level of the soil has dried. During maintenance, it is necessary to ensure that the soil does not dry out. If it dries completely, the plant will begin to shed foliage. In winter, Kalanchoe bracteata is watered only on the third day after the earthen mixture has dried. Experienced gardeners feed the flower with a pallet.

Top dressing and fertilizers

Kalanchoe bracteata loves a variety of feeding at home. You can use any cactaceous supplement. It is recommended to feed it once every couple of weeks after the second decade of May.

It is recommended to continue fertilizing the flower until mid-July. Feeding resumes at the end of autumn.

Pruning

Formation is carried out by cutting off long processes. Some varieties of Kalanchoe bracteata can have stems that, due to their length, bend over the pot. It is recommended to plant such cuttings along the edges of the pot. After some time, they will be able to take root, grow and hang attractively.

During flowering, the succulent has a decorative appearance. Non-flowering species will also look attractive hanging from pot holes. You can pinch the plant after it has faded.

Reproduction

You can get a new plant using seeds, stems, leaf cuttings. Some species reproduce with the help of children. The last option is the simplest. It consists in the fact that the separated children from the mother plant are planted in the ground. After that, the plant begins to grow and develop.

Diseases and pests

These succulents are resistant to many diseases. As a rule, the flower begins to hurt if proper care is neglected. Each Kalanchoe bracteata owner should know what to do next if his flower has been attacked by pests.

Most often, you can face the following diseases.

1. If the flower has acquired a pale shade, this indicates that it is not receiving enough light. Insufficient watering and untimely feeding will lead to the fact that the flower will not bloom.
2. The appearance of red spots suggests that the Kalanchoe bracteata was attacked by a multi-clawed tick.
3. White tubers are the symbol of the mealybug.
4. In rare cases, you may encounter aphid attack. For treatment, you can use a cotton pad dipped in an alcohol solution. A similar option is suitable for combating the previously listed parasites.
5. When a succulent plant quickly sheds foliage, it indicates a lack of nutrients or the wrong soil. If the lower leaves fall, and the upper ones acquire a yellow color, this means a lack of light. The same phenomenon takes place when the flower is stretched out.
6. If the plant looks healthy outwardly, but does not bloom, this indicates that the Kalanchoe bracteata is receiving too much fertilizer.
7. Black spots on foliage are a sign of an attack by parasitic fungi.
8. Gray mold occurs when the plant is kept indoors with too much moisture.
9. If there is an excess of heat, powdery mildew may appear on the Kalanchoe bracteata.

Conclusion 

Kalanchoe bracteata is a strongly branched small shrub that reaches heights of up to 150 centimeters and is densely covered with hair scales. The woody, densely branched shoots are indistinctly square when young. The stalked leaves are grayish silver-white to olive green. 

Among the many Kalanchoe bracteata, the species described above are the most popular. They not only have an attractive appearance, but are also very easy to care for. In order for this amazing ower to decorate the room all year round and stand out against the background of silvery leafy plates.