Succulents like Kalanchoe thyrsiflora They are a great attraction to grow in pots inside the house. However, it can also be placed in the garden, especially in warm environments such as the Mediterranean environment.
In this guide to Kalanchoe thyrsiflora We are going to give you some basic advice to arrange it in perfect condition in pots, with information on the ideal environment to locate it, temperature, humidity, irrigation, fertilization and reproduction.
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Contents
Characteristics of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora it’s a succulent plant which, under optimal growing conditions (warm temperatures throughout the year), can exceed the meter high.
However, it is common to grow it in pots, where its growth is much more limited and it usually does not exceed 30 cm in height.
The attraction of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora This is the shape of its leaves, rosette-shaped, rounded and very fleshy, common to succulent or crassulaceae plants.
Flowering: between autumn and spring
Classification
| Ordered | Saxifragales |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| sex | Kalanchoe |
| Species | Kalanchoe thyrsiflora |
Origin: native to South Africa and Lesotho.
Meaning of “Thyrsiflore”: in Latin vocabulary, its meaning is linked to the word “tirso”, a kind of stem (vara de tirso) which ends in the shape of a pineapple, linked to the mosaic appearance of its leaves.
main care of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
where to be Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
ideal temperature for Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
Like most succulents, Kalanchoe thyrsiflora prefer warm temperatures for most of the year. can’t stand the cold and temperatures below 10 ºC stunt its growth, although colder temperatures are required for it to suffer chilling damage.
lighting
Grow in full sun or in as light an environment as possible.
If grown in a pot, avoid exposing it to the sun in the middle of summer, as the leaves tend to take on a less fleshy appearance and lose their natural green color.
Exposure to direct sunlight, especially at the time of budding and emergence of new leaves, gives the edges a reddish tint, with great ornamental appeal.
Humidity
It requires home humidity (60-70%) or dry environments if grown in the garden.
best substrate for succulents
The ideal substrate for plants that do not require high humidity usually has excellent drainage performance. For this reason, a universal substrate mixture is used with drainage components such as sand, coconut fiber or materials such as perlite or vermiculite, which are very porous.
As a strategy when preparing the substrate, we will choose 50% universal substrate and an additional 50% with one of these mentioned components.
If you prefer to go straight to the point, you will find substrates directly prepared for succulents.
Advice on irrigation and fertilization
Irrigation
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora It offers great resistance to drought, although in container growing conditions low humidity conditions should be maintained, but not with a dry substrate.
In fgeneral, It is usually watered once a week. in spring and summer and every 15 days in autumn and winter.
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To prevent overgrowth, apply a low dose of liquid fertilizer suitable for succulents and evergreens in early spring, once every 20 to 30 days.
An ideal fertilizer for succulents and cacti generally has a similar concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In liquid fertilizers, a fertilizer for this type of plants can be NPK 6-4-8, with micronutrients such as iron, because Kalanchoe thyrsiflora it is quite demanding.
reading guide for Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
The simplest multiplication of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora has passed separation of children Where direct leaf cutting. By seeds, it can also be reproduced, but it is quite complicated to do.
Reject separation is the fastest method to obtain new specimens. You just need to dig a little around the suction cup you want to separate, and using a knife to cut it.
Separation of releases from Kalanchoe thyrsiflora
Separating children attached to the trunk is the easiest way to separate plants, get well-developed specimens and speed up the growth process.
By digging a little with the substrate, we can find suckers in summer that, with a very sharp knife, we can separate from the mother plant and transplant.
To activate the formation of new roots, it is interesting to use products based on amino acids, algae or even rooting hormones.
Possible pests and diseases
harmful
In the house, it is quite rare to find a certain type of pest, which is usually related to these sap-sucking insects, in particular aphids and scale insects.
If we have Kalanchoe thyrsiflora grown in pots, we can easily eliminate any type of parasite using a cloth slightly moistened with alcohol or laundry soap.
In case we grow it in the garden, we can do a foliar application with potassium soap, which is quite effective if we are patient and do several applications at 3-5 day intervals.
Diseases
Most of the diseases associated with the cultivation of succulents are linked to a excess humidity in the substrate or ambient humidity.
Therefore, we speak of neck diseasesbeing one of the worst Phytophthoracausing the plant to collapse in a short time due to blockage of the sap channels.
Other common diseases in high humidity conditions are:
- Anthracnose (Glomerella cingulata and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides)
- Cercospores (Cercospores sp.)
- Fusarium (Fusarium sp.)
- Mold (Sphaerotheca fuliginea)
- Pythium (Pythium spp.)
- Rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia solani)
- Botrytis (Botrytis cinerea)