kalanchoe tomentosa It is a succulent species belonging to the family Crassulaceae. The term ” tormentsa” comes from Latin and means “felted”.
This plant has different and curious common names, such as panda plant, cat’s ears or even donkey’s ears, because its leaves have a velvety appearance, with a soft and hairy touch.
Contents
Characteristics of kalanchoe tomentosa
Like most succulents, the leaves of kalanchoe tomentosa BAKER (named after John Gilbert Baker, who first described it) are grey-green with red or brown dotted edges. Inside they store water and for this reason they are very fleshy, with the appearance of white felt and with a pointed oval shape, usually arranged in a rosette.
taxonomy
| Order | Saxifragales |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Genre | Kalanchoe |
| Species | kalanchoe tomentosa |
Source Kalanchoe
kalanchoe tomentosa He is from Madagascar (Africa). These succulents have learned to grow in areas with rocky, hard soils, reaching an average height of 30cm or more. In general, they need warm temperatures throughout the year to thrive, although they can withstand a wide range of temperatures.
That is why in colder regions it is grown as a houseplant.
If you decide to grow Kalanchoe Tomentosa As a houseplant, you should know that it is toxic to cats and dogs. But if you keep it away from our pets, there will be no problem growing it at home or in the garden.
Bloom
The delicate flowers of Kalanchoe They grow at the end of the leaves and have a tubular shape. However, if grown as a houseplant, it is quite rare for it to emit flowers. They appear in spring and summer. However, don’t be alarmed if no flowers appear on your plant, as this succulent is valued more for the appearance of its leaves than for its flowers.
main care of kalanchoe tomentosa
light needs
Most species of Kalanchoe need a lot of sun, both direct and indirect. You can place it near the windows or even on the windowsill of the balconies, or place them directly in the brightest area of your terrace or garden.
ideal temperature
Like most succulents, kalanchoe tomentosa prefers a stable temperature range for most of the year. The most favorable temperature for growing it is between 18 and 25 ºC, temperatures easily achievable at home. Even so, don’t worry if you go overboard or fail, as it supports a much larger range.
Type of substrate for kalanchoe tomentosa
Succulents differ from other houseplants in need a special type of substrate. This must offer excellent drainage as a main requirement, which is why a large number of very porous materials such as gravel, clay pebbles, perlite or vermiculite, among others, are often incorporated into the universal substrate. .
Coconut fiber is also a material that increases the oxygenation of the environment and prevents the famous neck rot, a very common disease overwatered succulents.
An example of how we can prepare an excellent substrate for our kalanchoe tomentosa:
- 50% Universal Substrate
- 25% coconut fiber
- 25% inert substrate (sand, gravel, perlite, vermiculite, etc.)
The upper part of the pot can be covered with flat stones or expanded claywhich will reduce the evaporation of irrigation water and slightly increase the temperature of the substrate.
Irrigation and fertilization needs
One of the biggest mistakes we make when we have a succulent plant like Kalanchoe at home is excessive watering. And this happens because often we don’t even touch the substrate to feel its degree of humidity. Or if we do, we touch it superficially and notice that it is dry, although a few centimeters deep it still harbors considerable moisture.
watering for kalanchoe tomentosa It should be short and wide apart, with a good deal of water draining through the holes in the bottom of your pot.
In general, one will water once a week in spring and summer (twice if it is fully exposed to the sun in a terrace or a garden) and once every 15-20 days in autumn and winter.
The dose of water it will be 1/6 or 1/8 of the volume of the pot. If, for example, we have a pot with a volume of 1 liter, we will irrigate about 150 ml of water.
As for the fertilization of our succulent, it will be restrained to avoid excessive growth in height, but we will preferably use an NPK formula rich in potassium and microelements, especially iron.
This fertilizer can be incorporated into irrigation, at a maximum dose of 1 ml/L of irrigation water, applied between spring and summer, 1 irrigation out of 3.
COMPO Fertilizer for Cacti, Succulents and Succulents, Potassium Liquid Fertilizer, 500ml
- Optimum development: Potassium-based liquid mineral fertilizer for cacti, succulents and succulents, practical doser
- Adequate growth: Provides the plant with all the main nutrients from the first application, Strengthens resistance and optimal water storage
- Easy to use: Clean and safe dosage according to steps I to III marked on the lid (for 2, 4 and 6 liters of water), Application every 3 weeks (March to October)
- COMPO quality: raw materials selected according to the original COMPO recipe, Strict quality controls by independent laboratories and institutes, The right conditions for healthy plant growth
- Contents: 1 x COMPO Fertilizer for cacti, succulents and succulents, liquid fertilizer, 500 ml
propagation methods
Lots of succulents like Kalanchoe they have the ability to spread from a leaf. When placed in a horizontal position with the substrate moist, they slowly root until they form a new plant.
In this case, we can do it by this method or by selecting a clean leaf stem and propagating it in water until it emits a new root system.
Spread by leaf
With this system, we select a healthy leaf that we gently tear from the stem, without damaging the rest of the plant. It is important to cut it as close to the stem as possible, without leaving a broken piece of leaf.
Allow the sheet to partially air dry for 2 days, then place it directly onto a succulent plant substrate mix, keeping it slightly moist throughout the process.
Place your pot with the plant to be propagated in an indirect-light, temperature-controlled environment. Soon the leaf cuttings will start to develop roots and then grow into a plant.
Propagation by cuttings
A little more complicated to do than per sheet, since kalanchoe tomentosa It looks like a rosette, but basically it consists of selecting a healthy stem, removing the lower leaves and leaving the cutting to dry, as in the previous case, for a few days.
Later we place the healthy cutting in a solution with water alone or with a mixture of rooting phytohormones until new white roots form.
Cover photo: ted762563