Live, Love, Climb!: Houseplant - Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Red)

Friday, September 16, 2011

Houseplant - Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Red)

HOUSEPLANT: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Family: Crassulacea

The genus was first described by the botanist Michel Adanson in 1763.

(1)The original Kalanchoe was brought to Paris from Africa in 1927. In 1928 seed merchant Robert Blossfeld from the German town of Potsdam saw this Kalanchoe and turned it into a houseplant, which he introduced in 1932. His name was also attached to the plant: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. The well-known houseplants are referred to as blossfeldiana breeds by growers.
(1) Source: http://www.waldangardens.com/
This houseplant is known to exist in Asia and Africa, native to humid continents, however, these houseplants in North America are already hybrids specially adopted to the cooler temperatures.

Growing up in the Philippines, I used this plants as hedges by the driveway, and they tend to display nice colors just around Christmas time. Temperatures at this time is about low of 16C, while the normal temperature during the day will be about 20C~. I believe our kalanchoe in the Philippines were never hybridize, they were very common everywhere,

Kalanchoe is easy care plant, an overuse term: easy care, meaning leave the plant alone, and stop overwatering it.

Watering: once a month suffice, if you insist once every two weeks.
How to water? Bottom watering recommended.
Put a cup of water in a saucer, (depending on pot size) 1 cup of water = small pot about 4".
Let the kalanchoe pot sit on the saucer for 30 minutes. Let the soil absorb some water from the saucer.
After 30 minutes, throw away the water in the saucer.
Put the kalanchoe pot in your sink to drain some excess water.
Once you think it has drained well, and won't drip anymore, put it back to its original location.

How I do it? I put the over time to 30 minutes. Once it beep an irritating sound, I got to take it off from water. I let it drain on the sink for 1 hour. So, I go back doing housework, and then another beeping sound from the oven. Nothing baked! Just the kalanchoe is drained enough to go back to the top bookshelf.

Light: near a window or near your house lamp, or little light really, on top of a bookshelf is just fine.

My kalanchoe grown bigger this year, so I end up taking a cutting for a little one, about 3 inches. This will be another plant - a baby kalanchoe in my living room.

This variety is red, so hopefully, she will be as lovely as the mother plant.