Kalanchoe blossfeldiana commonly known as Florist Kalanchoe or Flaming Katy is a beautiful flowering succulent that is widely grown as a houseplant. Like many other succulents, it is super easy to grow and thrives well with minimum to no care at all. This plant is an absolute beauty to fall in love with.
If you like Florist Kalanchoes you can easily propagate your existing specimens at home. In this way, you can cherish the amazing beauty of cheerfully blooming Florist Kalanchoes in your surroundings.
How to propagate Kalanchoe blossfeldiana?
The way to propagate Florist Kalanchoes is very simple. Do you want a few Florist Kalanchoe for free? With just a little care and knowledge about a few technical requirements, you can get the job done with no problem at all. Commercial growers also use the same way to propagate new plants for selling.
Here I will give you a step by step guide on how to propagate your plants at home.
Selection of the plant parts for propagation
You can propagate Florist Kalanchoes easily by using stem and leaf cuttings. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana can also be propagated from seeds but this method is much complex and less successful.
How to take the cuttings for propagation?
Taking a proper leaf or stem cutting is the most critical step to ensure the success of propagation. If you do not select the right plant part, the whole propagation process will go in vain.
How to take leaf cuttings?
Spot a healthy growing leaf on the mother plant with no visible signs of damage or disease. For best results select those leaves which are plump and firm. Do not choose thin or weak leaves they will dry out rapidly. Pull the leaves in such a way that no part of the leaf remains attached to the stem, so it must be a clean pull.
You can also use a clean scissor, garden shears, or knife to remove the leaves. Sterilize the scissors or knife with 70% isopropyl alcohol before taking a cutting.
Place the cuttings at a warm dry place and allow them to dry for around 3 days to heal up the cut edges of the leaves. Do not plant the cuttings immediately after removing as it will be highly susceptible to rot, always let them dry completely.
How to take stem cuttings?
Choose a healthy and mature stem. Take a clean tool and snip off a vegetative stem with no flower growth. Take at least 3 inches cutting.
Place the cuttings in a clean pot to callous for a couple of days or more. The callous will save the cuttings from rotting in the growth medium.
Always take several cuttings for planting, because if any of them fails to grow you will have a backup.
How to prepare the growth medium?
To prepare a healthy growing medium for Florist Kalanchoes mix equal parts of sand, perlite, and peat moss. If you do not want to prepare the growth medium at home, you can also buy a standard succulent mixture available in the market.
Fill the growth medium in sterile clean pots with a proper drainage hole at the bottom. The size of the pot is critical to determine how many cuttings you can plant per pot. Only one cutting must be placed in a 3 to 4 inches pot, while 2 to 3 cuttings can be potted in 5 to 6 inches pot. However, while planting just make sure you place the cuttings in such a way that they get enough space to grow.
Planting the cuttings in the growth medium
The best time to propagate Florist Kalanchoes is spring or summer season.
This is the time when the plants have no flowers and they are preparing themselves for next bloom. Make a hole at the center of growth medium and place the cuttings into the hole.
Gently firm the soil around the cuttings to keep the Florist Kalanchoe growing upright. Under proper growth conditions, the cuttings will start rooting within 4 to 5 weeks.
Light requirements
Light is the most critical requirement of newly propagated Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Keep the pots at a location where there is plenty of sunlight but avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
Indoors, a bright sunny window can be the best place to keep the pots. Intense direct sunlight can cause sunburn or sunscald and it will lead to the failure of the whole propagation process.
Keep the pots at an average temperature of 70◦ F (21◦ C). Do not let the temperature go below 50 ◦ F If you want to keep your pots outdoor, place them at a shady place.
Water requirements
Before placing the cuttings in the growth medium, water the soil properly and let it drain well. The soil must be slightly moist before planting.
At the beginning keep misting the cuttings several times a day using a spray bottle. Water the cuttings only when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil becomes dry.
Humidity will help the baby Florist Kalanchoes to grow well. To create humidity or retain the moisture cover your plants with a polyethylene sheet. Make a few holes in the polyethylene sheet to allow the air circulation. Florist Kalanchoes hate to be sitting in water.
Do not make the growth medium too damp as it can cause rotting of cuttings or the newly developed roots. If the cuttings show any signs of fungal growth remove them immediately.
Transplanting
After 2 weeks gently try to pull the cuttings if you feel some resistance it signifies the root growth. When the roots reach about 1 inch in length dig the soil and gently pull the newly established Florist Kalanchoes from the soil.
Take new pots and fill them with a mix of sand, peat moss, and compost. Place a few pebbles or pieces of pottery at the bottom of the pots to ensure better drainage. Transplant the newly established plants into separate pots.
Treat the plants as seedlings for the first 4 to 6 weeks and avoid exposure to bright direct sunlight and drought conditions. Once the transplanted Florist Kalanchoes establish in new pots you can start caring for them as you would do for a full-grown plant.
The process of propagation is too simple. If you want more plants for free just give it a try and you will get the task accomplished with just a little effort and care.
