Kalanchoe Propagation: The Complete Guide to Growing Kalanchoes in 4 Steps
Kalanchoe’s vibrant blossoms are the perfect way to brighten up a cold winter. This succulent has a wide range of flowers that bloom for months, even in the cold season.
It’s a handsome plant with broad and chunky deep green leaves when it’s not flowering. Knowing how to propagate them will help you grow as many as you want!
You’ll want more kalanchoe plants once you have one in your garden. Fortunately for you, this succulent is extremely easy to propagate, regardless of your level of experience.
This tried-and-true approach will work for you whether you have the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana or another species.
Contents
Kalanchoe Propagation – How Do They Reproduce?
You’ve probably seen a mature kalanchoe succulent develop offsets to produce new plants. These tiny plants appear at the tips of leaves and rely on the parent plant to develop their own roots.
However, the parent must exert a lot of energy in this endeavor. Self-propagation will be quicker and easier on the plant. Kalanchoe plants can be propagated by offsets or stem cuttings.
When properly cut and planted, the wounds will sprout roots, resulting in a new plant. The cutting will eat the nutrients stored in its succulent leaves while the roots are busy growing.
This will produce a baby kalanchoe. Kalanchoe can also be reproduced using their seeds, but this approach is much harder and less successful in general.
Necessary Materials
- One kalanchoe plant (healthy)
- A clean, sharp knife or clippers
- A pot, preferably clay
- Cactus and succulent soil
- Rooting hormone powder (optional)
- Clear plastic bag
- Watering can or misting bottle
The Method
Kalanchoe’s propagation technique is fairly standard among all succulents. Stem cuttings or offsets are the best way to propagate them, as they usually root in 15-20 days.
Step 1: Take the Cutting
Spring and summer are the best seasons to propagate kalanchoe. It usually has no flowers at this time, which indicates that it is busy storing energy for the next bloom.
That means you can use propagation to direct some of the energy into new growth. The stem you choose should be mature and healthy, but not flowering. It must also be at least two leaves long and a few inches in length.
Make a clean cut just above a stem node or leaf with your clippers or knife. If you’re using an offset to propagate, remove it carefully from where it joins the parent plant. It must have at least a few leaves to survive, just like stem cuttings.
You can use propagating to pinch back those leggy stems because kalanchoe is prone to etiolation. By doing so, the unsightly parts of the plant will be removed, while also resulting in an ideal stem cutting.
Just clip the stem at the base of where the leggy growth begins. From there, remove the lower leaves and trim the bottom if it’s too long to make the cutting propagation-ready. From where you pruned the stem, the parent plant will repopulate.
Step 2: Let it Dry
Now that you have your cut, you must allow it to dry out. The cut will be callous, which protects the stem from infection and rot. This will take 1-3 days, depending on how thick the stem is.
Dip the cutting’s end in a rooting hormone powder to promote healthy and quick rooting. Do this after the wound has healed.
Step 3: Plant
Succulents require a soil mix that drains effectively and quickly. They dislike sitting in water, which can cause root rot.
You can buy a variety of cactus and succulent soil almost anywhere. You can also make a 2:1 soil mixture with sand and peat moss (perlite and coconut fibre coir work well).
Adjust the ratio so that when watered, the soil becomes moist (but not soaked). If your pot is large enough, you can plant a few kalanchoe plants in it.
Keep in mind, however, that these baby cuttings will grow and require space to do so. Moist soil should be used to fill the pot you’ve chosen.
Each cutting should be poked into the soil and lightly patted down to ensure that the stems are upright. Humidity is your kalanchoe’s best friend.
Cover the container with a clear plastic bag to provide more moisture for your plant. Make a few slits or holes in the bag to allow air circulation, and remove it when the cutting is actively growing.
Step 4: Grow!
Place the cutting in indirect, bright light. The best place in the house for succulents is usually a south-facing window.
Keep your kalanchoe plants out of direct sunlight, as the leaves are susceptible to sunburn. The temperature should always be above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
With light watering or spray bottle, keep the soil moist. Only when the soil is getting dry should you water your kalanchoe cutting. Once you notice stem/leaf growth on your cutting, you can begin caring for it like you would a mature kalanchoe.
Kalanchoe Care
Your new kalanchoe needs indirect, bright light and will go through etiolation if it is not getting enough sun. Etiolation occurs when a portion of the plant grows towards the sun, resulting in an unbalanced plant.
It can live outdoors in zones 9-11 at normal house temperatures. Keep it in the shade when you’re outside to prevent the pretty leaves from burning.
Your kalanchoe will appreciate a good watering, followed by a drought while the soil dries out. Don’t get carried away with this succulent, as it’s likely to die from over-watering.
To encourage flowering and growth, fertiliser can be applied in spring and summer. For this succulent, choose a balanced or phosphorous-leaning fertilizer. You can use a slow-release form at the start of the season or dilute liquid fertilizer every other week.
Once you’ve experienced propagation with a simple plant like kalanchoe, you’ll want to keep going. Gardeners love to experiment with this technique on a variety of succulents.
We encourage you to try propagation on any other plants you can find after you’ve grown this plant!
Can I Root Kalanchoe Cuttings in Water?
Kalanchoe cuttings will do best when planted in soil. Some people try to root them in water, but the process is much more difficult than it is for cuttings taken from other plants.
The most important factor to take into consideration when rooting Kalanchoe cuttings in water is that they are not able to form their own roots, so they need help from you.
Other factors include your climate, potting medium, and watering needs.
Does Kalanchoe Spread?
Kalanchoe plants are not invasive plants. They spread by seed, meaning that they would need to be planted in your garden again in order to spread.
Conclusion & Final Thoughts on Kalanchoe Propagation
Kalanchoe propagation can be an easy and exciting process. This succulent has a wide range of flowers that bloom for months, even in the cold season, and it is a handsome plant with broad and chunky deep green leaves when it’s not flowering.
Knowing the methods of propagating succulents in general, as well as kalanchoe will help you grow as many as you want to. In this article, the complete guide to propagation is given, including the methods of propagation and the techniques of propagation.