Homeliness, Gardening
Kalanchoe: varieties, titles, photos and care tips
Kalanchoe - an evergreen perennial, very popular in home floriculture, not only because of the decorative appearance, but also due to its unique healing properties.
Kalanchoe pinnate: plant-healer
The most medicinal in folk medicine is the Kalanchoe pinnate (aka Kalanchoe Briophyllum) - a tall (about 1 meter) plant with a soft standing stalk and fleshy bright green leaves: opposite oval in the lower part, at the base, and pinnately divided, divided into 3- 5 lobules closer to the top. In natural conditions, Kalanchoe pinnate (photo) is common in the islands of Madagascar, in the tropical countries of Africa, Southeast Asia.
The aerial part of the plant is rich in organic acids, polysaccharides, flavonoids, catechins, tannins, vitamin C, macro- and microelements, which is successfully used in the treatment of various diseases. The juice of the plant possesses healing and anti-inflammatory properties, for which young shoots and fresh leaves of the Kalanchoe need to be thoroughly washed in running water, kept in a dark place for a week (at a temperature of 7-10 ° C), then grind through a meat grinder pre-sterilized by boiling . From the obtained gruel through 4 layers of gauze is required to squeeze the juice, allow it to settle in the refrigerator for three days, filter and add chloroform (0.5% of them) for canning.
Kalanchoe in folk medicine
For medical purposes, this healing juice is used to heal wounds, burns and frostbite. It is buried in the ears, nose and eyes in the treatment of inflammation, rhinitis, sinusitis. With a cold, the juice of the plant must be diluted 1 to 5 with water and dripped several times a day. In its pure form, the natural preparation also cleans the nose well, but it can irritate the mucosa and cause a strong sneeze.
In inflammatory processes in the stomach and kidneys , the Kalanchoe juice is ingested, it is recommended to drink it with honey when coughing. Finely chopped and infused on a glass of boiling water, the leaves of the plant (2 tablespoons) will help in cleansing the skin from acne. Such a lotion, eliminating excess fat, tightening pores and disinfecting the skin, can be used for daily rubbing of the face. Pharmaceutical preparations based on Kalanchoe, the variety of which, for the most part, have medicinal properties are widely in demand in ophthalmic and dental practice.
Ointment based on Kalanchoe is able to effectively help the affected surfaces (ulcers, burns, wounds). To make it, you need to take a quarter of a glass of juice of the plant, add 0.5 cup of olive oil (or ghee), warm in a water bath and cook for half an hour, constantly mixing.
Kalanchoe pinnate, the photo of which colorfully conveys the whole attraction of the plant, can be used for culinary purposes. The leaves of this plant are a useful addition to salads, sauces, purees and are especially recommended for people with peptic ulcer, pregnant, suffering from toxicosis and a diabetic patient.
A simple salad recipe with Kalanchoe:
Rinse well and chop the leaves of the Kalanchoe, mix with the greens of dill and parsley, salt and sprinkle with grated boiled egg.
Kalanchoe "cat ears"
Of the variety of varieties of Kalanchoe, Kalanchoe Voylochnoe stands out from the others in its original appearance. A low (about 30 cm) plant is characterized by weakly branching branches and an erect semi-extruded stalk. Leaves are fleshy, light green, oblong, with slightly noticeable bright brownish teeth at the edges. "Cat's ears" this kind of Kalanchoe is called for a dense light pubescence covering sheet plates.
In natural conditions Kalanchoe Felted flowers small umbellate inflorescences of red-violet flowers. In the room conditions such a spectacle manages to admire rather seldom.
The optimum soil composition for domestic growing is loose soil, which is good for air and water. This can be achieved by adding a small amount of coarse sand. As the basic composition, leaf and turf ground can be used in equal parts. Kalanchoe, the reproduction of which is a fairly easy process, grows relatively slowly, so it does not need frequent transplants. Adult plants are recommended to be transplanted into fresh soil once every 2-3 years. The size of the containers should correspond to the age of the flower: for young plants, use a small flower pot, for adults - more, in accordance with the dimensions of Kalanchoe.
For transplant, the plant must be taken carefully from the pot. The soil from the rootlets should not be shaken off, so as not to damage. In the prepared container it is necessary to pour fresh earth into which to transplant the plant. Soil must match the composition of the previous, otherwise the flower will be difficult to take root. The whole plant adapts in a week.
Calanchoe: Reproduction
Reproduction of the Kalanchoe is a fairly easy process, with stem and leaf cuttings being used. In cut form, they need to be slightly dried, then placed in a sterile substrate and kept in a bright place at a temperature of not lower than +20 о С, with periodic moistening of the soil. The stem takes root in a week. You can wait for the roots to appear, placing shoots with air roots in the water.
Also, the Kalanchoe, whose varieties are characterized by a diverse color palette, multiplies by seeds, which need to be sown in loose soil during the period from February to April. Constantly moisturize. Crops should be kept at a temperature regime of 20-23 o C. Seed emerged seedlings in small containers and wait for the appearance of leaves, then transplanted into pots. During growth, young plants are often required to fertilize with small doses of mineral preparations. It is recommended to pinch to form a beautiful shoot bush.
These original "reindeer horns"
Due to the unusual shape of the house-growing, the Kalanchoe "deer horns" are widely used, characterized by beautiful, deeply dissected serrate leaves, which remotely resemble furry needles.
The main factors of care for Kalanchoe "deer horns" and other species are also:
- Watering. Abundant, but not frequent in spring and summer; Quite rare - in the winter. The water should be soft, steady. Spraying is not mandatory, except on a very hot summer day.
- Temperature regime. For all types of Kalanchoe optimum for growth and development is the temperature + 18-28 o C in summer and +10-12 o C in winter.
- Top dressing, consisting in the periodic application of mineral and organic preparations. From the store options the most suitable are fertilizers for cacti.
About the "cosmic" variety of Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe tubercular is a perennial half-shrub with numerous tubular grayish-green leaves, with thin strips of burgundy or pink. In the upper part of the leaf plates there is a large number of "children" - brood buds, which give the plant "cosmic" originality.
About the stunningly beautiful and fashionable Kalanchoe of Blossfeld
Perhaps the most popular in indoor growing is the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld - an amazingly beautiful succulent (storing water in its tissues) with attractive, very delicate leaves and beautiful flowers. The decorative plant is able to radically change the apartment space, decorating it with colorful colors of flowers. An important factor for successful growth and development is sunlight, with the abundance of which the Kalanchoe will feel just fine.
The homeland of the Kalanchoe of Blossfeld, named in honor of the German breeder Robert Blossfeld, is the island of Madagascar. In nature, only Kalanchoe grew with red flowers (less often orange). Selective science adapted the plant to room conditions, having managed to bring out stable and very beautiful varieties.
Kalanchoe Blossfeld, home care for which is fairly simple, blooms from 6 to 8 weeks. Inflorescence is recommended to be cut half as much as it is discolored. This manipulation is aimed at stimulating further flowering. When the plant fades completely, it needs to be cut to the first leaves, and cut the water supply. Such an action will cause the laying of new kidneys and the nearest repeated flowering.
Care at home is to properly dress the flower, which must be actively carried out in the summer. When providing lighting for 10 hours and 14 hours of dark time, Kalanchoe, considered a plant of a short day, will please abundant flowering after 4 months. For example, if you want to get a blossoming masterpiece by the New Year, it is required, beginning with the first of September, to cover it with a dense dark cap or to put it in the closet from 6:00 pm to 07:00 in the morning. The minimum term of this procedure is 1 month. With a long period of flowering will be more active and intense. For different varieties, the duration of the "short day" is different, but should not be less than 1.0-1.5 months.
After the appearance of Kalanchoe buds Blossfeld, home care beyond which is easy even for a beginner florist, you need to put on the window and wait for the beginning of flowering. At this time, the plant needs full lighting, which in winter can be organized by artificial means. When receiving full-fledged lighting throughout the year, the plant will rapidly increase its green mass, but flowering will be meager and short.
Why did Kalanchoe Blossfeld become so popular, because before it was a fairly rare plant in urban apartments? Widespread demand can be explained by a huge selection work, the goal of which was to exclude not only medicinal species (as is customary with respect to the Kalanchoe), but also beautiful flowering varieties.
Kalandiva is a charming resident of an urban apartment
Start of new species with rich foliage, strong stems, compact form and numerous colors of different colors was laid in 1980. Kalanchoe of Blossfeld with purple, pink, red, orange, white and even two-colored flowers quickly gained popularity throughout the world. The creation of the masterpiece continued in 2002, when a flower was produced, which had instead of the usual four petals as many as 32. Each of them resembled a miniature rose, and the inflorescence as a whole looked like a huge double ball.
Features of watering
In indoor floriculture, a variety of Kalanchoe is used, like Rosalina mix - close to the Kalandiva variety, but more miniature. The plant is characterized by bright green, oval, with wavy marginal leaves. Double colors have tones from light orange to purple. In the care of the plant is not capricious. He does not like an excess of moisture, so to water the Rosaline mix is very carefully and moderately, controlling the temperature of the water.
Watering the plant is required infrequently, but abundantly. Kalanchoe, a variety of which number more than 200 varieties, is able to accumulate moisture in the leaves and easily suffers long periods of drought. It is not recommended excessive moisture in the soil, which can lead to a rapid decay of the root system. In summer, watering is required every 7-10 days. In winter, the supply of moisture is reduced. In the cold, one watering is enough in two months, with the drying of the earth coma. To avoid stagnation of water in the pan, the bottom of the pot should be equipped with a good drainage layer.
General information
Kalanchoe, whose varieties impress with a bright variety and disparity on each other, is an unpretentious plant that responds well to a full-fledged home care. It can be placed anywhere in the apartment, where at times the sun's rays will fall. It is best to have flowers on the western or eastern sills. With insufficient reception of light Kalanchoe begins to grow pale and die.
The plant is quite loyal to the temperature indicators and is able to tolerate even the coolness. In the spring and summer, outdoor content is recommended. The heat of the flower is not terrible, at high temperatures it is recommended to increase the number of waterings.
If the leaves of the plant began to change shape, and the stems were strongly stretched - it was time to prune. It is recommended to remove too long stems, which can later be used for seedlings, as well as wilted parts of the plant. In summer, to preserve the decorative shape of the flower, its top is recommended to prickle.
Kalanchoe "can" clean the pathogens from the air in the room. In folk medicine, "home doctor", or "indoor ginseng", is widely used for the treatment and prevention of a large number of diseases.
Diseases and pests
Kalanchoe, like any houseplant, is immune from disease and pests. If the soil is moistened excessively and sprayed, powdery mildew may be affected. The consequence of excessive moisture in the winter period is infection with gray rot - formed on the leaves with a grayish coating. Treatment of these diseases is done by using insecticides.
From pests Kalanchoe can be affected by a scab, mite and aphid. From the tick causing the drying of the plant, you can get rid of by using insecticides. With aphids, settling on stems and leaves, at the initial stages of appearance can be fought with a solution of household soap. If the whole plant is affected, it will be necessary to cut it and treat it with insecticides.
The appearance of a scabbard will be indicated by a grayish coating on the aboveground part of the plant, the condition of which sharply worsens, a fungus appears, and flowering stops. To get rid of the pest, the leaves need to be treated with alcohol solution, the insects should be carefully removed with a brush, then the damaged areas should be rubbed again.
Similar articles
Trending Now