2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Kalanchoe is a wonderful plant that grows in many of us, and we love it not only for its simplicity, but also for its many medicinal properties! Nevertheless, even the most picky plant needs competent care - in the case of the Kalanchoe, it is mainly about pruning. This process is not so difficult, but it is extremely important to learn how to carry it out correctly, and then a beautiful plant will delight you for many, many years
A little about the expediency of the procedure
Pruning, which consists in eliminating excess peduncles and leaves, is required for this plant in order to help it acquire a neater appearance. Agree, a plant that looks like a compact bush will look much better than a thin long stem constantly stretching upward, equipped with many chaotically located branches. However, pruning this green pet pursues not only one decorative purpose - to a large extent it will contribute to the creation of the most favorable conditions for its full-fledged life: the juice accumulating inside the flowers begins to be distributed along the processes, gradually filling the leaves with itself, which means that the Kalanchoe will acquire much more juiciness and will be able to boast an impressive resistance to wilting and drying out.
With regard to the Kalanchoe, it is customary to distinguish three types of pruning: these include the initial and preventive pruning, as well as pruning after flowering. As for the tools, the most suitable in this case would be a special stationery blade or a well-sharpened table knife. It is strictly forbidden to pick off the leaves by hand - this approach can harm a green pet so much that it will fade in a matter of days!
Pruning Kalanchoe with different flowers
For different varieties of Kalanchoe, the pruning rules will be different. For example, trimming the leaves of the Blossfeld variety, which is most often found in our apartments, which is characterized by the presence of many luxurious bright red flowers, can be done an unlimited number of times: and even if you leave only a "stump", cutting off all the adventitious leaves with twigs from the plant without exception, then very soon an impressive amount of dense foliage will appear on such a plant!
But Kalanchoe varieties blooming with yellow or white flowers are not only rare, but also very whimsical, therefore, too diligent or frequent removal of leaves can have the most disastrous consequences for such plants. So before pruning Kalanchoe, first of all, you should definitely clarify its variety.
Initial and preventive pruning
The first pruning of young plants is usually carried out as soon as they take root and start growing: on all shoots, one or a maximum of two uppermost leaves are cut off. As for preventive pruning, they are carried out not immediately after the end of the initial ones, but as needed: in the pruning places, new shoots will form regularly, on which leaves will appear in turn. It makes sense to repeat the procedure until the handsome Kalanchoe takes on a neat bushy or rounded shape. By the way, preventive pruning can be carried out immediately, as soon as new leaves begin to form on the shoots - it is not at all necessary to expect them to grow up.
Proper pruning is almost always completely painless for these beautiful plants. If, after the procedure, rotting wounds have formed on the stems, the damaged areas are carefully sprinkled with wood ash (it is enough to take quite a bit).
As for the winter period, with the end of November, it is advisable to suspend all pruning for a while - the procedure is usually resumed in late spring, before the Kalanchoe begins to bloom. If the flower has already bloomed, then the pruning is stopped again. And one more important nuance - you should not keep the Kalanchoe at the start of the formation of its beautiful flowers in rooms that are too brightly lit, since bright light provokes rapid growth, which in turn often leads to overgrowth!
How to prune a plant after flowering?
At the end of flowering, the handsome Kalanchoe is pruned not only in order to remove excess leaves, but also to free the plant from peduncles. The leaves are removed in this case in the same way as for all other pruning - one or two on the stalks located along the edges. And the best time for pruning is in the morning - ideally, it should be done before noon.
Before starting this pruning, it is important to make sure that all flowers, without exception, have already completely faded. Peduncles are always cut off every last one and always close to the very bases - this approach will help to avoid rotting of the Kalanchoe. Also, this procedure will help stimulate new stem growth. And upon completion of pruning, the plant should be provided with a dormant period - it consists not only in reducing watering, but also in protecting the plant from direct sunlight. As a rule, the flower finally comes to life in approximately twenty to forty days.
Timely and competent pruning of healthy and beautiful Kalanchoe will help you get beautiful, lush and healthy bushes, delighting with their magnificent flowering! And for the sake of this, it is definitely worth trying!
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