Orange Blooms For My Kalanchoe

My Kalanchoe is finally blooming.  I was so curious to see what flowers will emerge, and Donna they are orange flowers too!  Here are some pictures I took this morning.  

The light is playing tricks on me here, the flowers look pink but they are in fact orange...

I had to support the plant with a bamboo stick because it grew too long and it sort of coiled in on itself.  I was afraid the main stem was going to give way. but as it turns out, the main stem is just as thick as the rest so it just bent, and let gravity take over.  Now it look much prettier.

It took a lot of juggling to take these last three pictures, so I didn't care much about the light, as long as the plant didn't move I was snapping away.

For some reason when flowers bloom I always feel excited, its like receiving presents on your birthday or Christmas, you just have to smile :)

Here they are in full bloom now:

Kalanchoe Flowers In Full Bloom

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Kalanchoe Summer Bloomer

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post.  We're having such a busy month this month we are hardly spending any time at home let alone in my yard looking at my plants.  It's just one of those crazy times we all go through I guess from time to time.  This morning as I rushed out to water my rather neglected plants I had a lovely surprise.  My little Kalanchoe ( I don't know the actual name) is almost in bloom :)

The Kalanchoe has grown quite long in a couple of months

Three lovely buds

I took these pictures with my mobile phone at six o'clock this morning, so they are not exactly first class.  This plant has been relatively quiet all year growing little by little.  Now, however, it suddenly had a growth spurge, and has grown very long in just a couple of months.  Like the rest of the Kalanchoes I don't water this one very often, and it doesn't seem to require that much either.  It takes a long time for the soil to dry so I pretty much leave it alone.  The soil is very well drained, a bit too much I think, because when I water it, the water just goes straight out of the pot to the ground.  It doesn't seem to mind that though.  

I am very excited to see what the flowers will look like.  This is the first Kalanchoe to make flowers in Summer, the other two flowered in Winter.  It's great that despite coming from the same family (of a few thousand different species) they have such great differences.  

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A Tale Of Two Kalanchoes

Mummy Kalanchoe

Ten days ago I decided to try to propagate my Kalanchoe Marmorata because it was spreading all over the place.  I now have two Kalanchoes and my visit this afternoon resulted in quite a few surprises.

New Stems A Sprouting

New Stems A Sprouting

I'm calling this one the Mummy Kalanchoe since it was the main plant that I cut the stem from, and it looks like the pruning has done it well.  I have a new plant sprouting from the base of the stem, and another stem sprouting from the bit of the stem that I cut off.  It is looking very promising, but it is also looking like the new stems are growing in opposite directions, meaning that I may have to take more cuttings from this one.  They will make lovely gifts :)

I wonder if the new growth at the bottom will now resemble what the Kalanchoe is supposed to look like.  I am still amazed at the way this plant has grown, it's hard to believe that the original plant looks like this:

Grandma Kalanchoe, where I got the first cutting from

Baby Kalanchoe

The stem that I cut off is now fully speckled, as you would expect from this plant.  I am still unsure about this one.  The leaves look like they have grown 'old' overnight, wrinkle to the touch, but it still seems to be ok.  This one cutting will determine what I do with any future cuttings from Mummy Kalanchoe.  I hope that it survives and thrives.  The timing for propagation was good, it is suggested that you do this late Spring early Summer.  I guess only time will tell.

Baby Kalanchoe fully speckled

Baby Kalanchoe with some burnt edges

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Is This The End For The Mysterious Kalanchoe?

Ever since the hail storm, my mysterious Kalanchoe has been on a steady decline.  I had seen some growth towards the base of the plant, and that made me hope that the plant was on its way to a full recovery.  Over the past weeks however, it has shed all its leaves and today I was greeted with a sad discovery.

Two of the three branches coming out of the main stem have broken off.  This has left with all but one miserable branch which is already broken but is still hanging on there.

I am uncertain about the future of this plant now.  The main stem has lost its rich green colouring and is now slightly reddish in colour.  I still have small bunches of flowers and small leaves on the stem, but without any leaves I don't know how much longer it can survive.

The plant is a little over 1 meter tall now, however the only growth now is at the bottom of the plant.  The fact that the stems are falling off like this is not a good sign I think.  The flowers as you can see are somewhat shrivelled, but since it has been flowering since January, it's possibly time for it to stop now.  I read that some Kalanchoes flower in Winter and then stop in Spring so this type might be just one of them.

It is also possible however, that this one is an annual.  It grew from a couple of inches to over a meter in no time at all.  It flowered in Winter just as it reached its maximum height and now it's time has come.  One other possibility is that the hail storm has defeated it after all.  It is definitely a far cry from what it was a few months ago in October.  

Kalanchoe October 2011

Perhaps it's time to say goodbye.  It's sad though, it was such a beautiful plant with lush foliage.  It's a shame I never got to know what the plant is.  I had even asked the nursery and they had no idea :|

I will leave it where it is for the time being.  Just monitoring it, seeing what comes next.  I might just end up with one lonely stalk, tied to a bamboo stick which makes no real sense now.  Well not completely lonely, there is one leaf left, hanging on, telling me that its not over yet.  

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Kalanchoe Marmorata Red Alert

The Kalanchoe Marmorata seems to have taken off with a bang this Spring.  This is its first Spring in my yard, and I never expected it to grow this much.  I still don't know where I'm going to place this plant, and in the meantime it just keeps on growing.

From the last post where I had to add more support to it, the plant has completely overpowered the bamboo stick and I have now had to place two sticks.  I didn't want to tie the plant to them so I put two sticks on either end and let the plant rest between them.  Then I tied the two sticks together instead so they don't move as much.

Kalanchoe Marmorata resting on a stick

Kalanchoe more support!

It's not exactly a comfortable living situation for the plant.  It has continued to sprout roots from the stems and I almost feel sorry for it stuck in that pot.  I am still surprised at the way this plant is growing.  I have done some research online, and all the plants I've seen all seem to grow in little clumps close to the ground. 

Maybe that's what it's trying to do.  It's possible that the stems should be in the soil and rooted down.  If that's the case it must be completely out of its element in that position.  I need to find a better place for it fast.

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Supporting The Kalanchoe Marmorata

This week I looked out at the succulent shelf I have in my yard and to my surprise (and horror), I found that the Kalanchoe Marmorata had almost completely fallen to one side.  Had it not been for the other pots on the shelf, I think it would have fallen over completely.  The plant has decided to branch sideways and what was a little cutting a few months ago has now become an oversized and heavy stalk.

Marmorata May 2012

The problem is that the pot does not seem to be too big for it but I need to find a solution for this plant if it is to keep growing.  As you can see from the picture below, there are roots coming out of the underside of the stalk.  I think this plant was meant to go into a larger patch of soil and 'trail' on the ground, spreading roots as it branches sideways, and producing another stalk of its own.

Marmorata New Roots

Unfortunately I placed it in a container, so there isn't much chance of that happening.  For the time being, I need to add more support for this plant.  As a quick measure, I removed the bamboo stick that was meant to be supporting it from the front of the plant, and placed it at the back.  The effect of this is that it is pulling it backwards preventing it from toppling over.

Here is the stick at the front of the plant

Here is the stick at the back pulling it up

As you can see from the first picture I also have a little baby Marmorata growing right next to the main stalk.  As usual, I think I have underestimated this plant big time.  The plant is going to stay in its place until I figure out a better living situation for it.  I would hate to give it away, because it's a beautiful plant.

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Kalanchoe Marmorata New Growth Amidst the Damage

This year my little green patch took quite a beating following a succession of hail storms.  The majority of plants are succulents, with large fleshy leaves that got badly damaged where the hail stones hit.  The Kalanchoe Marmorata was no exception.  Although the leaves were less damaged than my other Kalanchoe, whose leaves are more tender and fragile.  

The flowers quickly withered away after the storm, and I had almost written it off completely, thinking it was an annual and was done for after flowering, but this month I got a pleasant surprise.  

Kalanchoe Marmorata New Growth for Spring

Kalanchoe Marmorata with lightly speckled new leaves

The first image features the withered flowers at the tips of the plant, I have now cut these off.  The new leaves are growing in the midst of the damaged leaves.  They are still young and only slightly speckled.  This is a very good sign however.  

My problem now is the way the plant is growing, completely bent over to one side.  I have tied the string further up along the stem, to provide more support for the plant, but I fear as the leaves grow bigger it will need more support on top.  The pot is more than big enough for the plant but I may have to repot it, and place it towards the far edge of the pot, if the roots permit.  Alternatively I may have to place it in a different container.

I have not yet watered this plant since last Autumn.  We got enough rain to supply it with nutrients all Winter, and the soil is still moist.  I will need to monitor the plant now, as it starts growing it will need some frequent watering, or so I think.  I haven't given it any fertiliser, and it may need some over the Summer as now I can only give it tap water, which is not the best choice of water.  It's going to be an exciting couple of months watching this plant grow and seeing how it handles its first Summer.

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The Effects of Hail on the Kalanchoe

Today I have decided to prune the Kalanchoe, if that is at all possible.  All the leaves that were hit by the hail stones started to go a sickly black and slimy, so it was time to remove them completely to avoid disease.  I'm afraid if I left them there I would have killed the plant sooner or later.  Here's a picture of the damaged leaves today:

Damaged leaves one week after the storm

Leaves started falling off on their own so it was time they were removed

As you can see, they were just hanging there lifeless, so I decided to remove all the leaves that were too far gone.  I left the leaves that had only a few spots, and will be monitoring those in the next few days.  If I see the spots getting larger I will remove those too.

The leaves removed from the plant

Leaf damage

As you can see from the image of the damaged leaf above, the leaf itself does not appear to be too damaged, but the rotten part prevents any source of nutrients to getting to the plant or the leaf.  This caused me to remove more foliage than I wanted to, but better be safe than sorry.

On a positive note, I have exposed the centre of the plant now, and this will get more sunlight.  I have also discovered some growth in the centre, which looks promising.  Weather permitting, there is still hope that the plant will survive.

New Growth at the Centre

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Kalanchoe Marmorata in full bloom

Kalanchoe Marmorata Flowers

Finally the three flowers have bloomed, they are such beautiful flowers.  There is a fourth one but I didn't want to wait for it before taking the picture, the others might fade away before it catches up.

My garden is living in total neglect at the moment and it seems to be enjoying the lack of attention.  We've been having so much rain I am worried (as usual) that it's too much but the plants love the rain water. 

It's certainly better than the bottled water they get in summer.  I try not to use tap water because our water is very hard and has too much chlorine and fluoride here so at the nursery they told me it's actually bad for the plants.  I do use it occasionally though, using bottled water gets expensive.  In winter though I stop watering all together, it's such a relief for them.

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Kalanchoe Marmorata Flowers

Kalanchoe Marmorata Flower

Another lovely addition this Winter, almost on the same day both my Kalanchoes flowered.  I have read that Kalanchoes tend to flower in Winter and I was a bit sceptic, but I'm glad I was proved wrong.  I can't wait for the other three flowers to bloom.

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Kalanchoe Flowers for Winter

Kalanchoe Blooms in January

Kalanchoe blooms

Well, after alot of debates whether the little blooms that have appeared in November contained seeds or flowers, the question has been answered yesterday morning.  My Kalanchoe is blooming in the middle of Winter, just as expected :)

Since I still don't know the exact type of this plant I had no idea what kind of flowers, if any, would come out.  As it turns out they are lovely small bunches of yellow.  I was also very surprised since it has been such a gloomy winter so far, lots of rain and hail storms it's a wonder it didn't kill all my plants.

It's been a wonderfull surprise but I'm also a bit sad now.  The plant seems to have reached it's full potential, I wonder if it's an annual and will now wither away.  It's such a beautiful plant.  Will just have to wait and see.

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Strange Growth of the Kalanchoe Marmorata

The Kalanchoe Marmorata is supposed to grow in small bunches with a wooden stem in the middle.  In fact the original plant where I got the cutting from was in a square container full of lovely speckled leaves.

Original Plant where I got the cutting from

My Kalanchoe however, decided to take a different route, upwards!  Instead of growing a new stem from the bottom as I had expected it to, it started growing longer with sets of two leaves going up along the stem.  You can still see the wooden stem at the bottom, however this picture is totally different from the one above.

My Penwiper with support

I've had to put in a bamboo stick for support as it bent downwards completely due to the recent rain storms we've had.  As you can see at the tip it looks like it's blooming.  I really don't know what to expect from this plant, it gets full to partial shade but lots of bright light during the day.  I wonder if it's trying to reach up towards the sun.  I hope I get some beautiful flowers I can show you, fingers crossed.

Looks like flowers will bloom

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How to tell the Penwiper has propagated successfully

Kalanchoe Marmorata Standing Tall

This past week I learnt how you can tell that a Penwiper has taken roots. 


When I first got the Marmorata stem and planted it, it was hortizontal looking down, it was just a 'lifeless' stem planted in a pot.  After just a week I noticed the plant has risen and is now looking up, as you can see from the bend in the photo.

I didn't expect this behaviour especially since we got alot of heavy rain this week and the soil is still wet from when I first planted it.  I noticed the leaves have also opened up more.  They were closed when I first got it except for the bottom two leaves.  Now it looks like the plant is standing on it's feet showing off :)

The plant is taking shape now and this is how it's supposed to look.  The leaves should open up more and only the top part should remain closed like this so hopefully in the next weeks I can see it flourish more.  This is a good sign that the plant is alive now and has taken well to its surroundings.

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Kalanchoe Marmorata (Penwiper Plant)

Kalanchoe Marmorata

The latest addition to my succulents is the Kalanchoe Marmorata, also known as the Penwiper Plant.  Here is some general information about this succulent which I collected. 

This plant is a perennial and can be propagated from seed or cuttings in Spring or Summer, since it's the beginning of October now I hope it will stabilise.  This plant enjoys full sun to partial shade so I am not too sure how well it will do in my yard.  It does get alot of light however.  It can grow up to 6 inches tall, which is just about the height of this cutting.  This kalanchoe will bloom white flowers in Spring, over 5cm in spread. 

I got the cutting yesterday from a much bigger plant and placed it in a pot of compost about 4 inches deep.  There is some leaf damage, possibly due to too much sun or too little water.  The spot I chose for it does not get alot of direct sunlight and there is good airflow so in time it should recover.  I may also have placed the plant in too big a pot however I would like this one to spread, it's got such lovely foliage. We don't get any frost here so it should be ok if left outside during the winter months.

I didn't find alot of information about watering needs, other than the fact that it's a succulent so water alot in summer but a little in winter.  All in all this plant should make a nice addition to what I am now calling my succulent shelf.

My succulent shelf

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Succulents - My latest additions



Succulents badly planted

More succulents and Cactii

This summer I got myself some succulents.  They are the easiest plants to grow, just leave them there and when the soil dries out water them.  How easy can it get ?  I have no idea what each of them are called so I will have to do some research on all of them and perhaps dedicate a page for each but for the time being I just grouped them together under one name. 


As you can see I placed them on a shelf in the shade.  They get some morning sun for a couple of hours but then it's mostly shade.  I read however that most succulents are able to thrive in the shade and actually some do not require full sunlight all day.  This is ideal for my yard however since I don't yet know what they are I need to monitor them to see how fast they are drinking water and their growth rate.

My biggest grower by far is the second plant in the second picture.  It is growing taller than I can manage.  It must have doubled it's height in the month that I had it and I believe I will have to find a new pot for it soon or I risk it toppling over!  I have sent a picture of it to the nursery where I got it from in the hope that they can tell me what it is because it was unnamed when I got it and they just told me it's another succulent. (Very helpful of them).

Update - since then my nursery told me that it's 'probably' a kalanchoe.  I have yet to find a similar image of this plant online but at least they narrowed my search from about 1600 species to 125, it's a start...

The picture below is a week after I first got it:

Kalanchoe after one week

As you can see it has now grown considerably taller.  I looked for it online but I couldn't find an image for it anywhere.  I water it every other day and I have never given it any fertiliser.  I drinks alot though and it keeps on getting taller, it reminds be of the giant beanstalk in Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, who knows maybe it will just keep on growing...

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