Meet My Florist Kalanchoe
Meeting #3
My Florist kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) was one of my compulsive purchases from one nursery about five years ago. It is native to Madagascar and became a house plant in the first quarter of the 1900s. It’s a succulent called by many names like Flaming katy, Christmas kalanchoe, and Madagascar widow’s-thrill.
Its shining dark green fleshy leaves contrast with the colorful clusters of tiny stars. Mine produces dark red clusters, but I have seen them in pink, white, and yellow in supermarkets, nurseries, and gardens.
Kalanchoes can grow and spread to 20". Mine came in a 6" black plastic pot. I repotted it about six months later because it grew too quickly. It did not have flowers when I bought it, so for a couple of years, I was intrigued by the color.
In 2022, a sticky glue covered the leaves right before the plant flowered for the first time. I checked for bugs, but I didn’t find any. I thoroughly rinsed leave by leave several times. I treated it once with soap insecticide and the next with copper fungicide after the rinses. Finally, the glue cleared, and the plant is healthy now.
