As I was supporting my Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, I started thinking about how they grow in the wild? I mean, since the “branches” (?) start bending when they reach a certain length, do they just bend to touch the ground and start growing upwards from there? Does the part touching the ground sprout roots? Is there any other trivia that might be interesting to know?
2 Likes
Like all tracheophytes a plant with stems and branches is subject to gravity and will bend if they get too long. I don’t know the exact height at which they start to droop or if they have rhizomes, but I do know that their flowers last a very long time and bloom in winter. If they are yours, be careful to avoid Otiorhynchus sulcatus and Pseudococcidae from touching them since both are known pests (source: Royal Horticultural Society). The plant was originally native to the elevated northern area of Madagascar before being globally distributed according to most sources.
2 Likes
The bending started at about 30 cm length. I have it outside during Summers, indoors when it gets below 15°C at night, as it doesn’t handle much cooler temps well.
Thanks for the heads-up for those pests. Judging by the observation map, they aren’t that common here, though, I had to remove some aphids from it last Summer, but they didn’t do any major damage.
1 Like