One of the reasons why we are passionate about succulents is because it is such an extensive world, we never finish knowing all the plants that compose it and they never cease to surprise us. Learn all about Kalanchoe pumila care in this article.
In a previous article we had written about one of the many succulents that has a “velvety” texture, well, today we are going to tell you about one that will make you fall in love with its appearance because it seems to have a layer of frost, that’s right and this beauty can be found under the name of Kalanchoe pumila.
This succulent stands out from its companions because it has a different color in its leaves and stems, it is not the typical green plant and this color gives it a lot of elegance.
Kalanchoe pumila for its easy maintenance is a succulent that we recommend for beginners or inexperienced in the care of succulents, so if you want to start someone in this exciting hobby give this plant is an excellent choice.
And if you have just acquired it and want to know what you need to make it grow big and beautiful, keep reading because here we share with you everything you need to achieve it.
Table of Contents
Characteristics of Kalanchoe pumila
Kalanchoe pumila is a succulent that is native to Africa, specifically Madagascar, and belongs to the Crassulaceae family.
It is considered as a shrubby plant, the maximum height it reaches is 12″ (30 cm), its leaves are rounded toothed and are covered with a layer of waxy hairs that give it a “frosted” appearance, its color is gray or grayish-green and it is a very bushy plant, so you can place it in a square pot extended that will fill very well or there are those who like to place it in pots on top because it can also acquire the appearance of a hanging plant.
By the way, before we start talking about its care, we would like to mention that this plant has pruina, so you should avoid touching its leaves to keep its beauty intact and not to get sunburned.
No products found.
Kalanchoe pumila Care:
Light:
Kalanchoe pumila is a succulent that tolerates well direct sun exposure only in the mornings, if we leave it to get the sun all day long, we will cause its leaves to suffer from burns.
We can also place it in a semi-shade or in a place where it receives very good lighting.
Kalanchoe pumila Care – Watering:
The watering that we will give it is the standard, it is necessary to water it when the substrate is dry and that it is a deep watering, that is to say until we see that the water comes out of the drainage holes of its pot.
Depending on the climate where you live, watering it once a week will be more than enough, a sign that we may be missing watering it more often is that its leaves are drooping, if you see this behavior I recommend that you check the substrate and if it is dry then you have to put water and adjust the frequency of watering.
Once the autumn season arrives you should reduce watering little by little and in winter you should avoid watering it since in that period it is more vulnerable to rotting because it is in its resting period.
Temperature:
Kalanchoe pumila benefits from warm temperatures, its growing season is in summer.
You just have to take care of it a lot of cold and especially frost, as it does not support them, so if in the area where you live the temperature drops more than 50 °F (10 ° C) is better to protect it to avoid losing it.
Kalanchoe pumila Care – Substrate:
One of the secrets to having our Kalanchoe pumila happy and beautiful is that the substrate that we place them drains perfectly and does not retain moisture for a long time, always remember that when assembling substrates consider the climate conditions and the place where you are going to have your plants, we have used a mixture 50% mineral and 50% organic and it has worked well for this succulent.
We recommend this substrate for the proper care of Kalanchoe pumila and other succulents (Order it here).
Fertilization:
Kalanchoes do not need fertilization, however, if we want to add some extra nutrients to their substrate I recommend you to do it organically, you can place ground eggshells in its substrate and you can also water it with rice water, chamomile tea (without sugar) or banana peel tea once or twice a month.
Remember that in winter we suspend any fertilization or fertilizer, as this is the resting period for our Kalanchoes.
How to Propagate Kalanchoe pumila:
These plants can easily reproduce them through two methods that are by leaf or by cutting, the truth I recommend you that the propagation, specifically of this succulent, do it by cutting, since it is much simpler and it is not difficult for them to stick, in this way in a short time you will have many Kalanchoes in your garden.
Flowering Kalanchoe pumila :
This succulent has a very beautiful flowering, these flowers emerge in umbels and are lilac or pink, its flowering period begins in late winter and can last until early autumn.
Remember that to favor its flowering you should place it in places where it receives very good illumination and warmth.
Frequent Problems with Kalanchoe pumila:
As we told you at the beginning of this article, Kalanchoe pumila is an easy to maintain plant, so you are not going to have a major pest problem with it because they are very resistant, just try to take care of these aspects so that your plant stays healthy:
- A pot with adequate drainage.
- Avoid excessive watering.
- Do not expose it to low temperatures.
In the case that our plant is weakened by lack of care in any of the above points, it can be attacked by mealybug or fungus and you will have to treat it either with an insecticide or a fungicide depending on the case, but if you control the points that we mentioned you will hardly battle with this type of problems in your plant.
I hope this article on how to take care of Kalanchoe pumila will be useful. We recommend our article about Kalanchoe tomentosa care.
