Raising Kalanchoes through cuttings is relatively easy. If you take the trouble to pollinate the plants yourself with a brush, sometimes germinable seeds will even develop, which you can also use for breeding.
How to propagate Kalanchoes?
Kalanchoen can be easily propagated using shoot or leaf cuttings. Shoot cuttings require at least two pairs of leaves and are placed diagonally in potting soil. Leaf cuttings are created directly on trimmed edges on moist growing substrate. Alternatively, you can also produce germinable seeds through pollination and sow them on succulent soil.
Cutting offshoots
The breeding takes place through shoot or leaf cuttings. However, this depends on how the Kalanchoe grew. Some plants do not produce long shoots, so in this case you can only use individual leaves.
Shoot cuttings
For these you need shoots with at least two pairs of leaves. Separate these and remove the bottom pair of leaves. Then do the following:
- Fill the growing pot with growing soil.
- Place the cutting cut diagonally into the soil.
- Moisten the substrate with a sprayer.
- To create a greenhouse climate, place a transparent plastic bag or a hood (€12.00 on Amazon) over the pots.
- Place in a bright but sunny, warm place.
- Air daily and keep evenly moist.
Leaf cuttings
First, tear off a sheet. Cut off the jagged edges and wrap a fine floral wire around the cutting, which you can use to attach it to a growing substrate that is kept evenly moist. The new plants form within about three weeks directly on the trimmed edges.
As soon as the plants are about two to three centimeters tall, they are removed and placed in a mixture of peat and sand.
Propagation by seeds
If you want to propagate the plant in this way, you must first pollinate the flowers with a brush. Do not cut out anything that has faded, but wait until seeds have formed.
Sown on succulent soil as this offers the optimal germination conditions. Scatter the seeds onto the moistened substrate; they are not covered with soil. Place the containers in a bright place where temperatures are at least 21 degrees all day long.
The seeds begin to germinate after just ten days, and after about six weeks you can separate the plants and continue to care for them like the mother plant.
Tip
Kalanchoe is very sensitive to ethylene, a gas that fruits and vegetables give off as they ripen and that is also found in cigarette smoke. It causes the flowers to fade and wilt and also damages the foliage. Therefore, do not place the Kalanchoe in the kitchen or in rooms where people smoke.