How to Grow and Care for Mother of Thousands

Kalanchoe daigremontiana

What grows three toes tall and sprouts hundreds of tiny child crops all alongside the margins of the leaves? The mom of hundreds plant (Kalanchoe daigremontiana), that’s what.

If you need a succulent that you would be able to reproduce simply and share with all of your family and friends, and perhaps even their family and friends, you’ve discovered it.

The identify might need tipped you off, however one plant can produce hundreds and hundreds of infants.

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Not solely does mom of hundreds produce plenty of seeds, but it surely additionally produces tiny plantlets with their very own roots on the margins of its leaves.

In Zones 9 to 11, you possibly can domesticate this distinctive succulent outside. In any other case, you possibly can preserve it indoors as a houseplant and even let it stay outdoors for the summer season and indoors for the winter.

Can’t wait to study extra? Wonderful, as a result of that’s what we’re about to go over with the next matters:

Kalanchoe daigremontiana (previously Bryophyllum daigremontianum) is often generally known as Mexican hat, alligator plant, flopper, satan’s spine, or mom of hundreds, to not be confused with mom of hundreds of thousands (Ok. delagoensis), a species in the identical genus.

Mom of hundreds is native to a small space of southwest Madagascar and has been launched in lots of subtropical areas, from Florida and Puerto Rico to Italy and Brazil.

In some areas, corresponding to South Africa, it has grow to be invasive.

The leaves are lanceolate or rectangular, or typically triangular, with bands or spots of black or deep purple on the undersides.

Whereas it not often blooms indoors, when grown outdoors, this succulent flowers in late winter or early spring with lavender or pink blossoms on lengthy stalks.

British botanist Sir Thomas Hanbury was recognized to gather and develop mom of hundreds within the early 1900s at his botanical gardens in Mortola Inferiore, Italy.

Mexican hat’s success is a results of the plantlets, which readily drop from the dad or mum and set up themselves shortly.

The right way to Develop Mom of Hundreds

Like many succulents, cultivating mom of hundreds is fairly simple. When you present the proper rising circumstances, it’s a really low-maintenance plant.

Temperature

Let’s discuss temperature first because it’s such an necessary a part of maintaining mom of hundreds wholesome.

Temperatures between 55 and 85°F are superb to advertise the healthiest progress. That is straightforward to keep up indoors.

In case you are rising outside and there’s an surprising deep freeze on the horizon, you possibly can attempt to mitigate the harm by propping wool blankets coated by plastic to forestall water from soaking in over the crops till the climate warms up, however not for longer than a couple of days.

Gentle

Mom of hundreds is happiest in shiny, oblique, or dappled daylight all day lengthy.

Morning mild is okay, too, however don’t expose it to the tough afternoon daylight until you need to see what a really unhappy kalanchoe can appear to be.

You possibly can inform in case your Mexican hat is within the right mild publicity as a result of it should have plump, compact progress.

If it begins to look leggy, it means the mom of hundreds isn’t receiving sufficient daylight.

Soil

In a container, any succulent or potting soil is okay. I’m a fan of Rosy Soil’s cactus and succulent combine.

It’s made utilizing pine bark, compost, pumice, sand, and root-boosting mycorrhizae for a wholesome, chunky setting that drains effectively.

Rosy Soil

Yow will discover Rosy Soil out there in four-quart luggage by way of Amazon.

Watering

The soil ought to be allowed to dry out fully between waterings.

Within the winter, you’ll solely need to present sufficient water to maintain the leaves from wrinkling and wilting.

Fertilizing

Feed the mom of hundreds with a really delicate, balanced, or nitrogen fertilizer as soon as a month throughout the spring, summer season, and fall.

I like Arber’s product as a result of it’s delicate sufficient for a succulent like kalanchoe however has a little bit of a lift of nitrogen, which foliage crops want in abundance.

Arber Plant Meals

It’s out there in 16-ounce bottles at Arbico Organics if you happen to’d like to present it a attempt.

Upkeep

You don’t have to prune mom of hundreds, which is incredible if you happen to just like the hands-off strategy. The one form of upkeep you should do is to take away any leaves that die.

You must also take away any damaged or diseased foliage if you see it with a clear, sharp pair of pruners. Simply bear in mind to put on gloves!

Repotting

Specimens in containers will must be potted up each few years till they attain their full measurement of about three toes tall and three toes large.

Do not forget that mom of hundreds spreads shortly. When you don’t keep on high of it, you’ll end up going through an enormous drawback.

Pluck out any volunteers as quickly as you see them, and take into account transferring backyard crops into containers if they’re getting out of hand.

The place to Purchase

There are a couple of Ok. daigremontiana cultivars on the market, however they’re onerous to search out anyplace outdoors of specialty succulent shops.

Search for these like ‘Jaws of Life,’ which has folded leaves that resemble alligator jaws snapping shut, or ‘Leopard,’ which has darkish spots on the foliage.

You can too discover fascinating hybrid cultivars like ‘Pink Butterflies,’ with its pink splotched leaves.

The species plant is fairly straightforward to search out, sometimes I’ve even seen it on the market as a novelty potted specimen at chain grocery shops in my space.

Mom of Hundreds

It’s out there by way of Amazon in three-packs of naked root crops.

Mom of Hundreds Propagation

In some areas of the world, gardeners are extra interested in how you can cease Ok. daigremontiana from propagating itself all over reasonably than encouraging it to take action.

A few of my fellow growers wish to joke that every one you should do is chop a bit off, throw it onto some soil, and also you’ll have a brand new plant in about 4 weeks.

It’s not fairly that straightforward, however not far off. Vegetative propagation is hottest, however ranging from seed can be attainable. Why don’t we go over that, first?

From Seed

Mom of hundreds will bloom at times, although it’s not predictable or constant within the case of indoor specimens. If it occurs, blooming is usually extra frequent within the early summer season.

You should buy seeds, however be sure to acquire them from a good retailer. There are many sellers on the market promoting seeds that aren’t the proper species or that aren’t viable.

Not all seeds might be viable, so ensure you begin greater than you assume you’ll want.

Because the seeds are so extremely small, it’s fairly onerous to sow an actual quantity, because it’s like making an attempt to separate grains of mud.

When you’ve got your seeds:

Fill a seed tray with succulent potting combine and moisten it.

Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the floor. It may be onerous to unfold them evenly, so be at liberty to combine the seeds with a little bit of sand to make the method simpler.

Cowl the tray with plastic or glass and place it in an space with shiny, oblique mild.

Preserve the soil moist and inside a couple of weeks, new progress will emerge.

Don’t fear if not all the seeds germinate – they’ve a notoriously low germination charge.

1. Search for a wholesome leaf and reduce it away from the stem utilizing a clear pair of scissors or clippers. You don’t have to take away the whole leaf. Simply reduce it an inch or so away from the stem.

Because the stems can develop lateral roots, you may as well take away a piece of stem, if you happen to want.

The stem ought to have at the very least a couple of nodes, which is the spot the place a leaf will emerge, and ought to be greater than the diameter of a chopstick.

2. Place the reducing in a cool space out of direct daylight and let it sit for a day or two till it types a callus over the reduce finish.

The callus is sort of a pure bandage that the succulent produces to guard itself, and it will assist stop rot as we watch for the leaf or stem to develop roots.

3. When the reduce space or areas really feel dry and barely onerous, you possibly can pot up the cuttings. Assume that a couple of cuttings received’t take and plant greater than you assume you’ll need.

4. Fill a seed tray or pot with a soilless potting combination or a succulent soil. Moisten it frivolously after which gently tuck the leaf or stem in simply deep sufficient that it stays upright.

5. Moisten the soil when the floor dries out, however take care to not overwater. The medium ought to really feel simply barely moist, like a well-wrung-out sponge.

6. Preserve the cuttings in an space with shiny, oblique mild or some direct morning mild and oblique mild within the afternoon.

After every week or two, the cuttings ought to begin creating roots. There’s no have to verify at this level, but when any of the cuttings begin to flip black or wrinkled, toss them. They received’t take.

Between three and 6 months after planting, it’s best to begin to see little leaves rising from the bottom of the reducing. You probably did it!

Let the leaves develop about an inch earlier than transplanting them as described beneath.

From Plantlets

Let’s discuss these funky child plantlets rising alongside the margins of the leaves. Technically, these growths are generally known as bulbils, that are vegetative clones of the dad or mum plant.

These plantlets will ultimately develop their very own roots and drop off the dad or mum plant. Once they do, you possibly can scoop them up and plant them some other place.

When you intend to maneuver plantlets outside that had been beforehand rising indoors, you’ll have to harden them off first.

In case you have entry to an current mom of hundreds plant, that is the best way to go. It’s extremely straightforward and dependable.

Transplanting

Whether or not you began your personal seedlings or plantlets, need to transfer an current specimen, otherwise you introduced a potted mom of hundreds dwelling from the shop, the transplanting course of is identical.

Gently take away the plant from its current container and loosen up the roots if they’ve grow to be tangled or certain.

Then, place the foundation ball within the new container or in a pre-dug gap within the floor. The opening doesn’t must be any bigger than required to accommodate the rootball.

You possibly can present a bigger pot if you wish to enable the crops to unfold, however you should use excessive warning to not overwater.

Managing Pests and Illness

Some crops will continually problem you with their pest and illness issues. Not mom of hundreds, although, as she’s fairly darn robust.

Typically spider mites, scale, and mealybugs will come visiting. The obvious indicators of pest issues are yellow or speckled leaves.

The roots flip soggy and die, making the highest of the plant wilt, flip yellow, and shrivel up.

Find out about these issues in our kalanchoe rising information.

Powdery mildew may also be an issue. Now we have an entire information devoted to this frequent illness, which causes a white or grey coating on the leaves of the plant.

The Mom of All Kalanchoe

It’s onerous to not love a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t want a lot consideration to look its greatest.

Mom of hundreds is the right plant for somebody who likes daring, low-maintenance crops.

Simply be ready to reply all of the questions from individuals who need to know what the heck it’s and the way they’ll get their fingers on one.

It’s the right eye-catching choice for container gardening.

Outdoors, as long as you are ready to watch the unfold, it’s a lovely specimen, border, or xeriscaping choice.

What attracts you to mom of hundreds? Is it her prolific nature? The dramatic leaves? The easygoing perspective? Share with us within the feedback part beneath!

And for extra details about rising succulents within the Kalanchoe genus, add these guides to your studying checklist subsequent:

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