Knowledgebase
What is this plant? #271783
Asked August 21, 2015, 12:10 AM EDT
County Outside United States
Expert Response
The plant I have has vines that are probably 1-1/2 to 2 feet long, and are VERY heliocentric. Every single vine twists and turns around to point directly at the window and will even grow "up" for an inch or two before the weight brings it back onto the shelf.
I have looked at a variety of sources, and see there are almost 60 different varieties of Kalanchoe, so I'm hoping my additional description might help narrow down which one I have. Ideally I'd like to snip the one I have as it's a bit leggy and propagate to better pots and soil, but I want to make sure I'm reading the information on the right variety of Kalanchoe.
Thank you ahead of time for any additional help you are able to provide!
The leaves look very succulent in the photos. I'm still leaning toward Kalanchoe, because I've seen them get long and leggy like this if they've been allowed to grow and not been cut back when starting to get leggy. I think your plant has been allowed to grow so long that it cannot hold itself upright. I think the fact that the ends of the branches try to lift themselves upright in the sun may confirm this.
Please get back to me. If the leaves are NOT thick and fleshy, let me know.
If they are, try the propagation techniques--Cut off the last 2-3 inches off a few of the branches, leaving the terminal two leaves. Allow the cut ends to callous--dry out--for a few days. Insert in moist planting medium, place the pot in a large plastic bag to maintain humidity, and place in a window with indirect sunlight. This is best done in spring or early summer, but I've done it any time of the year.
The branches/vines have never been able to hold themselves up as long as I've had the plant. It started from a pretty small plant that was a gift, but it's been pretty happy up until the last couple of months when the leaves start turning yellow and getting soft. Eventually the leaves on the older branches turn yellow and soft, then dry up and fall off, causing the legginess. Despite this, the main plant is putting off new shoots, with several more just coming out, so I still think the main plant is relatively happy, but I'm thinking perhaps the pot is too small for it now.
Even the brand new shoots coming from the main stem only grow an inch or two and then they start getting too heavy to stand upright. That's why I say it is "like a vine" (even if it's not a vine plant). Even the new shoots very quickly bend downward toward the shelf. The new vines seem especially happy as they are putting off lots of new leaves and are growing very quickly with no leaves turning yellow or falling off. The leggy vines are much older (i.e., a few years).
I will definitely try out the propagation technique you've described. The very ends of both the older and newer "vines" seem quite happy, and would likely propagate well. Thank you again for all of your time. I definitely appreciate it!
Let me ask you this--are you fertilizing it? If you are, it may be too much--this can cause your succulent to get very leggy and weak-stemmed, and may prevent the plant from producing flowers. . Use a low nitrogen fertilizer at about ½ to ¼ the recommended rate. You may also be able to find fertilizer made for succulents. This component is not completely necessary as too much fertilizer can kill your plant.
BTW--here's a great article with illustrations for propagating your plant: http://www.wikihow.com/Propagate-Succulent-Plant-Cuttings
I'm not using any fertilizer on any of my plants. I was thinking of doing it once in a great while, but haven't done it yet.
Thanks again!