Kalanchoe Don Sergio: how to care, transplantation and reproduction, varieties and their photos

Kalanchoe Don Sergio is a charming ornamental plant, it is unique in its flowering, and therefore has earned such popularity.

This plant will take worthy of a flower loved by many gardeners and collectors. He is not picky and hardy, patient and generous with his bright greens and bright orange blossoms.

Such a plant will take its rightful place in any home. It can be installed in any room - both in the coolest and in the hottest - even in the kitchen.

Botanical Description and History

Kalanchoe Don Sergio - belongs to a large family of Crassulaceae, a genus of succulents, immigrants from tropical Africa, South America, Asia. This species has about 200 varieties of bred hybrids. New varieties feel great on our windowsills, are not whimsical and not capricious. Due to its origin the flower stores water well, therefore it is always healthy and fragrantonly a little effort is required.

Kalanchoe Don Sergio is a hybrid variety, Kalanchoe Kalandiva, living in wildlife in Africa and Southeast Asia, is considered its ancestor. Kalanchoe Don Sergio is a decorative flower, unfortunately, it does not have healing properties like its relatives, but is attractive for its amazing flowering, which can last up to six months.

The flowers themselves are small, bright orange. The leaves are medium, curly, fleshy, bright, saturated green, as if covered with gloss, shiny. Even when the flower does not bloom, it looks very attractive. Kalanchoe Don Sergio tolerates pruning well, quickly restored.

Other names

In the literal translation "Kalanchoe" - "plant of life." In their historical homeland, Kalanchoe Don Sergio is called the Flower of Fate.

Varieties and their photos

Orange

The heat-loving flower, especially in winter, requires a lot of light and heat. It grows to 25 - 30 cm. The leaves are bright green, fleshy, patterned, slightly elongated. It blooms with an orange bush, the flowers themselves are small, up to 1 cm in diameter. Flowers are collected in dense inflorescences.

Rosalina mix

The stems are short, the flower grows up to 25 - 30 cm. The leaves are fleshy, bright, dark green, oblong, patterned at the edges. The flowers are bright - orange, miniature. They grow in diameter up to 1 cm. On a small peduncle, flowers form dense bouquets - umbrellas. It blooms for a long time, about 2 months, new buds ripen in their place - from this flowering lasts quite long. You will learn about other types of Kalanchoe in a separate article.

Transplant: rules and tips, instructions

An adult flower of Kalanchoe Don Sergio is transplanted once a year due to frequent periods of vegetation. This is the peculiarity of this particular type of Kalanchoe.

Important! Most often, when transplanting, they use the transshipment method. This allows you to painlessly transfer the flower from one pot to another, more spacious. The flower will more easily tolerate the planting, the root system will more easily take root, since the earthen lump is preserved. The composition of the substrate should be identical.

Rules for transplanting Kalanchoe Don Sergio:

Correctly choose the size of the pot, it should be 1 - 2 cm larger in diameter than it was.
Disinfect the pot and planting tools - pour over boiling water, treat with a weak solution of manganese or copper sulfate.
At the bottom, place a good layer of drainage - clay shards, expanded clay or coarse sand. Drainage layer - 2 - 3 cm.
Superphosphate is recommended to be added to a pre-prepared substrate - 15 - 20 g per 1 kg of substrate.
Pour the substrate into the pot without tamping.
Well moisten the soil in an old pot to easily extract the root.
Soak the old earthen lump so that when inspected not to damage the root.
Sick and damaged roots are carefully cut out.
We remove the dry, sluggish leaves.
We place the root in a new pot on the root neck, it should be at the level of the substrate.
We deepen by 1 - 3 cm.
Moisturize the substrate, add, slightly compacting it.
We do not seal with your hand, but with a stick, so that the substrate remains loose.

Lighting and location

Kalanchoe Don Sergio loves the light, but the direct sun should be feared, burns may appear on the leaves. If the pots are set south, shade the window with a light curtain. It is not recommended to grow a flower on the north window, a lack of light and heat will inhibit growth and flowering.

reference. The eastern and western windows are best suited.

In winter, additional lighting is usually added with special lamps, so that daylight hours increase to 10 - 12 hours.

Soil requirements

It is important to ensure neutral soil acidity and good breathability. to prevent decay of the roots and stalks of Kalanchoe Don Sergio.

The soil can be purchased in specialized stores, or you can create it yourself using the necessary components, which can also be purchased at any flower shop.

Soil composition:

Drainage base-2 - 3 cm thick.
Drainage consists of expanded clay, clay shards, coarse sand.
Sand - 1 part.
Peat - 1 part.
Sod land - 1 part.
Sheet earth - 1 part.
Humus - 1 part.

Attention! When transplanting transshipment methods, the substrate must be of the same composition. Before planting, experienced growers are advised to calcine the earth in the oven for disinfection.

You can use a simplified version of the soil mixture:

Drainage 2 cm.
Simple garden land - 3 parts.
Sand - 1 part.

It is recommended to take the pot medium, not more than 10 cm in diameter. The root will settle down well in it and will develop sufficiently. Avoid large containers, the root will be located throughout the area, spending extra "strength", which will damage the development of leaves and stems.

How to care?

Temperature: in the hot summer months - 23 - 28 ° C. In winter, the permissible air temperature is 11 - 12 ° C. The best of Kalanchoe Don Sergio feels at a temperature of 17 - 18 ° C.
The room should be cool enough, make sure that the temperature does not rise above acceptable standards. Do not allow the substrate to dry out, but it is not recommended to fill the flower, especially in the autumn-winter period.
In winter, it is better to place the pots away from the radiators, Don Sergio does not tolerate too active warm streams of Kalanchoe.
Do not place pots under the windows, fans and air conditioners, avoid drafts.
Air humidity - moderate, not more than 50-60%. In stagnant humid air, a fungus may appear or the roots will begin to rot.
Watering. Kalanchoe Don Sergio is a succulent, it retains water well, so watering should be moderate. Frequent and plentiful watering is strictly contraindicated in a tropical flower. Between watering, the substrate should dry well, stagnation of moisture in the pot is not permissible.
Observe the flower and adjust the water regime according to the season, leaf condition and substrate. In the summer, it is enough to water once a week, in the heat you can add a light spraying of leaves. You can refresh the leaves with a damp sponge, but strong hydration is undesirable. In winter, watering is reduced by 2 times.
Reference. Immediately after watering, water must be poured from the sump. Florists are advised to even wipe the pan and the bottom of the pot dry so that the infection does not spread. Do not allow water to get on the flowers.
Watering should only be with purified, filtered or settled water at room temperature.
Pruning. It is necessary for the formation of a beautiful bush. Kalanchoe Don Sergio tolerates a haircut, this species is growing rapidly. But do not cut the flower during flowering. After it fades, you need to trim the peduncles to their base. Kalanchoe is cut only with disinfected tools, it is impossible to break off stems and leaves with fingers.
Pruning Kalanchoe Don Sergio is an excellent stimulation of the appearance of new shoots with buds for flowering.
Top dressing. For Kalanchoe, Don Sergio should be special, with a note: for succulents or cacti. This type of Kalanchoe does not require frequent fertilizer.
Leaves are sluggish, began to turn yellow - additional fertilizing with mineral substances is required.
We fertilize the flower only in summer and spring; in the cold season, top dressing is undesirable. Before dressing, special fertilizer diluted in boiling water for better dissolution of the drug. Pour the substrate with a cooled weak solution.

Common Diseases and Pests

Don Sergio's main cause of Kalanchoe disease is improper care. The most common problems:

Stems stretch up - lack of light. This complicates and inhibits flowering.
Kalanchoe Don Sergio became lethargic and lifeless - lacking nutrients in the substrate, fertilize the soil.
Excess moisture, stagnation of moist air in the room ends with a disease of the roots and stem. Flowering with improper wetting is also problematic.

The most dangerous pests of Kalanchoe Don Sergio:

Mealybug - the most dangerous pest. It feeds on juice, causes black mold, in a short time you can lose the flower altogether. White drops appear on the stems and leaves. Urgent measures: spraying with mineral oil, clean from diseased leaflets.
Powdery mildew - leaflet disease, white spots and plaque appear on them. This is a fungus, the flower begins to hurt from overheating. Therefore, Don Sergio's kolanchoe discards the leaves. It is necessary to normalize watering, make the air temperature cool or move the pot to a cooler place. In this case, spraying with fungicides will help. Be careful: the disease spreads very quickly and can infect other flowers standing nearby.
Late blight. Signs: ugly brown spots, plaque appear on the leaves. This is rot. The reason is stagnation of air, increased moisture content of the substrate. Treatment: treat the leaves with fungicides, pick up additional fertilizers, you need to reduce watering.
Gray rot. Signs: the leaves became sticky, covered with a grayish coating. We need an emergency transplant of Colanchoe Don Sergio. Here, a mandatory measure is to change the substrate, disinfect pots and transplant tools. It is important to adjust watering, temperature and humidity. For prevention, treat the flower with an antifungal solution.

Breeding

For reproduction, seeds, processes, leaves of the adult colanchoe Don Sergio are used.

Seeds

Moisten the substrate well.
Decompose the seeds without sprinkling them with earth, you can squeeze a little.
Cover the drawers with foil.
2 times a day, aired, lifting the film.
The first shoots will appear in a month.
We are waiting for the appearance of 2 - 3 leaves on young shoots.
We plant in separate pots according to the rules of transplantation.

Leaves and stems

The easiest way, easily accessible even for an inexperienced grower.

Put a leaf or a cut stalk in water or in wet sand.
Cover the sapling with a glass or a transparent jar.
As soon as a leaf or stalk has sprouted, you can plant it separately in a pot.
Sometimes a leaf plate or stem is immediately planted in a pot with a substrate and covered with a transparent jar.
Young shoots develop rapidly and sprout roots.
2 plants are usually planted in one pot.
The whole process takes 8 to 10 days.

Caring for this decorative flower is not at all complicated. Colanchoe Don Sergio, despite the apparent fragility and effeminacy, is not at all whimsical, this tropical flower does not require special care and long chores. Carefully water, watch the light and fertilize in time, cut it off - the flower will generously reward you with its fragrant appearance and flowering.