HousePlant ID: Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi
Hi Judy,
I need some help identifying this pretty plant. I picked it up for $2 at the supermarket here in China and it seems to be doing OK, but I don’t know how much water to give it. The leaves are pretty thick and fleshy. Thank you so much for any help you can offer!
Hi Nate,
Your plant is a succulent plant called a Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi. Kalanchoe plants need bright, indirect light and can even tolerate some direct sun during the fall, winter, and spring. Direct sun in the summer is too intense and burns the leaves. The blooms on kalanchoe plants are photo-periodically induced. As the days get shorter and kalanchoes experience longer periods of darkness, they produce more flowers. Here’s one in full bloom.
Kalanchoe are succulent plants with plump leaves that store water for long periods of time. These plants are easily over-watered which causes root-rot. Always allow the top 50% of the soil to dry-out before watering. If the soil is exceptionally dry, sit the plant in a deep saucer of water for about ten minutes. This not only prevents over-watering but keeps the leaves dry. Wet leaves encourage plant diseases such as leaf spot or powdery mildew.
There are complete care instructions for Kalanchoes in the Popular HousePlant section of the website. The picture there is of a different variety but the care instructions are the same.
https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/kalanchoe-plant