A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Our kalanchoe is feeling under the weather

Hi, hopefully someone can help, as I'm at a loss of what to do with one of our treasured plants. It's a kalanchoe and has been in its present pot for 2 years (which was when we bought it very young). We were previously living at a property that had problems with damp and cold, and we have been living in our new property (no issues with cold and damp) for a year now. It suffered some kind of virus due to the cold, which made many of the leaves fall off. It seems to have recovered from that now, but now it seems that there is another problem. Our main concern is that the stems feel weak and withered, and some seem to be breaking of their own accord. Even some stems which have blooming flowers on them have wilted before the flowers have stopped.

Does anyone have any general guidelines for how to improve the condition of this plant? It has been watered whenever the soil becomes dried out 1 inch below the surface. It is kept in a window which gets lots of sun.

Thank you so much for your help,

Cat and Scott

I have flat leaf kolanchoe. It drinks like a camel.. No problems but lots of growth.
Guess I didn't help you.
Welcome to ps

sounds like root rot maybe,, are the stems soft?? I would let it dry out , and see what happens,, IF it is root rot there is really nothing you can do,
also it could be spider mites?? you could wipe off all the stems and leaves and under the leafs with rubbing alcohol,,

Hi,

Thanks lots for the welcome and the advice. We do always let it dry out between waterings, so really hoping it isn't root rot! We'll buy some surgical spirit tomorrow and try this suggestion.

If it is root rot, is there a chance of being able to remove the damaged part of the roots if it is slight? We were thinking of re-potting the plant anyway, but had been told that it should be done before it flowers.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Scott & Cat

Yes do it before it flowers,, IF you can get some Super thrive I would add that to the water when you repot it,, Superthrive is just a hormone supplement for all plants, it's not a fertilizer, I find Superthrive at home depot and at lowes. most nurserys carry it too. I would cut off the spindly limbs so the energy won't be wasted trying to revive them, and the energy would then go to the more healthier limbs to produce more leafs

If you repot it and find that it is root rot you can try saving the whole plant but I would also suggest taking cuttings from some healthy stems and rerooting those so you don't completely lose the plant.

Try this on your Kalanchoe

Like other succulents, kalanchoes do not like to sit in water. If you receive a plant with a plastic wrapping around the pot, remove it to allow water to drain through the pot. Sometimes kalanchoes are sold in plastic pots which are placed in a decorative ceramic pot without a drain hole. If you want to keep using the ceramic pot, remove your kalanchoe to water it, and don’t replace it in the closed pot until water has finished draining from it. Do not water your plant again until the soil is dry.

When the flowers eventually turn brown you should snip them off to prolong the blooming season of your plant. Long stems can be pruned back and cuttings can be taken to start new plants. Kalanchoes root easily from stems inserted in potting soil.