Fact Sheet for Texas A&M Floriculture Program Common Name Kalanchoe Botanical Name Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Origin Madagascar Product sizes Flowering potted plant, dish gardens, outdoor garden, hanging baskets, cut flower Cultivars Released annually; orange, red, pink, yellow, white, violet Propagation Cutting with one pair of mature leaves; direct stick unrooted cutting; no rooting hormone; medium temperature 70-770F, 720F is optimum; 14-21 days; seed, in vitro Cost/propagule $0.25 – 0.30; less expensive if rooting own cuttings Flowering control SD; 2 SD/LN cycles; increase SD/LN cycles will increase flower number in cyme; 14-28 cycles for complete development; commercially SD for FI to FD to market; about 40 days; blackcloth from 4:30 pm until 7:30 am; need 12.5 to 13 hr dark; 11.5 hr light Temperature 64-680F; <610F or =800F results in flower delay; >720F growth rate may increase; avoid high temperature during 1st part of LN; Light HID to increase rate of rooting; 11.5+hr (LD) daylength for vegetative growth; use lighting from Sept. 15 to April 1; mid April to mid Sept reduce light intensity to 5800 fc (1160 µmol?s - 1?m -2 to prevent anthocyanin coloration of lvs. Water Do not over irrigate during rooting; avoid salt build up by too little water; keep evenly moist with minimal fluctuation; ebb-and-flow is good. Nutrition (know Slowly increase during production; prior to symptoms and anthesis decrease level for maximum treatment for ones postharvest life; 300-350 ppm early; 200 underlined below) middle; clear water finishing N P K Ca Mg S Fe Mn Zn Cu B Mo Cl Ni E.C. pH 5.8 – 6.5 0.5-1.2-1.5-1.0 (5.5-5.8-5.8-6.0) Height reduction B-nine @ 2500-5000 ppm to reduce leaf size and control peduncle stretch; A-Rest @ 50 ppm sprays and all other chemicals effective; weekly in summer, less often in winter Spacing Pot-to-pot until SD; 4-inch pot, 5X5; 5-inch pot, 9X9; 6-inch pot, 10X10 Pinching/disbud New cultivars=no pinch; 4-inch pot=no pinch; larger pots=soft pinch; when lateral shoots are 0.2-inch prior or one week after start of SD; if pinched give 2-3 additional weeks of LD Support No support required Insects (be able to Aphids; cyclamen mites; mealy bugs; various identify those leaf chewing larvae; thrips; many insecticides listed) cause phytotoxicity to flowers Diseases (know Powdery mildew; Botrytis; Phytophthora crown symptoms and rot treatments for those listed) Physiol. Disorders Edema; flowering problems due to (know symptoms temperatures; high light causes abnormal leaf and treatments for coloration; ethylene causes wide range of those listed) symptoms When to harvest 1/3 to ½ flowers open in cyme (plant development stage) Improving Drop temperature to 620F and reduce nutrition postharvest quality last days prior to marketing; ethylene causes and longevity flowers to fail to open, senesce or become sleepy Shipping Can be shipped in dark for 2 weeks at 500F requirements and 3 weeks at 400F, but not advised Expected 4-5 weeks; some references say 7-8 weeks postharvest longevity Market period Year-round Market price 6-inch - $4.50 .