- Home
- Succulents
- Kalanchoe
- Kalanchoe bracteata
Kalanchoe bracteata
Place the plant in full sun or partial shade.
Always water a few days after the substrate has dried out. In winter, limit watering.
Room temperature is fine, but it can tolerate -3 °C for short periods. However, the plant is not hardy.
It is a silvery or white-leaved plant and resembles Kalanchoe orgyalis in appearance, but with brown leaves.
Kalanchoe bracteata, also known as Silver Teaspoons, is a fascinating xerophytic shrub (grows on a variety of dry soils and rocks). This plant is characterised by its greyish silvery white leaves with small brown margins. The leaves boast an elliptical shape with a short petiole and a slight point at the end. They are covered with characteristic, extremely short, hairs and waxy secretions, giving a glabrous appearance.
Kalanchoe bracteata has an upright growth habit and eventually forms a shrub. In the wild it can reach a height of up to 1.5 metres, whereas in the conditions where we grow it, it is usually around 30 cm tall.
It boasts red flowers, but these are not commonly seen in our conditions. To encourage flowering, I therefore recommend reducing the daylight hours to 8 hours (i.e. placing in the dark) and ideally lowering the temperature.
It is an undemanding plant and the less care you give it, the more beautiful it will be. When summer starts, I recommend carefully shielding it from direct strong sunlight to avoid burning the leaves. If it seems too tall, it can be shortened by cutting between the internodes of the leaves. This Kalanchoe is suitable for the totally inexperienced grower, but will also please the eye of the experienced professional.