Can you possibly guide me with a good cutting? I'm very afraid to harm it, its been with me so long, and I'm a little new at more aspects of.plants other than planting, feeding and essentials.

Hi again Jessica,

This is not a fragile plant, pls. don't be afraid to harm it. It's often recommended to pinch these back frequently to keep them lush & full. Yours appears very nicely lush & full already.

Maybe try that area towards the back that looks a bit scraggly? Using just your fingers, pinching btwn thumb & index finger, pinch off a couple of stem tips each containing 3 or 4 pairs of leaves.

Then pull off a pair of lower leaves from that so you've got an inch or 2 of stem at the bottom of each cutting, & drop them into a small glass of water; place the glass of water w/ cuttings in bright, indirect light, no direct sun. Bet you'll have roots in less than 5 days, if that.

While I am not sure your plant is a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, I am not convinced it is a Plectranthus australis (Swedish Ivy) either. I considered it being grown indoors for a long period of time & how that might affect its growth habit.

Can you tell us if the stems are round or squared?

You say the flowers were white. You also thought they looked like Plectranthus you found online, as Karen suggested.
Did your flowers look like one of the following?

{{gwi:526527}} {{gwi:526529}}

I don't see the veining in the leaves I would expect in Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus). The petioles are not long & skinny either.

The size of the leaves of your plant is not typical for this Kalanchoe either, but could be because of its growing conditions.

If you have other, closer pix of your plant showing more detail, I would appreciate it, unless you are already satisfied with its ID.

Sorry to disagree Pirate and Marguerite, But the leaves of Swedish ivy are not so shiny. Those branches and leaves resemble K. blossfeldiana. The branches of K. blossfeldiana also trail. That plant simply doesnt resemble The ivy

This post was edited by teengardener1888 on Thu, Apr 11, 13 at 14:55

Well, I still stick with Pirate Girl's i.d., but will be very interested to see what the final answer is. I always think Kalanchoe blossfeldiana gets more lax than trails, and that is when its pot is very full. The habit of this plant is really plectranthus-like.

The flowers only really came in once that I remember, they looked more like the second picture of flowers, I provided a pict of a close up of the ones I pulled off and ill put another of the plant close up.

The flowers were much smaller now that I looked at that pict up close.

I can only do one pict at a time. :( and really, thank you everyone, no matter who's right you all seam to know a heck of a lot about plants. :)

Thank you for the additional pix, Jessica. Even though you think the flowers looked like the 2nd pic, I'm sticking with the Kalanchoe ID (whose blooms are in the 1st pic). The close up pic of the ones you pulled off show the leaves better & what looks like a round stem to me.

I stand by the Kalanchoe ID also. It just needs some trimming and more light, in my opinion.

Christopher

I think it looks like a Kalanchoe, in some pictures it looks like a swedish plant, but after the pictures I strongly believe that it is a Kalanchoe.

I've been rooting around on websites, and see one thing I forgot - if the stems of the plant are square, it is more than likely a plectranthus or a relative. If the stems are rounded, then it's not, although that wouldn't persuade me that it's a kalanchoe; however, I know very little about kalanchoes, as is probably quite evident here :)

a photo of a white kanchoe

This post was edited by teengardener1888 on Tue, Apr 16, 13 at 14:50

The stems are definitely round. I don't really know. It seams in good shape so I'll leave it alone. The pieces I toke off and put in water still don't look like their rooting.

The leaves look just like your pict teengardener1888. Can you get a pict of the stems? I'm pretty convinced it us that tho. It loves the light I provide. I just wish it'd bloom.

cant find photo of kalanchoe stems but the stems probally resemble those of jades

Thank you all! You ALL did wonderful to help me!

Jessica,

Do you feed your plant? I wonder if that would help you get some blooms. I have found that getting the first re-bloom after you acquire the plant is the hardest, and after that they seem to bloom all year long!

I don't think I'm the only one who would love to see some photos when it blooms!

Best,
FF

If it's a Kalanchoe, not blooming, trailing down like that, I'd assume it's not getting enough light. Shouldn't K. blossfeldiana be an upright plant? The tiny one I got in Jan has been getting a lot of sun, hours outside per day, and is blooming well.

Also got one recently as a funeral plant and can't imagine any scenario in which it would turn into a trailing, leaning plant. It's stiffly upright with very thick stems like a cane Begonia. My Mom let it get too cold, so it quit blooming, but is growing new foliage like crazy, all leaves sticking almost straight up.

FF's pictured plants demonstrate this well. Those are in between the size of the 2 I have.

Yes, normally it would have upright growth. I tried one in the house once & it came to look like a trailing plant (not enough light in the bedroom-never bloomed their either). So, I ended up putting it outside, PIG. It resumed its upright growth habit there.

This discussion has been extremely fascinating. Thanks, Jessica!!

I'm going to try to acclimate the bigger plant I confiscated from Mom to more sun again, now that the frost-bite confusion is resolved. So glad I clicked the "send me the updates" option on this one, almost didn't!

I do agree with Purple and Rosemarie that it looks like it needs more light. The stems look spindly and the leaves are spread out, indicating that it is reaching for more light. This probably also has a large effect on flowering, or lack thereof.

I do have one pot of them that looks similar, but with very anemic looking foliage in addition, and gets plenty of light. In this case, the plant looks that way because it is desperate to be repotted. (Next on my list:)

FF

it may not have enough light but the kalanchoe can trail even in good light. i have a friends whos kalanchoe gets 4 hours of direct sun and trails 3 ft. it also flowers well

Pls. note the last pix (by FF) the leaves are slightly triangular, shape is NOT the same as in the OP.

I am amazed you folks still don't see it the difference; it is NOT a Kal. no matter how definite some folks seem to be. I've seen some Plectranthus be shiny leafed, some glossy, I believe that variable & affected by growing conditions.

Yesterday, someone posted at Houseplant forum, a post entitled "Gotta Love a Deal" which 3rd pix has a community pot containing a blooming Kal blossfel..., perhaps look at that for comparison.

Also, pls. note orig pix, the leaves are convex (bulging outward), while those of the the Kal being compared to it are more concave (folding inward). I'm surprised other folks don't see these distinctions. if the plant ever blooms Jessica will find them to be the tiny, insignificant bloom similar to Coleus (its cousin). Not the distinct & lovely blooms of the Kal blossf...

Jessica, no matter what, if & when your plant blooms again, the flowers will tell the tale for you. You can have it identified with certainty then. Seeing the blooms is the ONLY thing that would make me positive it is what I believe it to be (IMHO).

People may not be aware that Kalanchoe blossfeldiana leaves have wide variability...from the leaf shape to the size to the thickness, glossy or dull. Depending on its growing conditions, it can be concave or convex, also upright or trailing (granted, not very often). So, if you take all these things into consideration, it is reasonable to conclude that Jessica's plant could be a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. I see less evidence that it would be a Plectranthus, especially not seeing squared stems.

Good luck with your plant...and getting it to bloom! =)

And it is quite lovely & looks very healthy!

And I still agree with you, Pirate Girl. And I think it's too big a leap from 'not a plectranthus' to 'definitely a kalanchoe' anyway.

And this is the sort of thread which makes GW particularly enjoyable - a bit of lighthearted controversy.

It was fun, but the clues clearly point to kalanchoe

It was fun, but the clues clearly point to kalanchoe

I see round stems... Plectranthus has square stems.
I think we have a Kalanchoe that has been grown in lower light.

I have to agree that it is a creeping Charlie. I have one in our room that looks just like yours and it is a creeping Charlie.

teen,

Let me give you some advice, from one Kalanchoe grower to another. As you say, you're a teenager, and that, in my mind, doesn't automatically disqualify you from being correct. However, your argument, correct or otherwise, is enhanced when you spell the name of the plant correctly:

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Your argument is also enhanced when you spell correctly - we're not texting here.

Other than that, Kalanchoes are a widely spread genus, from India to South Africa and lots of places inbetween. As you no doubt guess, they grow under a variety of conditions, from tropical jungle to savannah to desert, and can take a variety of forms.

Just because you grow Kalanchoes doesn't make you an expert, as I've been growing them for as long as you've been alive and I"m nowhere near knowing enough of them. It's not the end of discussion, by any means, no matter if you post it three times. Saying it is would make me tend to not read your posts, but that's just me and I'm as prickly as my name implies.

Teen,
Age has nothing to do with the amount of knowledge with plants, or peoples believeance in you (if thats a word?) Age may just affect the time it takes to earn a good reputation on the subject of something as complicated as cacti and succulents. you kinda have to prove yourself around here, and then people will trust you, and take your word for things. It also may affect how ignorant you are. like in this case. I have realized how ignorant and immature i have been several times on this forum . i hope that ignorance goes away with me, as well as you as we get older. you have to accept the fact that this plant could be either of the two names said, as well as any other random plant, as there is not enough evidence to prove otherwise.

Just because you've grow kalanchoe before does not make you an expert at them. ive grown tons before, some succesfully and some not. but that doesnt make me all knowing god of kalanchoe. its not the end of discussion, and probably wont be until a pic of a flower comes along and we can politely choose either of the plants and make this a succesful identification post. so until then, calm down and enjoy the cacti and succulents.

cheers!
-Zeck

This post was edited by Microthrix on Sun, Apr 14, 13 at 11:18

I'm going to rock the boat further now, because I have been checking out plectranthuses all over the web and have discovered that, as I suspected, not all plectranthuses or relatives have square stems, just a lot of them have:

http://www.natureloveyou.sg/Plectranthus%20monostachyus/Main.html

Below the pictures you can read about the plectranthus known as Indian Borage...

The reason for my suspicions is that there are always exceptions to rules, I have found, no matter what the discipline.

Back again. =) We are not here to find out WHO is right/correct. We are trying to help the OP find the identity of her plant.

On the triple post, I believe GW had a glitch, as they occasionally do, to post duplicates or triplicates. I don't think that was intentional.

As far as one knowing what they're talking about, it is demonstrated by facts. Show facts to support or contradict. Personal experience does help, but sometimes muddies the waters.

As for round or square stems, the only Plectranthus we are referencing in this post is one considered Swedish Ivy or Creeping Charlie. There are two (that I know of) considered to use that common name: Plectranthus australis & Plectranthus verticillatus. There is also Glechoma hederacea called Creeping Charlie. All of the aforementioned plants have square stems. As Marguerite pointed out, there are some Plectranthus with round stems, but we are not talking about all Plectranthus, just the ones considered Swedish Ivy.

I would not say Jessica's plant is definitely a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana until we see the blooms (or Jessica does & finds they are a match). But is my best estimation that it is K. blossfeldiana, especially after seeing the close-up of the leaves used for the rooting experiment. I still do not see evidence of the veining that would be present on a Swedish Ivy Plectranthus (either species).

If it helps at all the stems placed in water don't show any roots but ones I've stuck back in the soil have survived. I also have a pict of the back if it, the trunk is thick like a succulent nature. I have also put it in a north window that gets lots if light and a few hours of Sun. It's VERY happy and I definitely will post picts of flowers!

rosemariero, I think the real point is that we are all trying to identify the plant, and Pirate Girl feels it looks like the plectranthuses she used to see in college, and I agree with her that it looks like a plectranthus. From what I have learned in the last couple of days, there are many kinds of plectranthuses, very alike in a lot of cases, so even it it proves not to be the one called Creeping Charlie, it could be a plectranthus still.

The photo from the back, though, makes me think also of some kind of peperomia; it still doesn't look like a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana to me. It could be another type of kalanchoe, of course, since I am familiar with very few of them.

jessica, when your plant flowers it should be very interesting for us all. It's all most intriguing.

Hey everybody:) Still convinced K. blossfeldiana. Here's a photo of one small plant I have with more rounded leaves. The stems even say K. bloss. to me. Older plants can look like that. I have one not quite like that, but similar, that I'll have to get some photos of for you all.

Whew! Y'all are making me nervous! I'm hoping for flowers so we can settle this!

FF

Photo of the stem - I know it is Kalanchoe, I cut it from the 'mom' plant.

Rina

This is 'mom' plant that stem above has been cut from.

Rina

here is a kanchoe that my friend has, kinda blurry!!

here is a perfect example of a trailing kanchoe in healthy bloom

Then stems there look like it! I'm just not convinced its either with all the leaf pictures. So exciting on this forum! Your all awsome!

No doubt Kalanchoe, the new photo proves it, to me, anyway. And I did say early in this thread, "It just needs some trimming and more light, in my opinion. "

Christopher

Yes as pirate_girl said, I am not scared away from here. I do enjoy civilized debate, if anything I have been on these forums more so ever since. I love plants, mainly succulents, have/had many for years and enjoy talking, debating, and learning about them. As long as we are all civilized, nicer and not rude, its all in good fun. This all comes with age also tho, as does knowledge. I will admit though I am still young, in my late 20s and am definitely here to learn. But I can understand teengardeners passion.

I also have a new thing, no flowers but I noticed with more Sun, a lot of the larger leaves at the top of the plant grow out like this picture. Roundish. Do either plants do this? I'll post a second pict also.

Pict of larger round leaf.

Hey Kb, Kb, won't you flower for me
(with apologies to Jesus Christ, Superstar)

teen,

You get high marks for passion - that'll take you places. Bridled passion can, too.

> Posted by FrugalFanny 4
> Kalanchoes love sun, lots and lots of sun

To all readers and all posters :
Categorical statements
- fail to take into account the readership's wide zoning.
- potentially are bad for plants whose owners
disregard zones from which statements are made.

And in other news, kittens are mischievous.