Hi Karyn,

Even though this plant is one of my favorite succulents, I'm far from an expert on it ----- but I'll tell you my experiences with it.

Right now I have one plant of this that is getting full full sun, it is growing like crazy [big] but the colors are not that strong. I have another that is not getting as much sun = less growth. Both are equal in 'redness'

I think I notice more 'redness' during the winter/spring months with this plant.

Can't help you with the frost/bring inside issue...

If you wanna, copy and paste this info into google search engine :-)

http://www.blossomswap.com/garden-forums/index.php?showtopic=7202

Growforit
Mine looks like yours,we call them pancake plants here.Mine never got as red as the first poster,i wish!!
Kathi

Growfruit the color on your plant is fantastic! I wish mine was that color. The one I have is a much darker red and the leaves look bigger. My mother was told to pinch the top off, I'm not sure if that accounts for the leaf size difference. Our temps were predicted to get into the low 40's so I took it in for the night to be on the safe side.
Karyn

Karyn,

I put mine out in a planter with several other succulents this year and it certainly got big! More sun does tend to result in more red tones with succulents, and I've noticed with this one that if it doesn't get enough sun, it loses pretty much all the red.

I bring mine in before the first frost. It was out a few days ago when it got down to 39 - didn't faze it at all. But it'll need to come in pretty soon...

Denise in Omaha

I'm new at this, but I need help with my Paddle Plant. Right after I got it, it began to get mushy in the middle, real gucky! How do I take care of it. I thought I could treat like my regular kalanchoes, which are no trouble growing. I want to try to save it, but I don't know what to do. Would appreciate any help...

karyn

i've been growing one since last spring, full sun, i brought it into my garage during the winter months, last fall i kept it outside until nights were into the low 30's, but it was kept dry under an awning

i took it out this spring in the same conditions, full sun as soon as nights were >32F

it seems to be an easy plant, i treat it the same as my echeverias and aloes

x

I have 2 paddle plants indoors. I water them once a week, draining all the water out. I fertilize once a month. My poor plants are drooping and pitiful looking and I can't figure out why! They came with a little instruction card stuck in the soil and I do not understand one of the instructions.- "Continuing care-Remove two top leaves and cut stem back to top of remaining leaves to encourage new growth at base and to maintain shape." Why would I cut the top leaves? That's new growth! And how do you cut the stem back?? I'm confused and my poor plants are suffering!

TIA- Kim

I bought a Paddle Plant last summer and it lost every leaf that it had. It then shriveled up. For some reason, I put the pot in the basment thinking that I would reuse it sometime. I didn't take the plant out. Sure enough, I needed a pot and when i saw the Paddle Plant that was shriveled up, It had a new, small, healthy plant at the base. Go figure! Maybe these plants require very little care. Keep in mind that It was October when I put it in the basement and it is now August!

I water mine once a month, if that, and fertilize lightly once a year. They live outdoors. Kim I think you are watering and fertilizing too much. And take them outdoors at least for the summer. They need light.

hoovb I think you are right but was afraid to say anything. There has been a legal botanical name change, again I was afraid to say anything, The curator at the Huntington discovered the error and it has been corrected in the National CSSA Journal. Norma

I have 2 paddle plants indoors. I water them once a week, draining all the water out. I fertilize once a month. My poor plants are drooping and pitiful looking and I can't figure out why! They came with a little instruction card stuck in the soil and I do not understand one of the instructions.- "Continuing care-Remove two top leaves and cut stem back to top of remaining leaves to encourage new growth at base and to maintain shape." Why would I cut the top leaves? That's new growth! And how do you cut the stem back?? I'm confused and my poor plants are suffering! I copied this, It's exactly my problem. I'm new to this site.

Your paddle plant now has the offical name of Kalanchoe luciae. = 'Paddle Plant" White flowers

KALANCHOE thyrsiflora will have smaller leaves with red blush that lay down and golden rod yellow flowers that has a wonderful perfume. This has been corrected by John Trager and published in the CSSA Journal. I just want to let you have this information, this is for people who care. I do notice that there are many request for the right names of plants that they buy. We have many of you that do care, and that makes me happy, Thank you, Norma

When I looked at the website at San Marcos Growers, they specified kalanchoe luciae for the plant I wanted. But when I tried to order k. luciae, at a good locale retail nursery, they said that the right name was thyrsiflora...
regardless, I have several of them in medium size growing in a very large window box (16"x16'x 48") at my home near the so cal beach and they are starting to have small offsets or pups. Can anyone tell me what is the proper way to separate the pups?
Also, does anyone know if cutting off the flower keep the main plant from dying back?

K.thrysiflora is the smaller groundcover plant that edges in red depending on many factors,light,temperature,soil conditions. K.luciae I bought last year and was more burgundy and with far more of the leaf turning color than thrysiflora's..as I see it. Then after planting luciae in ground in what turned out to more shade than I hoped,that plant shot up 16-18" over summer. Funny, but the shade color of the leaves is a nice blueish. K.luciae is just more robust overall. "The better Paddle plant"

Hello there to the Cactus Board
We don't post on this forum, but saw Kim's post and repost. Our son bought this plant with the same care instructions at the Home Depot. We also scratched our heads reading the care instructions. What the grower means is if there is any stem between the new top growth that you clipped off and the large leaves, cut the stem back to the large top leaves.
IOW, don't leave a "stick" at the top of the specimen.

That said, we wouldn't prune it either. It's young. Don't know your growing conditions. Once a week may be frequent watering depending on conditions. You may want to cut back if the plant isn't properly light and warm.

Another possibility: we find some Home Depot plants are not acclimated down to home environment conditions. They tend to back slide until they can adjust to your conditions. Stand your ground with good care and let the plant get ugly for awhile. You may be doing everything right.

The bottom leaves will probably dry up and fall off. New growths will appear just above the old leaf sites. Then you know you are doing right by your new purchases.
Hope that helps!
CV

I have 2 paddle plants indoors. I water them once a week, draining all the water out. I fertilize once a month. My poor plants are drooping and pitiful looking and I can't figure out why! They came with a little instruction card stuck in the soil and I do not understand one of the instructions.- "Continuing care-Remove two top leaves and cut stem back to top of remaining leaves to encourage new growth at base and to maintain shape." Why would I cut the top leaves? That's new growth! And how do you cut the stem back?? I'm confused and my poor plants are suffering!
TIA- Kim

Bought one in FL 1.5 yrs ago, brought it home to KY--it was doing really well, growing, etc; I repotted, and it now has three distinct trunks/branches...BUT--I watered it A LOT this summer, it got mites, I treated with a soap dunk, and then left it outside (6 hours of sun--morning/early aft) and neglected it. The whole plant fell over in the pot (not a good root system), I neglected it even more, and it's doing really well! I think I just watered it WAY too much--because it was hanging out with all my other potted annuals which need daily water.
It overwinters in an east facing window with 2 hrs of early morning sun, no artificial humidity.
Ignore this plant and it will thrive!

I have searched this forum for a problem apparently no one else has. RATS are eating my succulents that I have(had)on the front porch. My paddle plant is now only a leafless stem and the other succulents were totally taken out. We are having another dry, hot summer and I am wondering if they eat them for the water or for the food. Before they have eaten plants like impatiens and some ferns. We tried putting cages...like you use to protect bulbs around them..., but the buggers pull the wire away. I just bought some more and guess I will have to keep them inside. Just wanted to know if anyone else has ever even heard of this! I live just north of San Francisco in an old redwood house in a redwood grove with a creek across the street. There are rats everywhere but I have lived here for 32 years and never had rats eat my plants. Thanks for any help.

I cut the top out just like a would do any other plant, to make it bushy. You don't want the flowers to form, it weakens the plant. The need good sun, and air circulation to look and stay healthy, they need to be taken out of any soil they are planted in when you get them. Put in a good cactus mix with either perlite or pumice, or very coarse sand, the local nursery's don't have trained employhees, ask San Marcus Growers, they do know what they are doing and seem to be reliable. he Huntington Gardens buy plants from them. Local Nurseries just buy from wholesale growers, which plants are often labeled correctly or even in the correct soil to grow healthy succulents. Norma Lewis

So, I figured out the reason why my plant is a long falling over stalk and that is because I did not pinch back the top. Now I have this 2-3 foot, unruly stalk and it doesn't really have a proper root system. I have no idea of what to do, other than cut the thing down. I believe I bought it the fall of 06. HELP!!

I like to grow my paddle plant outside mostly but since I am in Zone 8 I do a fair amount of carrying some of my plants in and out. For two years it has sent a flower stalk up from one of its plants. It is quite statuesque and the paterning of the stalk where the leaves come off is a beautiful cross banding in white, I have them outside in the Texas sun and they grow straight up. They do not lean much and are quite sturdy. I cut the spent bloom stalk off and they sprout from the base. I am good at experimenting with hardiness because I am somewhat remiss and lazy or busy at times. I was away from home when a strong cold front came in and it got too 27 that night. The leaves turned to mush and dried up but the growth tips were fine and the plant is rebounding. They SAY it is hardy to 26. HMMM. Go there at your own risk. I won't again. I have left it out for several nights just below freezing but I do like to push the envelope.

I posted mine developing flowers in November-and they still have not opened-wow! a long time. I have noticed the buds attract aphids. A 33.8F in January stressed it,but no damage. But it's as red as a beacon in the cool, bright, March sun.

I do think that a certain amount of stressing is what they are made for and help set there internal clocks.