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crenda53

Kalanchoe marnieriana aerial roots

Crenda 10A SW FL
9 years ago

At least that's what I think it is. It was a hitchhiker with another plant I had purchased. I have a horrible picture of the flowers. (A whopping eye infection made me miss snapping good pics, but these are pendulous red.) I can't find much info on its growth habit.

Right now it is in a 4-inch pot. I wondered if those aerial roots need a bigger pot so they can take root? Or would PIG be better? Those loopy roots blew or got pushed back into the pot and they have rooted. There are a couple on the left of the stem that dropped and rooted nicely.

Should I behead and root?

I'll be back in the high 70s, low 80s next week or so. I'd like to prepare for what I need to do. Or I can wait - ha ha.

Comments (15)

  • cooperdr_gw
    9 years ago

    It does look a bit top-heavy. Is the trunk part flexible at all?

  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The stem is woody and anchored by the aerial roots on the left side. So I guess I would say it is not too flexible below the lowest 2 branches.

    I don't know if these roots are how the plant spreads or not. So that's why I wondered if it needed more space to drop those aerial roots into the soil. Info that I did find said it has a spreading habit, but I didn't know if it meant by pups or these roots.

    It looks top heavy to me as well. Those stems are also woody, but younger and more pliable. Here's a close look near the base.

  • mfyss
    9 years ago

    Those aerial roots are interesting, but probably won't develop into more plants.

    It may be difficult to be sure, but your plant is probably K. laxiflora. K. marnieriana and K. laxiflora can produce bulbils on their leaf margins if stressed, and in K. m. they will be close to the leaf margin but in K. l. they will be in clefts on the margin. Take a leaf off the plant and bulbils should develop in a week or two on the detached leaf. Both K. m. and K. l. have started booming for me. Yale

  • cooperdr_gw
    9 years ago

    Oh, I was going to suggest just staking it up but I don't really see anything that wrong with it. Some plants use roots to gather humidity but I'm not sure if that kind does.

  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Yale! I was pretty sure that the aerial roots would not make more plants, but I just knew if I went with that assumption I would be wrong. I will indeed try a leaf or two and see what happens. And I now feel confident that I can root some of the branches at the top without doing any damage.

    Here's a picture back when I got the plant. I couldn't tell if the leaves had clefts or not - then or now! LOL

    This post was edited by Crenda on Thu, Nov 20, 14 at 21:11

  • mfyss
    9 years ago

    Great photo, and it certainly looks like you got it right, since that looks like K marnieriana. The photo of my plant shows the bulbils which appear to be free of the margin (but that may be an illusion). Good luck in getting some bulbils. Yale

    Here is a link that might be useful: K. marnieriana bulbils

  • deva33 Z8 Atlanta
    9 years ago

    I would definitely behead and root - however I am not familiar with this particular plant. I would cut just above that 2nd branch and let it callous and pot in a new pot. It is so top heavy!

  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I finally have a flower to show! More on the way.

    I will behead, root, and try to encourage some bulbils from leaves after the flowers are done. Thanks for all the advice!

  • ehuns27 7a PA
    9 years ago

    I just love those flowers. I would love to get one of these as a hitchhiker!

  • LH CO/FL
    7 years ago

    I have one that is doing very well, spreading all over in the ground. But I'm unclear how to tell the difference between this and a k. laxiflora.

  • mfyss
    7 years ago

    Flower anatomy is the way most species can be identified in Kalanchoe, but K. marnieriana generally has leaves which are entire (or subentire) while K. laxiflora should have crenations, shallow indentations, in the leaf margins. The indentations generally have purplish pigment. (And there is also the bulbil formation difference.) If this does not work, there will be flower differences. Another K. confused with these is K. fedtschenkoi.

  • Amy Christmas (9a)
    7 years ago

    I found this in the back of the greenhouse at a nursery today:

    and I knew I could come here and find out what it is!

    Am I understanding correctly that since it has babies on a couple of leaves, it is K. marnieriana?


  • Crenda 10A SW FL
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Nice find! I do believe you have a K. marnieriana.

    BTW - watch those aerial roots. I had a couple or them root in a nearby pot! LOL

  • Amy Christmas (9a)
    7 years ago

    I snatched it up without even looking good at the price tag, lol. A couple of the plants I got look like they spent the winter in the greenhouse there.

    Crenda 10A SW FL thanked Amy Christmas (9a)
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