Learn All About The Paddle Plant – The Right Way Of Paddle Plant Care

If you haven’t heard of a plant with an award for its beauty, then it’s time that you should know about the paddle plant or kalanchoethyrsiflora. Get ready to know some great and interesting things about this sensation plant along with the best tips on how to have this plant growing in your home too.

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About the paddle plant

Belonging to the family of succulent plants, this particular plant is best known for the dramatic appearance it flaunts that can put anyone into a stunning mode easily. The plant carries greatness with it as it has been the recipient of the Award of Garden Merit that is given by the Royal Horticultural Society to exceptionally unique plants. Having said that, we believe that there remains no doubt that having this plant in your house can give a boost to the beauty quotient of the chosen space significantly.

The scientific name of this evergreen plant is kalanchoethyrsiflora and it belongs to the plant family called Kalanchoe. Many names have been given to the plant due to the mixture of looks that it carries and some of the popular titles include Desert Cabbage, Red Pancakes, and Flapjacks. The plant especially attractive when it’s not blooming and that is the interesting part unlike most of the plants that look better when they are blooming fully.

This plant is native to South African regions and grows really well in the Mediterranean regions too. The areas with other succulents growing on them or the coastal gardens are also good growing grounds for the paddle plant.

Fun fact: The closest resembling of this plant is with another succulent plant called the kalanchoe luciae where the very slight difference occurs in the color of the flowers where the latter has lighter yellow flowers. A lot of people confuse one with the other and this confusion primarily emerges because of the ease with which these names are used interchangeably even by the gardening experts. Still more succulents that share close relations with this plant are K. tetraphylla and K. fantastica.

Physical characteristics of the kalanchoe plant

As we have already said that this plant is famous for its vibrant appearance, every part of its morphology is beautifully unique. Here are some of the major traits of this plant:

The plant grows up to a height of one to two feet and its offsets, which are the main points of growth, can spread up to 3 feet wide.
The leaves of this plant are the major attraction that is of jade green color. They are thick, round, fleshy, and look like clamshells only with different red-wine edges that appear in the chilly seasons and add a vibrant charm to the overall look.
The 3 feet long stem that emerges in the pre-blooming period in the center of the plant is the most striking part with its dimly yellowish tubular flowers that look strikingly different.
The flowers that grow in this plant are beautiful too and mostly dark yellow along with carrying a sweet fragrance. They are mostly used as cut flowers for decoration purposes.
This plant gets leggy during its growth stages as they advance and the stem start becoming lengthy.

Growing the paddle plant

If you have vacant spaces in your houses like the window border or bedsides, then this plant is going to be the perfect choice for filling that space. This is one of the best indoor plants that can do with minimal care and the right growth conditions.

Basic requirements of the plant

Here are some of the basic things about paddle plant care and growth that must be kept in mind:

The plant can be grown outdoors only in regions with warmer conditions as they need light and heat to grow better. In adverse conditions like the areas with cooler conditions, the K.thyrsiflora plant can only do well indoors.
These plants shall be given an ample amount of sunlight and they can do well even in slightly shady areas. Only make sure that light doesn’t fall directly on the plants and the indoor ones get bright light.
The ideal temperature range for this plant is 60-85 degrees F. In the temperatures going below the lower limit, these plants should be shifted inside and kept under artificial lighting.
Any potting mix can do well for the flapjack plant to grow given that the soil is well-draining compulsorily. A mixture of coarse sand, peat moss, and compost will also be great along with the other option of making a mix of potting soil and horticultural sand in the ration 2:1.
These plants grow best in small pots when the roots can remain compacted together.
They prefer dryness in the environment in which they are growing, thus, the humidity must be controlled.

Method of propagating the plants

You can grow the paddle plant in two ways.

With seeds-

This method is easier but only comes with delayed results as the process starts from scratch. All you need to do is buy seeds from any local store or online and follow the instructions given on the seed pack to sow them. You can take help from this video too.

With leaf cuttings or plant offsets-

This method gives faster results as you skip the initial stages by directly starting with cuttings taken from a matured plant. Take some leaves or a stem cutting with leaves on it during the plant blooming period and then let them be for some time until they start callusing at the edges. Plant offsets can also be used for this method.

After the callus appears, insert that end of the part you took into the prepared soil pot and spray the plant with some water. Make sure to keep the setting in an area with indirect bright light.

Caring for the paddle plant

There are many aspects of paddle plant care that are very basic and can be easily taken care of. Here are some of the major tips:

Water the plant enough so that the top 2 inches of the soil bed remains moist but make sure to keep enough gap between two shifts of watering to allow time for the soil to dry completely. This is done to prevent sogginess in the soil that can lead to root rotting.
Get any regular succulent plant fertilizer and that would be enough to feed the plant quarterly in a year. This is most important during the initial growth and can be stopped during the watering time and chillier times.
You can prune the plant when the offsets start spreading too much or wider in any direction. Make sure to not prune the plant when they are dry.
Repotting can be done during the spring or blooming season but only in pots that are slightly bigger than the previous one. You can do so to avoid over-crowding of the plant.

Conclusion

This was all about the paddle plant that can make the best lively showpiece to your home in practically any space that you would want to keep it in. The minimal paddle plant care will give you the most amazing results in the form of the stunning plant once it will grow in its glory.

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