The Calandiva is a well-liked cultivar (variant) of the Kalanchoe succulent family, with delicate clusters of rose-like flowers. Although this plant’s buds usually sprout in the fall and its flowers open in the late winter or early spring, it may be “tricked” to bloom whenever its owner wants it to by being patient. Continue reading for quick advice on how to take care of the lovely Calandiva.
A Calandiva is what sort of plant?
The Kalanchoe genus contains the herbaceous cultivar known as Calandiva (Cal-lan-div a). It originates from Madagascar and is a member of the Crassulaceae family. The Netherlands is where this cultivar of houseplant was first created.
How is a potted Calandiva maintained?
Indoor Kalanchoe Hybrid Calandiva (Kalanchoe hybrid)
- Feeding plants Every month, apply a balanced liquid fertilizer.
- Watering. In between thorough waterings, let the soil dry out.
- Soil. soil that is rich in organic matter and is properly drained.
- Basic Care Overview. In organically rich, well-drained soil, plant. Throughout the growing and blooming season, keep the soil wet.
Calandiva—is it a cactus?
The typical home temperature is perfect for caandivas. Just make sure to keep them away from any heat vents and from any chilly drafts. Here in Tucson, I’ve cultivated them indoors throughout the summer and winter.
On my front porch in Santa Barbara, which was shielded from the sun and the elements, I grew them. It’s okay to grow them outside throughout the summer. Just make sure not to expose them to too much rain or bright sunshine. Bring them indoors once it becomes bitterly cold.
Fertilizing
Since calendivas are often grown for their quick blooms, I’ve never fertilized mine. You are welcome to fertilize it when it is in bloom if you want to.
Make use of a balanced indoor plant fertilizer, such as one with the numbers 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. For her indoor plants, my buddy in San Francisco uses Maxsea Plant Food, which has a composition of 16-16-16.
Every several months, I give my houseplants Eleanor’s vf-11, but I haven’t given any to my Calandivas. I no longer keep them for more than two to three months. It takes some work to get them to blossom again because I have more than 50 indoor plants to care for (not to mention the ones in my garden!).
Because houseplants need to relax in the late fall and winter, you should avoid fertilizing them during those seasons.
Avoid overfertilizing your Calandivas to prevent salt buildup and root burn. Brown patches will appear on the leaves as a result. Don’t fertilize a houseplant that is under stress, such as one that is soaking wet or bone dry.
Safe for Pets
This houseplant is poisonous to animals, like many others. To determine how harmful it is and what impact it will have, I always check the ASPCA website. Hopefully, your animals will respect plants like my cats do.
Flowers are one reason why calendivas are grown. After blooming, they retain their beautiful looks for around two to three months before being removed by many. Here are some more Calandiva maintenance tips in case you decide to keep yours for a while:
Pinching/Pruning
You should clip the tip growth on kalanchoes to prevent legginess as they age. Thus, they remain fuller.
In my garden in Santa Barbara, I grew a variety of kalanchoes. There are more than 200 species in existence. Kalanchoes are one of many succulents that have lengthy stalks.
Soil
A appropriate soil mixture for repotting your Calandiva would be: half succulent and cactus mix and half potting soil. Using only succulent and cactus mixture with a small amount of compost incorporated would also work. Any type of potting soil will work, but it can be difficult to keep it dry, so if you have any on hand, add some pumice or perlite to the mix.
I also added a little amount of organic compost to each pot when I planted my calandivas in Santa Barbara to grow outdoors, and I covered the tops with a layer of worm compost.
For a DIY recipe to create your own succulent and cactus mix, look here. I love using this mix for all of my succulent plantings now.
I’ve written a guide about repotting plants that you might find useful if you’re just starting off in gardening.
Propagating
Kalanchoes can be propagated via seed, division, or stem cuttings. Although I’ve never done it from seed, that approach requires the most time.
If you can simply figure out a technique to divide the plant into 2 or 3 independent ones, division can be done. Some plants come in many pots, making it easy to divide them.
I’ve cut stem cuttings that are about 4-5 inches long, removed the lowest few leaves, and then dried them over at the ends to heal them for a week or two. They took around three weeks to root after I placed them in a succulent and cactus mix. While they are roots, be careful not to get the foliage wet.
Keep a look out for mealybugs and aphids because they can affect them. If you don’t get rid of houseplant pests right once, it can be difficult to control them later on.
Flowering
Calandivas take 6 to 8 weeks to blossom. Depending on how open the flowers were when you purchased them and how warm your environment is, that can change a little. Like any flowering plant, the flowers will open up more quickly and their blooming period will be shorter in a hotter home.
The challenging aspect is getting them to bloom again. Not always is it simple to do. They are photoperiodic plants. Poinsettias and other short-blooming plants frequently exhibit photoperiodism. This means that for them to bloom again, there must be around 14 hours of darkness.
This is a quick approach I use to get a second, lighter bloom just after the first bloom. I further thin the foliage so that the buried buds will unfold and become visible.
In order to reduce the light, you will need to store your Calandiva in a closet or room that isn’t used at night. At this time, you should also water less. The reason why most people don’t keep a Calandiva as a long-term houseplant is because it requires some work and the plant eventually becomes wilted.
Since my Calandivas in Santa Barbara were naturally receiving that longer period of darkness, they would organically blossom in the spring. The flowers I purchased in subsequent rounds were always a little bit smaller than the first ones.
Some of the flowers will struggle to emerge due to the foliage’s intense growth. To give the buds a little more freedom to expand up, I will pluck a few of the leaves.
Yes, it is a succulent, sensitive perennial. They are frequently seen as annuals because many people treat them as such.
I’ve maintained one for three years at the most, just to see how long it would continue to look beautiful. It is described in this post (don’t pass judgment—it was written years ago!). Although the planting has subsequently been removed, you can still tell that it was a perennial.
They are now easily accessible in a variety of locations. They are available at Home Depot, Trader Joe’s, Lowe’s, and neighborhood nurseries. They are also available for purchase online. Check out this site if you can’t find one nearby.
Calandivas are regularly offered for sale as houseplants. They may grow outside in more temperate areas (zones 10a and 11b). When I was a resident of Santa Barbara, I perpetually planted them in pots on my front porch.
You may leave yours outside for the summer, but be careful to keep it out of direct sunlight and avoid letting it get too damp. Before it gets colder than 45°F, bring it inside.
Kalanchoes come in a wide range of species and variations. A Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Calandiva is a variety (or cultivar).
The size of calandivas might vary by a few inches. An average 6plant is 18 tall by 14 wide. They’re thought of as tabletop plants.
To maintain its superb looks indoors, a Calandiva requires brilliant natural light and a place with medium to high light levels. Make sure it isn’t positioned near a hot window.
About ten years after Grandivas were first produced, they are now all marketed as Calandiva or Diva. If you’re interested, you can learn more about the brand’s history here. It appears that the name has been expanded to encompass some solitary flowers. Calandiva maintenance is the same for all of them, whether they are single, double, greater foliage, or smaller foliage.
The good news is that you can find these vibrant bloomers all year long in a wide variety of hues. Calandivas are simple to take care of and even simpler to appreciate.
What is the lifespan of a Calandiva plant?
Succulents called caandivas are grown largely for their colorful clusters of tiny flowers. The blooms bloom in the winter, and with proper care, they can linger for two to three months before the foliage takes their place.
Can a Calandiva get really large?
The Calandiva grows quite slowly and matures at a height of 12 to 18 inches. During the spring and summer, fertilize your plant once a month.
Is Calandiva a yearly or perennial plant?
The Calandiva series has blooms with 32 petals, as opposed to the four-petaled flowers of the kalanchoe species plants. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12, you can grow this plant outdoors as a perennial, or indoors in colder climes.
How is Calandiva kept in bloom?
All Kalanchoes had 4-petaled blossoms over the first 100 years of the Kalanchoe Culture. A Swedish Kalanchoes reseller informed his supplier in 1998 that he had discovered a peculiar specimen in numerous plants of the purple-flowered cultivar “Bromo.” This mutant has 32 petals as opposed to the usual four, creating a small rose.
The cultivar known as “Leonardo” was introduced as a result of this mutation. It served as the impetus for a significant hybridization project that resulted in the 2002 introduction of the “Calandiva” line of fully double Kalanchoes. The initial year saw the introduction of six cultivars, although more were added afterwards. The series now has 50 cultivars in various hues of red, pink, orange, purple, and white, albeit the Dutch supplier’s catalog only lists 25 of them. The best-selling Kalanchoes in the world today are Calandivas, which grabbed the world of indoor gardening by storm.
Calandivas are offered all year round, not simply during the holiday season. They are small plants that, when purchased, form a dense rosette with flowers completely covering the center. The plant only needs minimal maintenance, the flowers are absolutely stunning, and they bloom for at least six weeks.
Growing Conditions and General Care
Calandiva, like other succulents, requires well-draining soil with a pH balance that is either slightly acidic or neutral. If you’re using potting soil, add sand or perlite, or buy a mixture designed for succulents and cacti. Outside, space Calandiva plants 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart. Provide the plant with as much direct or bright, indirect sunlight as you can indoors and full sun outdoors. Too little light may cause a plant to appear spindly.
It is preferable to err on the side of too little water rather than too much because Calandiva is a drought-tolerant plant. Every week or so, give the plant a good soak, but don’t water again until the soil is completely dry. For an indoor plant and either a liquid or granular fertilizer for outdoor plants, use a balanced fertilizer once every month during the growing season to promote flowering.
Calandiva only requires light pruning and pinching to promote flowering and produce a bushier, fuller shape. After the flowers have finished flowering, trim the relatively tall stems that protrude above the leaves.
Flowering Requirements Indoors
Calandiva’s flower buds, which emerge in the late fall and winter, need long nights—14 to 16 hours of complete darkness—and brief days to grow. If at all feasible, place indoor plants in a dark room or closet from late afternoon till morning to protect them from artificial light during the winter. When the buds appear, let the plant alone and check for your plant’s first blossoms in January.
Pests and Diseases
Calandiva has few pest and disease issues, although excessive watering might cause powdery mildew or stem rot in the plants. Powdery mildew may be the issue if your plant has discolored leaves or you notice fuzzy, web-like materials. The plant may suffer root rot if the leaves are merely wilted. If the soil is overly damp in either situation, reduce watering or use a commercial solution as suggested on the label to treat powdery mildew. Aphids, brown scales, or mealybugs, for example, are small insects that can be removed by gently wiping them off with your hands.
How can Calandiva be made to bloom again?
You must plan ahead if you want your plant to blossom at a particular period, like Christmas. Six weeks prior to the target bloom time, water the plant as little as possible and allow it a daily 14-hour interval without light. Give the plant 14 hours of darkness and 10 hours of bright light by placing it in a closet or under a box.
The plant should be kept warm and free from drafts. For six weeks, avoid feeding or watering the plant because it is dormant. When you notice blossom buds, move the plant to more light and start watering again. In order to promote new buds, fertilize the plant in the spring and remove spent blossoms.
These plants are simple to grow and produce thick, enticing leaves with scalloped edges for up to 6 months.
Is kalanchoe and calandiva the same thing?
The amount of petals present on the flowers of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and Calandiva varied significantly. The Calandiva series of plants have 32 petals, while kalanchoe only has four.
How are Calandiva plants multiplied?
Neese advises using cuttings to grow your own if you wish to try propagating. Make sure the plant has at least four to five leaves before you prune it off where it isn’t flowering, she advises. She then advises leaving the stem to callous over for two to three days after removing two to three sets of leaves from it with sterile scissors. You can then take the cutting and soak it in rooting hormone, which will protect the new plant from infections and decaying. Use a succulent and cactus mixture to fill the container, she advises. You should maintain the soil moist as the cuttings create roots and leaf growth. “Poke the cuttings in the soil and water. Place the cuttings in bright, indirect light.” However, Neese advises purchasing a plant directly from a nursery because most gardeners find the photoperiodic procedure to be difficult.