Large leaved succulent

by Lynn
(Prince Rupert, BC Canada)

I picked it up from the grocery store. The tag only said, of course, succulent.

It seems to have a sturdy main stalk. Quite wide leaves,almost a heart shaped indent on the outer parts of the leaves. They are pretty thick leaves as most succulents are. I thought it may be a variety of Jade but really don't have a clue.

Hi Lynn, no this is not a Jade, which are actually Crassula. It's most likely a Kalanchoe luciae, which are sometimes mislabeled as Kalanchoe thyrsiflora. These plants can take considerable abuse, but be warned, in certain conditions, such as nice warm weather and lots of rain, they can become extremely top heavy.
Eventually, they can become a meter or more tall, so I recommend potting it into gradually larger pots, and either a terracotta clay pot, or other heavy kind of container so it can't topple over.

Other than that, they're low maintenance, and very tolerant of most conditions, except soggy soil. Always use fast draining soil, such as that labeled for cacti, or add half and half regular potting soil and small gravel, pumice or perlite. I tend to use a heavier type of soil for these plants as they are so fast growing.

Don't be scared to top it and force more bushy growth to emerge from lower on the stem.

See the page on Kalanchoe thyrsiflora for more.

Jacki

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Jul 30, 2012
 Thank you
by: Lynn

Hi there. Thank you for your information.

I did notice the plant to be very top heavy in the tiny pot with tropical soil it was in. I planted it into a taller ceramic pot and used about 2/3 cactus mix and 1/3 all purpose soil.

When you tell me not to be afraid to give it a chop, are there any rules to follow? Should I remove some leaves or just cut the top off? My jade I just pull wherever I feel like it but this plant has no branches, just the main stem and leaves. Thanks in advance.

Hi Lynn, you might be interested in my newest page here: How to prune succulents; how's that for timing? I would say that you can cut it off fairly low down on the stem, and then it will bush out more. I know, it's a scary thing to do, but it will benefit the plant in the long run. Don't forget to propagate the pieces!

Jacki

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