by Katie
(C)
Hi! Okay, so I have a pretty sad kalanchoe thyrsiflora plant and I’m not sure why. It’s getting lots of light and I rarely water it.
It’s in a cactus mix in a terra cotta pot with a drainage hole.
It almost seems like it might not be liking the heat in the area it’s in. It has no red coloring anymore (maybe the tiniest bit) and is pretty limp and squishy to the touch. What’s going on?
It sounds like you’re doing everything right, Katie. When you say, lots of light, what does that mean exactly? They need bright light – the best coloration happens in full sun, but when you describe it as limp and squishy, this doesn’t sound good at all and I would hesitate to recommend moving it into more sun at this point.
While in active growth, these plants need water; make sure that you’re not just teasing it; give it a good drink, water until the excess runs out of the drainage hole, then wait a bit, repeat. Then, allow it to dry out almost completely, before watering again.
The heat shouldn’t bother it, unless you are somewhere really humid; they prefer a dry climate, not one with high humidity.
I would maybe take it out of the pot, and look at the roots. There are pathogens that affect the roots of many plants, and generally, the roots will look shriveled, brown or black, and either break easily or they’re slimy. Healthy roots are white, pink or beige, sometimes yellow, and thick, not shriveled.
Sorry I can’t really give you more to go on, you haven’t told me where you are or even which hemisphere, so it’s hard to tell you anything more.
Best of luck,
Jacki
