What are the characteristics of the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'? A detailed guide
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' is a perennial succulent herb with woody stems and many branches; the new branches are soft and often droop, the leaves are opposite, long ovate, slightly succulent, and the flowers are pale red and tubular. Below, the editor will give you an introduction to the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'!
Other names of the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'
Pearl Wind Chime, Red Lantern, Trailing Bellflower.
Morphological characteristics of the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' belongs to the genus Kalanchoe in the Crassulaceae family. Because its flowers closely resemble small lanterns and the flower color is red, people also call it Red Lantern or Trailing Bellflower; it is a perennial herbaceous plant. The stem is woody and many-branched, and the new branches are soft and often droop. The leaves are opposite, long ovate, and slightly succulent. The flowers are red, tubular, with the 4 lobes at the tip slightly separated; their appearance closely resembles a small lantern, hence the name Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'. When the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' blooms, strings of flowers are as bright and fresh as red lanterns, small and cute, very endearing.
Growth habits of the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' grows best when planted in a well-aerated earthenware pot, but it is not attractive indoors, so it can be placed in an outer plastic or porcelain pot, or planted directly in a small purple-clay pot or plastic pot. When planting, place a layer of crushed charcoal pieces or crushed hard plastic foam pieces at the bottom of the pot to enhance aeration.
Although the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' is not very particular about soil, it is prone to root rot in heavy clay, and grows best in loose, fertile, slightly acidic sandy loam. For home potting, it is best to mix leaf mold and garden topsoil in equal amounts, then add 5% to 8% sand as the growing medium. When planting, add a little bone meal or nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer as a base fertilizer.
How to grow the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern'
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' is relatively drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Under the dry air conditions of high-rise buildings, it grows well; be careful to ventilate in time.
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' likes fertilizer. Half a month after the seedlings are potted and planted, or half a month after old plants are divided, a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer can be applied 2 to 3 times to promote stem and leaf growth. After flowering, a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer can be applied once to help it recover. At other times, except for stopping fertilization in summer, only nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer can be applied. When fertilizing, do not get fertilizer on the leaves, otherwise the leaves are prone to rot.
The Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' likes a sunny environment. Except for slight shading at noon in midsummer, it should be placed in a sunny spot at other times. It needs at least 4 hours of direct light per day to grow robustly.
The most suitable growing temperature for the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' is 15°C to 25°C. Above 30°C growth slows and it enters a semi-dormant state, which means it basically does not grow in summer. Below 10°C growth stalls, below 8°C the leaf color turns red and the flowering period is delayed, and below 0°C it is prone to freezing to death.
Beautiful pictures of the Kalanchoe 'Magic Lantern' for appreciation
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