What other aliases does the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe have?

Aliases of the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe

Pearl Windbell, Red Lantern, Trailing Bellflower Begonia.

Morphological characteristics of the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe

The Magic Lantern Kalanchoe 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 and Trailing Bellflower Begonia. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. The stems are woody and many-branched, and new branches are soft and often drooping. The leaves are opposite, long ovate, and slightly fleshy. The flowers are red, tubular, with the tip slightly separated into 4 petals. Its appearance closely resembles a small lantern, which is how it got the name Magic Lantern Kalanchoe. When the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe blooms, strings of flowers are as bright and fresh as red lanterns, small and lovely, and very endearing.

Growth habits of the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe

The Magic Lantern Kalanchoe grows best when planted in unglazed clay pots with good permeability, but these are not attractive indoors; they can be placed inside a 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 permeability.

Although the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe is not very fussy 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 Magic Lantern Kalanchoe

The Magic Lantern Kalanchoe is relatively drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Under the dry air conditions of high-rise buildings, it grows well; be careful to ventilate it promptly.

The Magic Lantern Kalanchoe likes fertilizer. Half a month after seedlings are potted and established, or half a month after old plants are divided, apply 2 to 3 times a liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen to promote stem and leaf growth. After flowering, apply one liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen to help it recover vigor. 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 Magic Lantern Kalanchoe 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 each day to grow vigorously.

The most suitable temperature for the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe is 15℃ to 25℃. Above 30℃ growth slows and it enters a semi-dormant state, which means that in summer the kalanchoe basically does not grow. Below 10℃ growth stalls, below 8℃ the leaves turn red and the flowering period is delayed, and below 0℃ it is prone to freezing to death.

Appreciation of beautiful pictures of the Magic Lantern Kalanchoe