The Flapjack Plant (Kalanchoe luciae or Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) is a popular succulent known for its paddle-shaped leaves and compact, rosette-forming growth. Its leaves often develop red margins in ample sunlight. When a Flapjack plant grows unusually tall, it can concern owners. This article explores the reasons for this vertical growth and offers strategies to maintain its desired form.
Understanding Tall Growth in Flapjack Plants
When a Flapjack plant grows tall, it’s usually due to etiolation or bolting. Understanding these distinct phenomena is key to proper plant care, as each is a unique response to the plant’s environment or life cycle.
Etiolation occurs when a plant stretches excessively to find more light. This growth results in thin, elongated stems with widely spaced leaves, rather than a tight rosette. Foliage may also appear paler green or yellow due to insufficient chlorophyll. Etiolation is undesirable, leading to a weak, leggy plant that is structurally unsound and less aesthetically pleasing.
Bolting is a natural part of the Flapjack plant’s life cycle, indicating it’s preparing to flower. This involves a tall, sturdy central stalk emerging from the rosette’s center, eventually bearing creamy yellow blossoms. The plant is monocarpic, meaning the main rosette will decline and die after flowering. However, this process usually leads to new offsets, or pups, forming around the mother plant’s base.
Key Reasons for Tall Growth
The reasons a Flapjack plant grows tall depend on whether it’s etiolating or bolting. Each has distinct environmental or biological triggers, and recognizing them helps address the plant’s needs.
Etiolation is primarily a response to insufficient light. Flapjack plants thrive in abundant, direct sunlight, ideally at least six hours daily. Indoors, especially in north-facing windows or shaded locations, the plant stretches towards any available light. This instinctive survival mechanism compromises the plant’s compact form and vigor.
Bolting is primarily driven by the plant’s natural maturity and genetic programming. Most Flapjack plants bolt and flower after two to four years of growth. While natural, environmental factors can influence timing. Changes in temperature, especially cooler periods followed by warmer conditions, or shifts in light cycles can trigger flowering. This indicates a healthy, mature plant fulfilling its life cycle, not improper care.
Care Strategies for Tall Growth
Specific care strategies can manage tall growth in Flapjack plants, whether it’s an undesirable stretch or a natural flowering event. The approach depends on identifying the type of growth. Proactive measures can also prevent issues like etiolation.
If a Flapjack plant shows etiolation, increase its light exposure. Gradually move it to a brighter location, like a south-facing window indoors or a sunny outdoor spot if temperatures allow. Acclimate the plant slowly to prevent sunburn, which appears as bleached or scorched spots. Stretched stem sections won’t revert, but you can prune leggy parts to encourage new, compact growth from lower nodes. Consistent, bright light is the most effective prevention.
When a Flapjack plant bolts, allow the flowering process to complete naturally. As the main rosette declines after flowering (over weeks or months), focus on the offsets or pups emerging around the mother plant’s base. Once pups are large enough (at least one-third the original rosette size) and have developed roots, carefully separate them. These new plantlets can then be potted individually in well-draining succulent soil to start new Flapjack plants.
Maintaining a healthy, compact Flapjack plant requires providing optimal growing conditions from the outset. This includes ample bright, direct sunlight, a well-draining succulent soil mix, and appropriate watering. Water thoroughly when the soil is completely dry, then allow it to dry out again. These practices contribute to the plant’s vigor, prevent etiolation, and help it maintain its characteristic compact form until it naturally bolts.