Panda plant

Panda plant: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright, somewhat branching succulent; 30–50 cm tall indoors and up to 30 cm wide.

Leaves

Thick, oval to oblong, 3–6 cm long, densely covered in silvery grey felty hairs; edge and tip dotted with brown to reddish brown.

Stem

Fleshy and also felty; it becomes slightly woody at the base with age.

Flowering

Indoors it rarely or never flowers; it is grown for its leaves.

Roots

Fine and shallow; they cannot stand wet feet.

Plants: March–April · Pruning: April

Why grow it?

• Velvety, silvery grey leaves with a brown edge: a striking texture among other succulents.
• Very little work: a good drink of water now and then is enough.
• Ideal for a sunny windowsill, where many other houseplants scorch.
• Stays compact and fits on the smallest windowsill.
• Easy to propagate from a leaf or a stem cutting.

Panda plant: where does it grow best?

• Sunny: a south- or west-facing window is ideal. In a dark spot it becomes leggy and loses its compact shape.
• Room temperature in summer; preferably cooler in winter, 10–15 °C, but never below 10 °C.
• Dry room air is no problem.
• In summer it can go outside in a sunny, sheltered spot out of the rain; bring it in before nights drop below 10 °C.
• Out of reach of cats and dogs.

Light

Sunny

Potting soil

Cactus compost

Acidity

Neutral

Watering

Sparingly

Size

0.5 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 10 °C

Goes well with

• Aloe: Also a succulent that loves sun and little water.
• Echeveria: Grey and blue-green rosettes for the same sunny windowsill.
• Jade plant: From the same family, with glossy, fleshy leaves.
• Cacti: The same compost and the same watering rhythm.

Panda plant: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, every 2–3 years, when the pot is full of roots.
2. Choose a terracotta pot with a drainage hole, only slightly larger than the root ball.
3. Use cactus and succulent compost, or ordinary potting compost mixed with a third coarse sand or perlite.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm lightly.
5. Wait a week after repotting before watering, so damaged roots can heal.

Care

Water

Only water when the compost is completely dry, and then thoroughly. Water the compost, not the felty leaves. In winter, once a month at most.

Feeding

From April to September, cactus and succulent feed at half strength once a month.

Light

Turn the pot now and then so it does not lean towards the light.

Leaves

Brush off dust with a soft paintbrush; do not mist or wipe with a wet cloth.

Repotting

Every 2–3 years in spring, into a pot only slightly larger.

Tip: Give it as much sun as possible and only water when the compost is completely dry. Water the compost, not the felty leaves: that keeps them looking good and stops the plant rotting.

Panda plant: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April.

When: Hardly needed. In April you can shorten a leggy plant.

How:

• Cut overlong stems back to just above a leaf; new side shoots grow from there.
• Pinch out the tips of young plants for bushier growth.
• Use the removed tips as cuttings.
• Remove dried-out lower leaves.

Caution: Wash your hands after pruning and clear away the cut pieces: they are toxic to pets.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Leaf cuttings

From April to July, snap off a healthy leaf, let it dry for a few days and lay it on dry cactus compost. Only add a little water once the first roots appear; after a few weeks new plantlets form at the base of the leaf.

Tip cuttings

Cut off a tip of 5–10 cm, let the cut dry for 1–2 days and push it into slightly moist cactus compost. In a warm, bright spot it roots within a few weeks.

Panda plant: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year, except perhaps in summer: it does not tolerate frost and suffers below 10 °C.
• A bright, cool spot (10–15 °C) is ideal.
• Water very sparingly: once a month or less, just enough to stop the leaves wrinkling.
• No feeding from October to March.

Diseases and pests

• Rot: A soft, black stem base or glassy leaves from too much water or cold, wet compost. Water less; take healthy tips as cuttings if the base has rotted.
• Legginess: Long, floppy stems with large gaps between the leaves: too little light. Move it somewhere sunnier and cut back.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts between the leaves. Remove them with a cotton bud dipped in a little alcohol.
• Leaf marks: Water left on the felty leaves causes ugly marks. Always water the compost.
• Wrinkled leaves: A sign of prolonged drought; give it a good soak.

Through the year

• January: Cool and bright. Very little water.
• March: Repot. Gradually start watering a little more.
• April: Repot or shorten. Start feeding monthly again. Take cuttings.
• May: Feed. Take cuttings.
• June: Move outside to a sunny, sheltered spot if you like. Feed.
• July: Feed. Only water when the compost is dry.
• August: Feed.
• September: Last feed of the year. Bring in before nights drop below 10 °C.
• October: Water less. Move to a bright, cool spot.
• December: Rest. Very little water.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of kalanchoe are poisonous: they contain bufadienolides, compounds that, like those of foxglove, act on the heart. In cats and dogs, chewing it causes drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea, and in larger amounts a slow or irregular heartbeat; rabbits, rodents and birds are sensitive to it too. Kalanchoes often stand on the windowsill or the coffee table, within reach of animals and children: put them higher up or in a room they do not go into, and clear up fallen or trimmed leaves. Call your vet if an animal has eaten some. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The felty hairs reflect sunlight and reduce evaporation: that is how it survives the dry seasons in its native land.
• It belongs to the stonecrop family, like the jade plant, the echeveria and the biting stonecrop of the garden.
• The species name tomentosa means ‘densely felted with hairs’, after the thick hairs on its leaves and stems.