Mother of Thousands

How to care for Mother of Thousands

Light

Mother of Thousands thrives in bright light and will tolerate several hours of direct sun each day, particularly morning sun. A south- or west-facing windowsill is ideal in the UK. Insufficient light causes the stem to etiolate and lean, and the leaves to lose their vibrant patterning. Outdoors in summer it can be placed in a sheltered, sunny spot.

Watering

As a succulent, this plant is highly susceptible to overwatering. Allow the compost to dry out completely between waterings, then water thoroughly and allow excess to drain away freely. In winter, reduce watering significantly, giving just enough to prevent the leaves from shrivelling. Always water at the base of the plant to avoid wetting the leaves and stem, which can encourage rot.

Soil and potting

Use a free-draining cactus and succulent compost, or mix standard potting compost with approximately 50 per cent perlite or coarse horticultural grit. Good drainage is essential; the roots will rot in waterlogged or moisture-retentive soils. Terracotta pots are preferable as they allow the compost to dry more quickly.

Feeding

Feed once a month during the active growing season of spring and summer with a balanced or low-nitrogen liquid fertiliser diluted to half the recommended strength. A formulation designed for cacti and succulents is suitable. Do not feed in autumn or winter when the plant is largely dormant. Overfeeding promotes weak, sappy growth.

Humidity and temperature

Kalanchoe daigremontiana tolerates a wide range of humidity levels and is quite comfortable in the dry air of a centrally heated home. It prefers temperatures between 16 and 27 C and should not be exposed to frost; temperatures below about 10 C for prolonged periods can cause damage. Keep the plant away from cold draughts and frost-prone windowsills in winter.

Repotting

Repot every one to two years in spring when the plant has outgrown its container, moving up by one pot size. As the plant is relatively short-lived and tends to become top-heavy and untidy with age, many growers prefer to propagate fresh plants from the leaf-margin plantlets rather than repotting old specimens repeatedly. Choose a pot with drainage holes.

Pruning

Pruning requirements are minimal. Remove dead or yellowing leaves at the base by hand. If the plant becomes excessively tall and leggy, it can be cut back, but as it is a monocarpic species, it will flower once and then die. Deadheading is not necessary, but removing the flower stalk promptly after blooming may slightly extend the plant's lifespan. Removing surplus plantlets from around the base keeps the growing area tidy.

Is Mother of Thousands toxic?

Common problems

How to propagate

Leaf-margin plantlets (bulbils)

Tiny plantlets with rudimentary roots develop naturally along the toothed edges of the leaves. These can be carefully detached and placed on the surface of moist, free-draining succulent compost; they will root and establish with very little intervention and are the easiest and most reliable propagation method.

Stem cuttings

Take a healthy stem cutting of 8 to 15 cm in length using a clean, sharp knife, allow the cut end to callous over for one to two days, then insert into barely moist cactus compost. Place in a warm, bright spot and water sparingly until roots develop, usually within two to four weeks.

Where Mother of Thousands comes from

Native to south-western Madagascar.

Story and origins

The genus name Kalanchoe is believed to derive from the Chinese words 'Kalan Chauhuy', meaning 'that which falls and grows', a reference to the plant's habit of producing plantlets that drop to the ground and root independently. The species epithet daigremontiana honours Madame Daigremont, in whose collection the plant was reportedly grown when it was first formally described by the French botanists Raymond-Hamet and Henri Perrier de la Bathie in the early twentieth century.

Kalanchoe daigremontiana was first described scientifically in 1914 by Raymond-Hamet and Perrier de la Bathie based on specimens cultivated in Europe, though it is originally native to the Fiherenana River valley and Androhibolava mountains in south-western Madagascar. It was taken into cultivation in Europe and the Americas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a curiosity on account of its prolific plantlet production. Its ease of cultivation and novelty value made it a popular windowsill plant throughout the twentieth century, and it subsequently escaped cultivation in many warm regions of the world, becoming naturalised and in some places invasive.

Varieties to know

Kalanchoe x houghtonii

A naturally occurring hybrid between K. daigremontiana and K. delagoensis, producing larger plantlets and somewhat broader leaves; sometimes sold under the mother of thousands name.

Fun facts

• Each mature leaf can produce dozens to hundreds of tiny plantlets along its margins, giving a single plant the potential to generate thousands of offspring in a single growing season, which is the origin of its common name.
• The plant is considered an invasive weed in parts of Australia, New Zealand, the southern United States, and several Pacific islands, where escaped specimens have naturalised in warm, dry habitats.
• Kalanchoe daigremontiana is monocarpic, meaning each individual rosette flowers only once in its lifetime before dying, though offsets and new plants from plantlets carry on.
• The bufadienolide compounds found in this plant are structurally related to the toxins produced by cane toads, and livestock fatalities have been recorded in Australia and South Africa following ingestion of large quantities of the plant.
• In laboratory research, extracts from K. daigremontiana have been investigated for potential anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory properties, though no approved medical applications exist.

Mother of Thousands FAQ