The Mother of Thousands has interesting relatives and an even more intriguing name. This succulent plant is related to the Flaming Katy and Jade plant. Its name justifies its ability to sprout hundreds of offspring via its epiphyllous buds.
Landscaping isn’t easy. Deciding what would go with your existing plant collection demands a lot of detailing and homework. And let’s not forget the hassle of rummaging through various care guides to ensure your home jungle’s health and prosperity.
I wish I could convince you in person, but I will say this: The Mother of Thousands is an ideal choice for enhancing the volume of your evergreen collection.
It’s a self-sowing succulent plant that produces thousands of baby plantlets in single foliage, making it peculiar yet exquisite.
If you’re looking for a beginner’s guide on growing and caring for this unique plant, you’ve come to the right place.
Table of Contents
Meet the Mother of Thousands: Basic knowledge and Origins
Formerly known as Bryophyllum daigremontianum, the Kalanchoe daigremontiana owns a variety of nicknames, including Mother of Thousands, the maternity plant, alligator plant, the crown of thrones, Devil’s backbone, and Mexican hat plant.
The Mother of Thousands has fleshy oblong, whorled, lanceolate foliages that can grow to more than 20 cm long. The foliage is further enhanced by green exteriors and purple interiors.
The plant might seem maternal, but it can easily go rogue and take on an invasive growth pathway, especially in wild habitats. For this specific reason, the Mother of Thousands poses a risk to the natural ecosystem.
Also, as a succulent herbage, it can efficiently survive drought, making it easy to grow and care for!
The umbrella-like terminal florets grown on this botanical have distinctive grayish-pink hues that resemble fruits. But beware! It’s highly venomous.
The resin extract of this eye-catching green has antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant properties.
And it also absorbs carbon dioxide when the moon takes over the pitch black sky.
Family Type: Crassulaceae, Stonecrop
Common Name: Mother of Thousands, Devil’s backbone, Alligator plant, Crown of thousands
Botanical Name: Kalanchoe daigremontiana
Plant Type: Succulent
Size: 3-4 ft tall
Native Area: Madagascar
Sun Exposure: Direct bright light
Soil Consistency: Well-drained, Sandy
Humidity: Moderate (Around 40%)
Toxicity: Toxic to animals and humans
Flower Color: Grayish-pink
Common Pests: Aphids, mealybugs, scale insects
Varieties of Kalanchoe: The Maternity Plant!
The genus Kalanchoe has approximately 125 tropical and succulent species, mainly native to Madagascar, Africa.
With their multiple-hued flowers and beautifully raw facade, these botanicals possess the wow factor that most decorative plants lack.
This panda plant has thorny, alligator-like, dark-green, oblong leaves and lateral growing roots that make it a member of the mystical botanicals of the wild (I just made it sound like a book club)!
I absolutely love the creative botanist who named these plants. Chocolate soldier, Queen Jodie, Panda plant, Queen Lindsay, Simone, and Kerinci all sound like mythical creatures straight out of a Percy Jackson series!
Kalanchoe Lanin
Kalanchoe Bloddfeldiana Lanin is an ethereal blooming succulent with dark green sultry foliages. It houses clusters of exquisite orange-red garnets that grow through summer, spring, and autumn. These pointed-tip botanicals can grow up to 12 inches in length and width and are effortless to grow.
Kalanchoe farinacea
It is a relatively rare species from the Kalanchoe genus, with most of its roots embedded in the wild tropics.
This subtropical succulent has silvery-gray leaves on an upright stem and is endemic to the Yemeni island of Socotra.
Providing this plant with proper sunlight gives it a fair chance to give birth to clusters of bright red and pink flowers.
This one is a hardy plant and can grow amongst rocks. The Kalanchoe Farinacea grows between 12-14 inches in height and width.
Kalanchoe Calandiva
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Queen Lindsey, as the name dictates, is a prepossessing queen with dark-green foliages that beautifully compliment the golden-yellow florets.
It grows up to 12 inches in length and width. Queen Lindsey is a low maintenance plant. It enjoys the popularity of an easy-going houseplant and flourishes in succulent rock gardens.
How To Grow and Care For the Gorgeous Mother of Thousands!
The blueprint for the care and growth of the Mother of Thousands is straightforward and practical. Bright direct sunlight, well-drained soil, cactus-like conditions, and a little watering here and there will fulfill this plant’s needs.
However, becoming a parent to the Mother of thousands does come with a few challenges. Before growing a Panda plant in a pot, we suggest you thoroughly read this section!
Sunlight
As a native African plant, the Mother of Thousands needs lots of direct and bright sunlight for at least 4-5 hours a day.
Placing your botanical close to an east-facing window would ensure it thrives beautifully; however, overexposure can burn and scorch its motherly foliages.
On the other hand, less sunlight exposure will result in discoloration and the mother’s death.
Soil
Pot the plant using 30% perlite and 70% cactus soil. It helps increase air circulation and promotes drainage, thus enabling the Mother of Thousands to thrive in an indoor setting.
You can also use a clay pot to absorb excess moisture. Wet-feet ruins this botanical, so be precise.
Avoid soil with peat moss, humus, or loam, as they keep the moisture sealed for far too long.
Water
Regular, gradual, and proper watering will help this botanical thrive, especially during growing seasons. Over-watering is to be strictly avoided.
That being said, this succulent herbage is exceptionally resistant to drought and can survive nicely without being watered regularly.
If you’re a gardening beginner and have a brown thumb, this plant is the perfect low-maintenance gift for your house.
Temperature and humidity
Mother of Thousands loves direct sunlight, but keeping it in a slightly shady area of your house will protect its foliage and blossoms from excessive sunlight exposure. Plant it in an environment where temperatures range between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, run to bring it inside a cozy room.
In terms of humidity, the Mother of Thousands can easily adjust to low to moderate humidity levels.
Fertilizer
This herbage can go without an extravagant diet, but if you wish to vamp up its growth, apply a liquid fertilizer every 3-4 months. You can use the Aloe Cacti fertilizer.
Pruning
Even though this botanical will not need frequent pruning salon sessions, pruning will help maintain its sleek look. Remove dead stalks, dropped plantlets, or dead flowers to ensure the sultry beauty of the Mother of Thousands.
If your plant starts getting wiry and spindly at the top, pinch off the top of the plant above the large foliage; this will ensure the growth of leaves on the lower side of the stem.
Potting and repotting
A well-draining, perlite and cactus soil potting mix is more than enough for this exquisite tropical green.
Also, it needs only repotting when the baby plantlets fall off the mother and start growing roots in the same pot. This little one has to move out!
Propagation
As the plant heads towards the dormancy period during the cold weather, the baby plantlets can be removed from the mama leaves, or they might even naturally fall off.
Once detached, these baby plantlets can be planted in a well-drained soil mix pot, and with inadequate sunlight, they’ll grow roots in no time.
Challenges and solutions
We don’t suggest planting a Mexican hat plant outdoors. It has an invasive nature and may threaten the integrity of neighboring plants.
The alligator-like foliages of this delightful succulent are a delicacy for snails.
There are a few problems associated with this equatorial plant; we’ve shortlisted the crucial problems and researched the best possible solutions for you to grow it quickly.
Pests
Aphids, snails, scale insects, and mealybugs all enjoy sucking the juicy sap of the foliages of this majestic jungle species. You can introduce ladybugs or lacewings to these pests. These beneficial insects will eliminate the pests and enhance the beauty of your botanical.
You can also use neem oil as an organic insecticide.
Diseases
Overwatering, severe underwatering, and exposing your plant to more or less sunlight than needed might cause multiple problems affecting its foliages and roots.
Underwatering on dry days might result in dehydration and falling leaves, whereas overwatering can cause yellowing and curling of leaves. It can also result in the death of the flowering ability of the plant.
Also, your panda plant won’t grow in lower levels of sunlight, and over-exposure can cause the leaves to burn.
Ask Away: FAQs
Is the Mother of Thousands a medicinal plant?
Despite its venomous nature, this botanical has been used in traditional medicines for decades. It still is commonly used to cure cough, rheumatoid arthritis, gastric ulcer, and kidney stones. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antidepressant properties.
My Alligator plant is cold when I touch it; should I be worried?
As a succulent plant, the Mother of Thousands absorbs and saves water in its mesmerizing foliages, which keeps them cold. It’s nothing to be worried about.
Where can I buy a nice Panda plant?
You can get a Panda plant from a botanical garden or a nursery.
It grows from the baby plantlets, so if your friend has one, you can get one from him too. Online stores, such as Amazon, Etsy, and Succulents Box, also deal in supplying potted Kalanchoe plants.
My dog ate the leaves of my Kalanchoe Daigremontiana; will he die?
The foliages of the Mother of Thousands plant are poisonous. Take your dog to the veteran as soon as possible! Most varieties of this botanical can be life-threatening when injected.
