Flapjack Plants - Kalanchoe thyrsiflora

Flapjack plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora)  (Wiese Acres photo)

One of my favorite succulents is my flapjack plant.  It's also known as paddle plant or dog tongue plant.  All three of these common names are pretty descriptive of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora.  I prefer Flapjack plant because to me it looks most like a stack of flapjacks, with its large, thick, round leaves that are stacked in layers up the length of the stem.

 A mature flapjack plant can grow to heights of up to 2 feet tall and the individual leaves can grow as large as six inches in diameter.   It is hardy outdoors in zone 9 and higher, but here in our zone 4 (which, by the way, is feeling much more like zone 3 with these ridiculous below zero temps in mid-November), flapjacks need to be overwintered indoors.  I move my flapjacks into the garage when the outside nighttime temperatures start dropping into the 40's.  I leave them in the garage for a few days to check for hitchhiking insects, then give them a good strong spray with the garden hose to knock off any pests that I see and even some that are lurking in places where I might not see them.

Flapjacks are generally pretty pest resistant, but may be susceptible to aphids, mealy bugs, and scale insects.  Aphids are recognized by "honeydew", the sticky secretions they leave on the foliage.  Mealy bugs look like miniature cotton balls clinging to the leaves and stems.  Scales look like brown dots lurking on the undersides of the leaves and on the stems, especially where the leaves attach to the stems.  Aphids can generally be knocked off with a sharp spray of water.  Mealy bugs are best removed with a cotton ball soaked with 70% rubbing alcohol.  Scales generally need to be scraped off with a fingernail or a sharp knife edge.

Once I know they are pest free, I bring the flapjacks indoors and set them in a south or west facing window.  Flapjacks do best in bright, direct sunlight.  They may tolerate a little shade, but really need several hours of bright sun to do their best.  

Flapjacks also do their best in locations where the daytime temperatures are around 65 to 70 degrees with slightly cooler night time temperatures.  Since this is in the general range where most of us like our home temperatures to be, flapjacks generally adapt quite easily to their time indoors.

Like most succulents, flapjacks do not like wet feet.  I water them only when the top couple inches of the soil are dry.  Overwatering will lead to root and stem rot and the death of the plant.  

Rose colored edges of flapjack plant (Wiese Acres photo)

Flapjacks are not heavy feeders, doing very well on three to four light feedings a year.  Growth is very slow in the winter, so I don't fertilize them at all while they are indoors.  In early April, I will give them a dose of half strength 10-10-10 fertilizer to give them a head start for the summer.  Then, when temperatures are staying above 45 degrees day and night, I'll move them back outside to the bright sunshine.  That bright sunshine is what will give the edges of the leaves back their rosy hue that slowly fades away over the winter.

Mature flapjacks will send up a tall, leafy flower stalk after their third or fourth year of growth.  The stalk  will have small, dense clusters of yellowish-green flowers.  The foliage of a flapjack is really more dramatic than the flowers.  Sadly, the mother flapjack gives her all in sending out the flower stalk.  Once the flower stalk dies, the mother plant will also die.  Flapjacks develop small plants as offsets, and these can be planted to keep the flapjack plant alive after the mother plant has died.  

Flapjacks can also be propagated vegetatively, either by leaf or stem cuttings.  To propagate with a leaf cutting, take a sharp, sterilized knife and cut a leaf off right where it attaches to the stem.  Set the leaf aside for a week or so to allow a callous to form on the cut edge, then stick the cut edge in a container of moist sand.  Place the container in bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist but not overly wet.  When the leaf develops roots, move the container into bright sunlight and care for it as the original plant.

Stem cuttings are generally best taken while the plant is semi-dormant between late fall and early spring.  Take a three to five inch stem from the mature plant and remove the lower leaves.  Plant the stem up to the remaining leaves in a pot of moistened sand.  Place the pot in bright, indirect light and mist lightly as needed to keep the soil slightly moist until roots develop.  Once rooted, move the stem cutting into bright direct light and continue to provide mature flapjack care for it.

With a little bit of TLC, flapjacks will provide enjoyment and dramatic foliage, both summer and winter.

Flapjack plant (Wiese Acres photo)