Mother of thousands: An Immortal Plant

Good Morning friends! I hope your Paudhayan is flourishing.

Today we will talk about a plant which is not only difficult but impossible to kill. It is generally known as Mother of Thousands. They are known by some other names also like Mexican Hat Plant, Alligator Plant etc. But at the first sight, the only name which naturally comes into mind is – “Mother of Thousands!” These thousands of children are the identity of this plant and make it unique and amazing.

Its scientific name is Kalanchoe daigremontiana. Yes! This is a plant of the same Kalanchoe species, some members of which have beautiful clustered flowers and some have lovely colorful leaves. All these species belong to the same family and are siblings.

Mother of Thousands: The leaves of this plant are thick and smooth with bluish green color and have cutting pattern on their edges. When the leaf matures, tiny little plants emerge from each of the cuttings. These little plants arranged in a line look very pleasing. This is the beauty of this plant and this is its specialty. In their natural habitat, these plants can grow up to 3 feet tall, but in the closed environment of homes they never grow so big and often remain small.

Just as a Sri Lanka is visible beneath in the map of our Indian sub-continent, similarly if you look at the map of the vast African continent, you will see a small island below named as Madagascar. Mother Of Thousands is native to the southwestern part of this small island. Land here dry and rocky. Hence, the plant, due to its growth in arid desert-like place, is able to tolerate high temperatures, extreme heat and arid drought.

If your plants do not survive or you cannot take proper care of them or you have less time or sometimes you have to stay out of the house, then this plant is perfect for you. It requires little water. So water it when the soil of the pot completely dries. The kind of soil we use for other cactus and succulents will be suitable for them also. Water must not stagnate in the soil. There must be holes in the pot so that excess water can drain out. These plants do not die in too much sunlight, but their leaves turn pink pink or red under stress making them even more beautiful.

They do not need much fertilizer. They grow well even without fertilizer and produce lots of small plants. But if the plant looks weak or faster growth is needed, any balanced fertilizer may be given to the plant in very small quantity (about a quarter of what recommended in the package).

There is only one thing they are afraid of and that is extreme cold during winters. They need to be protected from frost and snow. Therefore, do not keep them under the open sky during very low temperatures when it snows or frosts.

Succulents and cacti have a problem that in prolonged low light conditions they often become 'leggy'. Means, they grow too long in the direction of the light. The leaves grow very far apart and sparse and the plant loses its original shape and beauty. Being a succulent type of plant, this is a common problem in Mother of Thousands also. To avoid this, keep them in a sunny or brightly lit place. If there is no open space, they may be kept on a South or East window. If the sunlight is coming through only one direction (Usually in balcony or window), rotate the plant about 90 degrees every week for balanced growth on each side.

इनकी संख्या बढ़ाना कितना आसान है ये तो इनके नाम से ही जाहिर है। अगर आपके पास इसका मैच्योर पौधा है तो ख़ुद को फैलाने की चिंता ये ख़ुद कर लेगा। आपको कुछ भी नहीं  करना है। हर एक बड़ी पत्ती के किनारे-किनारे छोटे पौधे बनेंगे और हल्का सा अघात लगते ही या थोड़े बड़े होने पर ये झर जाएँगे। इन झरे हुए नन्हें पौधों को अगर थोड़ी सी भी नमी मिलती रही तो ये धीरे-धीरे बढ़ना शुरू कर देंगे।

If there are too many plants and you want to throw them away or plant them elsewhere or gift them to someone, place your palm under any leaf with tiny plantlets and then brush them off with your thumb. Now put a handful of these little ones in a moist place or pot or throw them away. Simple!

You can pluck any leaf and throw it over moist soil, after some days it will produce ne plantlets. Yes, under stress the leaves produce saplings even if they are not matured.

If the plant has become 'leggy' or has leaned to one side, always feel free to cut it from the top and plant both the parts separately, now in a bright place, of course. Few days later new roots and leaves are formed.

In older plants, bell shaped flowers appear in a stem like structure and seeds are also formed afterwards. New plants can be grown from these seeds too, though that is rarely needed.

These plants spread very fast, so it is important to be careful with them. If you do not want to fill your entire Paudhayan with them, plant them in a single pot and keep that pot away from other platers and open land to keep them from spreading. Also keep in mind that these plants are poisonous. Their sap is a thick sticky liquid of milky white color. touching them may cause the skin redness and irritation. Apply sap of Aloe Vera if touched it by mistake. Swallowing the plant may cause problems like stomach irritation and cramps. So, Keep them away from children and pets.

So this was our plant today. A very simple, polite and ready to happily bear the burden of your ignorance. It is one of the least maintenance plants in existence. Just handle it with your gloves put on as it is slightly poisonous. And you never have to worry about it.

So friends, will see you again with a new plant very soon.

Till then Happy Paudhayan and Good Bye!