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Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe · Widow's-thrill

Family CrassulaceaeGenus Kalanchoe

Pink four-petalled flowers clustered above gray-green fleshy leaves
FlowerStan ShebsCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Safety

Toxicity
Medium severity. All parts. Bufodienolides.Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

The plant

Native range
Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Note
Deno worked with garden hybrids rather than a named species, so these results are genus-level.Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed.

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility; Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno; Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension.

This source reports 5 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

42% germination in 21 days.

The best of the five. Deno's seed was garden hybrids, not a named species.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalanchoePublic domain
Show the original text
Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae). K. hybrids germ. 70L(34% in 3rd w), 70D with GA-3(42% in 3rd w), 70D(13% in 3rd w), 40-70D(6%), and 40-70L(none).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalanchoe. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

34% germination in 21 days.

Light nearly triples the plain dark result. Deno's seed was garden hybrids, not a named species.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalanchoePublic domain
Show the original text
Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae). K. hybrids germ. 70L(34% in 3rd w), 70D with GA-3(42% in 3rd w), 70D(13% in 3rd w), 40-70D(6%), and 40-70L(none).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalanchoe. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

13% germination in 21 days.

Dark and nothing else is the weakest route that works at all. Deno's seed was garden hybrids, not a named species.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalanchoePublic domain
Show the original text
Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae). K. hybrids germ. 70L(34% in 3rd w), 70D with GA-3(42% in 3rd w), 70D(13% in 3rd w), 40-70D(6%), and 40-70L(none).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalanchoe. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 15, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

6% germination.

Cold first costs most of the packet. Deno's seed was garden hybrids, not a named species.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalanchoePublic domain
Show the original text
Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae). K. hybrids germ. 70L(34% in 3rd w), 70D with GA-3(42% in 3rd w), 70D(13% in 3rd w), 40-70D(6%), and 40-70L(none).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalanchoe. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2.

0% germination.

Light helps at 70 and hurts after cold: nothing here, against 6% in the dark.

This source doesn't state how long step 2 lasts.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, KalanchoePublic domain
Show the original text
Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae). K. hybrids germ. 70L(34% in 3rd w), 70D with GA-3(42% in 3rd w), 70D(13% in 3rd w), 40-70D(6%), and 40-70L(none).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Kalanchoe. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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