If you are looking to add an exciting and unique piece to your succulent collection, The Flapjack Succulent is a great choice. This evergreen succulent goes with the scientific name (Kalanchoe Luciae).
The Flapjack Succulent – an evergreen with gorgeous leaves and sweet-smelling yellow flowers – is a monocarpic succulent. It dies after flowering but is easily propagated from the mother plant. It’s worth the extra care and attention it needs. Follow the instruction below for a healthy and attractive plant,
How to Grow Flapjack Succulent
The Flapjack Succulent requires some care and attention from planting to its initial establishment so it can be allowed to grow healthy and tall.
Grow this succulent in the right environment to guarantee its good health and aesthetic appearance.
Soil Requirements
Grow your flapjack in well-drained soil – a loamy and sandy variety that does not retain too much water will ensure it will thrive well.
If you will be growing your flapjack indoors, make sure it is in a pot or container with good drainage. It needs well-drained soil so its roots will not root.
If you will be growing your flapjack indoors, use a well-draining potting mix.
You can also use a potting mix made specifically for succulents and cacti. You can opt to make your potting mix with a combination of compost, peat moss, and coarse sand.
In general, it is best to use a customized succulent mix that includes organic matter (compost) and horticulture sand to get well-drained soil.
A soggy and wet soil base will make your flapjack to pathogen invasions and rotting.
Avoid planting this succulent in potting soil with fertilizer as this will make the soil too dense for your flapjack. Besides, the soil may not come with the right fertilizer for this succulent.
Never assume that the flapjack you bought in a garden center comes in the best soil for your succulent.
It is best to replant it in the recommended soil type.
Light Conditions
Since the flapjack is native to South Africa, it loves a lot of sun. It can also grow well in partial sun, too.
Your flapjack should be exposed to partial or full sun for at least six hours a day.
If you are growing this plant indoors, place it in a spot where it can get bright light instead of where it will look nice.
If you are growing this succulent outdoors, protect it from direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Too much sun can damage the leaves of this plant.
If your area is sunny throughout winter, the green leaves of your flapjack will have striking red tips. During the summer months, avoid placing this succulent on a spot with direct light.
Temperature Requirements
Your flapjack succulent thrives in hot and dry regions. They are not cold hardy; thus, they are often grown as house plants.
If winter temperatures in your area tend to drop below 200F, it is best to keep your flapjack indoors or transfer it indoors over the winter.
If you want to grow your flapjack outdoors, keep it in a pot so you can bring it indoors over the winter.
You can grow your flapjack outdoors if temperatures in your area are between 600F and 850F. You should keep your flapjack away from temperatures below 600F.
Water Requirements
Water your flapjack succulent only when its soil has become dry.
If you are growing this plant indoors, make sure to allow its pot to completely drain before replacing it on its drainage plate.
Avoid overwatering this succulent because, just like all succulents, its roots will rot in soggy and wet soil. The plant may drown, too.
This plant is native to South Africa and found in desserts so it is, by nature, drought-tolerant and should never be overwatered.
This succulent does not need to be watered during winter. It can survive weeks without water.
Fertilizer Requirements
Feed your flapjack with a diluted and balanced fertilizer during spring and summer (growing periods). It should be enough to apply fertilizer once a few months apart.
Avoid fertilizing this succulent during fall. Just like overwatering, over-fertilizing will cause your plant to form powdery mildew and rotting.
Make sure to dilute the fertilizer before application.
Propagation
Although your Flapjack Succulent flowers only once (monocarpic), it is easy to propagate them. Healthy and mature flapjacks are fast-growing and produce new offsets.
The flapjack can be best propagated through leaf or leaves cuttings during spring or summer. You can also opt to remove offsets from the side of mature flapjack plants.
- Completely cut off a leaf. Avoid leaving any part of the leaf on the stem.
- Set the leaf cutting on a tray.
- Allow the cut end to callus for a few days. The cut end of the leaf cutting should be completely dry before planting.
- Plant the leaf cutting in a pot filled with lightly moistened potting (not soggy) mix for succulents and cacti.
- Place your plant in a spot with bright, indirect light.
In a few weeks, your new flapjack will be established and will show a healthy new growth.
Flapjacks grow in wide clusters and fit well in xeriscape landscapes (consisting of drought-resistant plants) or rock gardens.
The flapjack has rounded, thick, and paddle-like leaves. It comes with green to pale white leaves with splashes of red along its edges.
The flapjack also grows white flowers with yellow tints during their second year.
This succulent is slow growing. It can get to be about 19 inches wide and tall at full maturity. You should however keep surrounding plants far from your flapjack to allow it to spread.
The flapjack grows well in areas with hardiness zones 9a to 11b.
Origin and Common Names: Flapjack Succulent
The Kalanchoe Luciae is a native of South Africa. It grows and thrives in sunny areas as it is prevalent not only in South Africa but also in Cyprus, Madagascar, Indochina, and Malaysia. This perennial succulent comes from the Crassulaceae family.
The Flapjack Succulent is commonly known as the Paddle Plant because its leaves have a clam-like or paddle-like shape. The leaves form rosette clusters.
The flapjack is also commonly called the Red Pancake because its leaves turn into a deep pink or reddish tint during winter.
Its fleshy large leaves with reddish margins have made the plant have other nicknames such as the Flipping Pancake and the Northern White Lady, being drought-resistant, it is also called the Desert Cabbage.
Some people believe that the term “Kalanchoe” is a phonetic transcription of the Chinese term “Kalan Chauhuy” that loosely translates to “something that falls and grows.”
On the other hand, others say the term ” Kalanchoe” may have come from two ancient Indian terms “kalanka” (rust or spot) and “chaya” (glossy) which can refer to the color and overall profile of the flapjack succulent.
The “Luciae” could trace its origin to Saint Lucia Park in South Africa where the flapjacks are widespread.
The term could also be in honor of Mademoiselle Lucy Dufour who had a close acquaintance with Raymond Hamet, the French botanist who gave this species its name in 1908.
Final Thoughts
The Flapjack Succulent is an evergreen that comes with gorgeous leaves and sweet-smelling flowers.
Since it is a monocarpic succulent, it will die after flowering. No need to worry, though, because you can easily propagate the mother plant.
Your flapjack is toxic for pets, but snails and slugs love this plant and can cause severe damage. Keep your pets away from your flapjack succulent and remove the snails and slugs from the plant as soon as they appear.
Jenny Marie
Tribal Writer
Edited By
Patricia Godwin
