Kalanchoe luciae - Paddle Plant (Flapjacks)

Highlights

Paddle Plant (Kalanchoe luciae) (aka Flapjacks) (Hamet): An eye-catching soft succulent with a unique form that grows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland. Its wide, round leaves fan out like clam shells and can grow wavy over time. Moderate stress from direct sun and cool temperatures (around 40F) will induce the pink color of the leaf edges to deepen and spread.

With time the leaves can grow up to 6.0" wide and rosettes produce new offsets at their bases. Paddle Plant is a monocarpic plant; after several years it will produce a bloom stalk up to 3.0' tall with pale yellow, tubular flowers. The flowering rosette will die but its offsets will live on. The offsets can be transplanted or left to form dense clusters.

K. luciae grows best in hot, sunny areas with great drainage. It can take a bit more water than other succulents, particularly in hot summers. As a soft succulent, it needs protection from frost, but can overwinter indoors near a sunny window or under a grow light. Plant in containers with drainage holes and gritty, well-draining soil. Water deeply, but only when the soil is completely dry.

After trials by the Royal Horticultural Society, K. luciae won the Award of Garden Merit for cultivation performance in 2012.

Full Kalanchoe Guide

Product Size

2.0" Pot

Current Primary Color

Green

All Seasonal Colors

Red

Bloom Color

Yellow Bloom

Grow Zone (Hardiness)

Zone 10 (30F)

Recommended Light Conditions

Bright Indoor Light, Full Sun

Maximum Height

Over 12"

Growth Habit / Shape

Clumping / Mounding, Vertical Grower / Tall Stem

Seasonality

Blooms in Spring, Year-round Color

Special Characteristic

Easy to Propagate

THIS PLANT IS HARDY IN ZONES 10+

10

WHAT IS MY HARDINESS ZONE?

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3 years ago

Is this sometimes called Livingstone Daisy? See answer

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3 years ago  •  Staff Answer

It is! See full answer »

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2 years ago

Is the Crystal Ice Plant Edible? See answer

I went to a high-end sushi and had an ice plant salad and absolutely loved it. Is the Crystal Ice Plant edible? See more »

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

We had not heard of ice plant salad before! But it appears that a different species is used for that dish: Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. See full answer »

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2 years ago

How big is this plant or are you selling the seeds not the plant? See answer

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

We sell this plant fully rooted in a 2" pot. We don't sell any of our plants as seeds.

If you scroll down on any of our plant listings, you'll find a section called "PRODUCT DETAILS". There, you'll find a list beginning with the item "COLOR - PRIMARY". Near the bottom of this list is an item called "PRODUCT FORMAT". That will tell you what size pot the plant ships in or what size plug if that's relevant. See full answer »

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10 months ago

How to care for this See answer

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10 months ago  •  Staff Answer

Mesembryanthemum 'Crystal' is an easy plant to care for. As many succulents do, it prefers a well draining soil in a pot with drainage holes. It likes lots of light and an unobstructed south facing window would be ideal. Water when the plant shows signs of being thirsty, like being slightly wilted. This plant will likely take more water than many other succulents. Do not let this plant freeze as it is a zone 10 plant.

With these tips in mind, you'll have no trouble growing this plant. Be sure to contact us if you run into any unexpected trouble and feel free to look through our FAQ for more tips.
Source: https://mountaincrestgardens.com/faqs... See full answer »

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9 months ago

Is this a perennial? See answer

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9 months ago  •  Staff Answer

Yes. This is a perennial. See full answer »

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3 years ago

what is the difference between crystal heart leaf ice plant and mezzo dorotheanthus See answer

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3 years ago  •  Staff Answer

As far as we can tell, many nurseries mis-ID Mesembryanthemum cordifolium (aka Aptenia cordifolia) as Dorotheanthus bellidiformis. D. bellidiformis (which now has the accepted scientific name Cleretum bellidiforme) has bumpy spoon-shaped leaves seen here. Mezoo Trailing Red is a trademarked cultivar, but we believe it is a form of Mesembryanthemum, not Cleretum. In short, Mezoo Red and M. cordifolium are very similar plants. You can find more of its botanical info at the link below.
Source: http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SU... See full answer »

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2 years ago

The ones I bought last year seem to be thriving, but not blooming. What am I doing wrong See answer

I bought heartleaf ice plant from you last year and it did ok in the yard in planters. Grew. Bit and bloomed. Didn’t grow much over winter, but I put it back in the yard in containers this year. It is growing like crazy, but not blooming. It gets lots of mid afternoon to night sun. I water almost daily and have fertilized once a month. How do I get it to bloom? See more »

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

Mesembryanthemum, and a lot of mesembs, have a very wide flowering season. This one can bloom anytime between the early spring and the fall. It could simply be that it's not quite ready to flower yet, especially since it seems to be thriving in your planters. However, there are three tips that may help encourage it to do so.

1) More light. These plants definitely stretch the meaning of "partial sun" to its max. If it catches a little late morning sun, as well as the sun it already gets, that may push it over the edge to blooming.

2) Cut back on the water. Drought can encourage plants to bloom and mild cases of overwatering can discourage succulents from doing so, even if other symptoms of overwatering are not visible.
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2 years ago

Can you take clippings from them? See answer

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2 years ago  •  Staff Answer

Yes you can! These root without difficulty. See full answer »

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1 year ago

What's the best way to nurse a healthy heart-leaf ice plant indoors for winter See answer

My plant has done really well on my deck all summer but I'm not sure how to keep it alive until it's warm enough to put it back on the deck next spring. I live in Nebraska. Thanks. See more »

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1 year ago  •  Staff Answer

Since heartleaf ice plant is so soft, you'll have to bring it indoors for the winter.

You'll want to give it a good amount of light. Try a south or east facing window, or use a grow light. Then, water only when the the soil is completely dry and when the leaves get slightly wrinkly or lose some of their firmness. Too little light and too much water are the most common care problems people face when overwintering soft plants indoors. See full answer »

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10 months ago

I have a large hill I’d like to cover with this plant. How do I figure out how much I need? See answer

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10 months ago

With the right conditions, Mesembryanthemum can spread about 2" per month in the growing season. Spacing is really a balance of your budget and how long you're willing to wait for them to fill in, but most people will plant this with 2"-10" between each plant. See full answer »

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