All plant lovers will agree that succulents are one of the most low-maintenance plants that are easy to care for and keep alive. One of these succulents is the Copper Spoon plant, also referred to as Kalanchoe Orgyalis or leather plant.
The Kalanchoe succulent leaves feature an interesting shape resembling a spoon, and the spoon-shaped leaves boast a distinctive bronze hue that makes them stand out.
Even though this plant is low maintenance, there are some things Copper spoons owners must care for to ensure it stays healthy — keep reading to find out.
Background on Kalanchoe Orgyalis
Table of Contents
The Kalanchoe Orgyalis succulent is indigenous to Madagascar, and this shrub succulent can grow up to 1.8 m long. Some people believe that the name Kalanchoe Orgyalis derives from the historic Indian words “chaya” and “Kalanka” meaning glossy, rust, or spot, which refer to the rust-colored glossy leaf surface of the Indian kalanchoe genus, K. laciniata.
This flowering succulent grows attractive yellow flowers between cold winter and the brink of spring months, and they can be grown indoors or outdoors.
One feature which makes this plant unique is that its spoon shaped leaves start to get a silverish tint as the Kalanchoe ages.
The plant usually grows on dry soil or rocks and can stay for long hours without water since its leaves work like a water storage system. Copper spoons are plants that flourish in sunlight since the sun offers them all the energy needed to flourish.
Copper Spoons Plants Care
Here are a few tips to effectively grow copper spoons:
Sunlight
Placing a Copper spoons plant in an area that either gets direct sun or some shade is the secret to a thriving plant. If you are cultivating this plant outside, keep in mind that it prefers dry regions with full sun or light shade and may suffer if you reside somewhere with a lot of rain and moisture.
Place the plant adjacent to a window if you’re growing copper spoons inside so it gets all the direct sun exposure it requires. For optimal results, locate a south-facing windowsill in your house and put your copper spoons there.
However, be careful to leave the plant in direct sunlight for a maximum of a few hours, especially in the middle of the hot summer months, since the scorching sun may burn Kalanchoe Orygalis.
Burning leave tips is one sign you can look out for to determine that your sun is getting too much sunlight. If this happens, reduce the time your copper spoons stay out in the sun, and the plant will eventually recover.
Copper Spoons can also be grown inside next to a west-facing balcony or windowsill since a west-facing balcony may get partial sun at some time during the day, which will help the plant grow.
Copper spoons don’t like shaded areas since the plant requires up to six hours of sunlight daily. Therefore, keeping your copper spoons healthy may become challenging if you live somewhere where you don’t get a lot of sunlight.
If you still want to grow this beautiful succulent, you can do so indoors by purchasing plant-growing lamps that imitate the sunlight.
Watering Requirements
Since copper spoons are native to an area with a hot climate, they are drought-resistant plants that can easily survive without water for a few days. However, it still needs water every few days to grow appropriately.
All you need to do is find the balance between watering less and overwatering. Moderate irrigation is sufficient during the springtime. However, you may need to water your Kalanchoe Orgyalis more during the hot summer.
In the summer, it’s recommended to water copper spoons in the evenings to avoid the scorching sun at midday since the high temperature can make the freshly moistened soil stuffy making the roots susceptible to black rot.
Water the copper spoons at least once every ten days during the spring months, and during the summer months, you can water more frequently, at least once a week. If you live somewhere with a cold temperature, you can reduce the watering to even once a month.
One way to discover that your copper spoons need to be watered during the winter is when you notice the leaves begin to shrink or shrivel.
Also, choose a pot with drainage holes to ensure the plant can dispose of any excess water it gets since if you overwater and the plant cannot drain it, that will likely result in root rot.
You will have to experiment with different durations between waterings to see what your plant likes and doesn’t like. For example, if you are over-watering copper spoons, the plant will likely communicate that by dropping the leaves.
To avoid this, place your finger on the soil surface before watering to ensure it’s completely dry.
It’s all about noticing what your plant is trying to communicate with you. While watering, ensure not to hit the plant’s oval-shaped leaves with water since this can cause the leaves to rot.
Soil/Potting Mix
Kalanchoe Orgyalis thrive in organic and well-drained soil. When potting copper spoons, it is advisable to utilize succulent soil mixed with peat moss and around 50 or 70 percent grit, like perlite, pumice, and coarse sand, which offer excellent drainage.
Pests and Disease Protection
Like any other plant, copper spoons can also become affected by pests and diseases, and the most common pets that attack this succulent are mealybugs. These tiny white bugs attach to the copper spoon’s sap and can cause the plant’s condition to wither in a few days by making it yellow.
If not taken care of properly, a Kalanchoe Orgyalis may also suffer from several diseases. One of the most common ones is powdery mildew — a whitish fungus that attacks the stems and leaves of the plant.
To protect your plant from diseases, ensure it’s getting ample sunlight and you are not making any mistakes like overwatering.
For pest treatment, stick to homemade solutions since store-bought pesticides can have harsh chemicals, which can cause more harm than good to your copper spoons.
Here is how you can make an easy DIY home-made pesticide for your copper spoons:
What you will need
A spray bottle
Vegetable oil
Liquid dishwash
Instructions
Add 1/2 cup of dishwash to your spray bottle
Add three tbsp of dishwash to the mixture
Fill the spray bottle halfway with water and shake well before use
Important Tip! Separate your diseased or pest-filled plant from your other plants since the disease or pests may spread to other plants if they are kept close together.
Temperature
Copper spoons make the perfect indoor or outdoor succulent in warmer climates since the plant thrives in warm temperatures. The plant can withstand temperatures of up to 5° C in winter weather with proper care.
The foliage of the Kalanchoe Orgyalis will turn blackish and eventually die if it is exposed to temperatures under 4° C for a prolonged period. Since the plant cannot survive in freezing weather, they must be brought indoors during winter to ensure they stay healthy.
Humidity
Some plants do well in humid conditions, and owners often mist their indoor plants for proper humid conditions. However, copper spoons are not one of these plants.
Kalanchoe Orgyalis don’t do well in a humid environment and prefer humidity levels from 50 to 90 percent. Therefore, dry air is ideal for the plant.
Fertilizing
Kalanchoe Orgyalis are considered small plants; therefore, they do not grow quickly. However, you can help them maintain optimal growth by providing them with nutrition through liquid fertilizer.
You can also add slow-release fertilizer to your Kalanchoe Orgyalis in the growing season to help it maintain optimal health and grow efficiently.
Copper spoons do not require much fertilizer, so ensure you are not over-fertilizing them, as this may cause their condition to deteriorate rather than improve.
Pruning
Pruning can help copper spoons maintain optimal growth and an appealing shape. However, they require minimal pruning since they are slow-growing plants. If you notice dry or yellowing leaves, you can prune your copper spoons to promote new growth.
Use proper pruning tools to carry out a good pruning job. Here are a few copper spoons tips to help you do a good job if this is your first time pruning copper spoons.
Copper SPOON Pruning Tips
Pick stout stems that have at least five to six leaves for pruning
Treat pruning wounds on the copper spoons with sulfur powder to promote healing
Always remove the offsets right off the main stem
Rest Period After Pruning
Letting your copper spoons recover after pruning is essential for their health. Cut the blooms as they wither and give the plant time to recover. You should cut back on watering after pruning because the plant will use less water while it is dormant.
Soon, you’ll see fresh buds, and your copper spoon will blossom again. Regardless of the weather, this shift in blossoming and rest cycles will continue all year.
Propagation
Take some stem cuttings or leaves from the mother plant to propagate Kalanchoe Orgyalis. Remember that your likelihood of succeeding if leaf cuttings are left on the stem will be low. Place the leaf cuttings on a soil bed after letting them dry out.
How To Care For Copper Spoons During The Winter Season?
Here are a few tips to help you keep your water spoons in good condition during wintertime.
Water the copper spoons whenever the plant’s soil begins to look overly dry and make sure to offer great drainage to keep the plant from drowning
Keep your Kalanchoe Orgyalis indoors during the colder months
Cover the copper spoons plant to shelter it from frostbite and help keep the air surrounding the foliage warm
Keep Kalanchoe Orgyalis away from cold winter winds
How to Keep Copper Spoons Blooming
Copper spoons’ beautiful and colorful blooms are one factor in their popularity among homeowners and plant lovers. They instantly make a garden more cheerful — especially if you group the plants close together.
The clusters of pink and yellow flowers also bring warmth to a home, making it appear cozier and more inviting.
The most significant thing is that anytime the copper spoons are in bloom, which may occur anywhere from the winter’s end to the peak of the springtime, the blooms tend to survive for a very long period.
Even though the copper spoon plants look fantastic even when not blooming, every plant owner wants it to bloom for longer due to the beauty of its flowers. If you are one of those people, you will be happy to find that it may maximize a copper spoon bloom by giving it an additional bloom at any time of year.
You can do so by convincing them that winter has already arrived. Since the evenings are short in early October and March, it should be easy to coerce the plant into bloom. The fewer light hours a copper spoon receives, you can quickly trick it into believing that the winter season has begun.
However, to encourage the copper spoons to blossom, you must leave them in a dark bedroom. Just remember to take it outside in the mornings for a couple of hours to allow it to get some sunshine before putting it back in the darkness. The plant might become nutrient-deficient if it receives insufficient sunshine, which can be a nightmare for a plant owner.
When it’s nightfall, you need to bring the temperature down to around 40 to 45 degrees to get the copper spoons to blossom. You may do this by using air conditioning. However, you can keep the copper spoons at 60 degrees during the daytime.
Bottom Line
Now that you know everything about Kalanchoe Orgyalis plant care, you can purchase these plants and decorate the indoors and outdoors of your home with them. Following the copper spoons, plants care tips above can easily keep a Kalanchoe Orgyalis in optimal condition.
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