Chocolate Soldier Plant – How to grow a chocolate Soldier Kalanchoe

It’s been years since I’ve had a chocolate soldier plant, and it’s still very healthy and growing. However, I’m worried it may fall over due to its weight. If you also have chocolate soldier plants or are planning to grow them, you might encounter the same problem. So why not learn how to save the plant from dying?

The solution I found after researching is trimming off the plant, but just trimming without knowing how much and how could harm your plant. Have patience; here, you will get everything you need to keep your plant blooming healthily.

Here, I have explained the proper technique of trimming the plant, along with some important growing requirements that will help you maintain the health of the chocolate soldier plant. Let’s learn more about this plant and also understand the growth and care tips for it.

Key takeaways:

• Chocolate soldiers are very popular houseplants because they are easy to care for.
• Sold at most nurseries, garden centers, and plant stores, they’re easy to identify because the slow-growing, hairy Kalanchoe features blue-green, flaky leaves with dark red or chocolate brown edges.
• Chocolate Soldier plants come in a variety of sizes, ranging from small to nearly 2.5 feet tall.
• The other common names such as panda plant, white lady, velvet kalanchoe, or plush plant.
• Slow-growing Chocolate Soldier succulents are not susceptible to any serious pests or diseases.
• These small, hardy succulents thrive year-round when grown in pots in your home.

What is a Chocolate Soldier Plant?

The chocolate soldier plant which is also known as Kalanchoe tomentosa is a Madagascar native succulent. Pussy Ears or Panda Plant are other names for it. In its original location, it is said that if this plant blooms, it will bring success and wealth to the home that owns it. The leaves of chocolate soldier bushes are blue-green and coated with microscopic hairs, offering them a fluffy texture. As the leaves grow, the edges of the leaves turn a reddish-brown tint.

They are planted for their foliage rather than their blossoms, as do all perennials. In the summertime, chocolate soldier plants bloom. The flowers are borne on 18-inch stems. The flowers themselves are small and yellowish-green in color.

Common Names	Chocolate soldier plant, panda plant, pussy ears, velvet leaf kalanchoe, plush plant, teddy bear cactus, cocoon plant
Botanical Name	Kalanchoe tomentosa
Family	Crassulaceae
Plant Type	Succulent
Mature Size	2.5 ft. tall, 2 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Full
Soil Type	Well-draining
Soil pH	Acidic, neutral, alkaline
Bloom Time	Summer
Flower Color	Red
Hardiness Zones	9a-11b (USDA)
Native Area	Africa
Toxicity	Toxic to humans and animal

How to grow a Chocolate Soldier Kalanchoe?

Do you want to grow the chocolate soldier Kalanchoe plant in your garden? You would be happy to know that it’s easy to grow a chocolate soldier if you understand the circumstances it enjoys and how to hydrate the species. You just need to follow the below steps for growing it:

Step 1- Place the chocolate soldier plant in succulent soil that is well-draining and supplemented with pumice, perlite, or coir. 0 seconds of 15 seconds.

Step 2- Flowering Ground Cover 0 percent volume Place the plant in the morning sun, preferably moderate or filtered. 

Step 3- The chocolate soldier kalanchoe requires less sunlight than many other succulents.

Step 4-  If the shrub has been kept indoors, progressively adapt it to the sun outside. The chocolate soldier kalanchoe is adaptable to strong sunlight or artificial light if you want to keep it inside.

Step 5- This furry specimen’s leaves have hairs on them that prevent it from transpiring. The petals, like those of other succulent plants, retain water, allowing the plant to survive for months. 

Step 6- make sure to Water the chocolate soldier sparingly in all seasons, but especially during the winter, when it is most certainly dormant. 

This plant can be grown as a houseplant, in the ground if possible, or in a box outdoors. You’ll be delighted you got your hands on this lovely specimen. 

How to Care for the Chocolate Soldier Plant? 

Let us know about the caring tips for the plants to grow: 

Sunlight 

Chocolate soldier plants love bright indirect light. Kalanchoe tomentosa is not resistant to direct sunlight and is prone to leaf scorch.

For more such plant related-articles, you may also read, Tiger Jaws Succulent – Grow & Care Tiger Jaws Plant – Faucaria Tigrina Succulent

Water 

Chocolate soldier plants have low water requirements. During the hot summer months, chocolate soldier plants may need more frequent watering.

Soil requirements 

Chocolate soldier plants need dry, well-drained soil. A cactus or succulent soil mix is ​​sufficient for growing chocolate soldier plants like Kabocha squash plant.

Temperature and humidity 

You don’t have to worry about humidity with Chocolate Soldier plants; they love dry conditions. However, chocolate soldier succulents are not as heat tolerant as other types of succulents. Remember to bring it indoors at the first sign of frost.

Types of Kalanchoe or Chocolate soldier plant:

The chocolate soldier plant is a member of the Kalanchoe family which is a popular variety that is used to grow as a houseplant in mild winter areas. The following are some types of Kalanchoe or Chocolate Soldier plants:

K. blossfeidian:

They come under the most popular beauty that is used to produce masses of flowers having different colors of flowers.

K. thyrsiflora:

They are also called “Flapjacks,” which consist of large paddle-shaped leaves.

K. fedtschenkoi “Variegata”:

It consists of scalloped leaves having white, cream, and pink flowers and leaves. 

Propagating Chocolate Soldier:

The chocolate soldier plants are good to propagate.  The fuzzy-leafed succulents are way harder to propagate than regular succulents. The following are some steps for propagating them using leaf separation:

• For a propagating chocolate soldier, you need to select a healthy leaf to use and remove it gently by twisting slowly clockwise and counterclockwise unless they leave to get off the stem. 
• Make sure to separate the leave cleaning which will have more success rate to propagate.
• You need to make sure the leaf grows callus within in few days after which you can place the leaf separately in a leaf tray which you can fill using potting soil.
• Make sure to keep the tray in a place where it gets bright, indirect light.
• The roots will start growing within 2 to 3 weeks. You need to water the plant every couple of days. Following this will make them grow healthy and quickly.
• You need to leave the parent leaf attached until the new plant falls by itself

Pests and Plant Diseases:

It is a hardy plant that has many issues to grow. They are used to infest with mealybugs that look like white specks of cotton. In case you see or notice any mealybugs you need to treat them by dipping a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol all over the entire leaf to kill them without harming the plant. Need to avoid overwatering the plant which will lead to root rot which is used to happen by fungal growth in roots. 

In case any plant is drooping leaves then it is a sign of wilting. If plants get mushy and start turning black or brown at the base of the plant it means the plant has led to worse conditions. You can also protect the plant from root rot for that you need to take out the pot and trim the rotted, blackened roots and at last, repot the plant in fresh soil.

Wrapping up the context 

In this article, you come to know about the chocolate soldier kalanchoe plant which comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from small to nearly 2.5 feet tall. You may know them by other common names such as panda plant, white lady, velvet kalanchoe, or plush plant. Fortunately, slow-growing Chocolate Soldier succulents are not susceptible to any serious pests or diseases.

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