2022 | How to Care for Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

The Kalanchoe Tomentosa also is known as the Panda Plant, Pussy Ears, Chocolate Soldier, and Cocoon Plant, it is native to the Madagascar region and has velvety, green leaves with chocolate brown color spots on the edges. The velvety look of the Panda Plant comes from the tiny hairs on the leaves.

Due to its small size, and ease of care it is very popular as a house plant (Indoor). The Panda Plant can grow upto 1.5 feet and creates a cluster of branches and thick leaves around the stem. It is a succulent plant and like most of the succulents requires a warm and bright climate, but it can also be grown in cold regions as an indoor plant.

How to Water Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

The Panda Plant is a succulent plant and has very thick leaves that can store water (this helps the plant survive the drought). The best method you can follow for watering the Panda Plant is the “Soak and dry method”, in this, first, you let the potting soil completely dry and then you soak it (water it).

Follow the instructions below for proper watering:

• You need to check if the soil is dry or not, if it is dry then water it.
• Provide it water sparingly and try not to overwater as it can kill the plant by damaging the roots.
• The watering schedule should be according to weather and climate conditions, in winter and cold climates it requires less frequent watering and in the hot and dry climates, it requires more frequent watering.
• On average the plant needs water 2 to 4 times a month.

Lighting and Temperature needs for Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

The Panda Plant is a succulent plant and like all other succulents, it requires plenty of light for its proper growth. The plant needs partial to full sunlight during the winter and in the summer, it requires partial sun to partial shade. If you are planting it indoors, then try to place it somewhere it can get plenty of light.

The Panda Plant needs temperatures between 60-75 ºF (15-23 ºC) to thrive. They like a little warm environment but can also be grown into the cold regions. They are not cold hardy and cannot survive the cold or frost for a long time. If you want to grow them in a cold place, it is better to grow them inside. 

Soil needs for Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

The Panda Plant requires a soil that is made for the succulents, they need a soil that can quickly drain the water. Such soil contains more sand and is porous. This type of soil is used for most of the succulent plants such as cacti as well.

The main components of this soil that make it porous are crushed perlite, pumice, and sometimes the natural plant fertilizers. This type of soil helps the Panda Plant thrive and grow faster. This type of soil also protects the root of the Panda Plant from the effects of overwatering.

Fertilizer for Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

Like most of the succulent plants, Panda Plants like to be grown in its natural environment or in an outdoor environment where it can get enough nutrient from the soil and enough light directly from the sun, but when you grow them indoors, they don’t get both of these properly. This can slow the growth of your plant.

To boost the growth of the Panda Plant, you can provide it nutrients in terms of fertilizers. You can provide the house plant fertilizer to your plant by adding it to the potting soil. You can also feed your Panda Plant the mixture of water and house plant fertilizer once a month.

How to Repot Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

This plant can grow upto 1.5 feet, and it has slow growth rate and most of the experts advise repotting only once in every two years. The repotting helps the plant thrive and grow even bigger. To repot your plant, the first thing you need is potting soil, and the second thing is a bigger pot. 

Add the soil into your pot, make it ready and then carefully uproot the plant from one pot and transfer it into the other pot. While transferring the plant, make sure not to damage the roots of the plant. After successful transfer, provide the plant some water and leave it the warm and bright place.

How to Propagate Kalanchoe Tomentosa (Panda Plant)

The Panda Plant is easily propagated through its leaves, all you need is to twist a fine leaf from the mature plant and then leave this leave for some time into a warm and humid environment and let it dry.

After that take the leaves and plant them in well-draining soil, water them and let them stay in a warm a bright environment, once they start growing you can place them anywhere and care for them like normal plants.

Growing from the seeds:

This is a little difficult but a possible method to grow the new Panda Plant, You need take the seeds of the plant and let them dry for some time, after that transfer them into the pot, add 2 to 4-inch layer of soil above the seeds and provide some water. Now, let them stay in a warm and bright place for some time. You need to properly care for them after they sprout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Can you grow the Panda Plant indoors?

Answer: Yes, growing the Panda Plant indoors is possible but you need to make sure that they get enough light by placing them near a window facing east. 

Question: Should you cut yellow leaves off Panda Plant?

Answer: If you think they are not looking good you can cut the few yellow leaves off, but this is not a required procedure. If you have a lot of yellow leaves, then instead of cutting them off, find the problem that is causing the leaves to grow yellow and solve it.

Question: Is the Panda Plant Toxic?  

Answer: Yes, all parts of the Panda Plant are toxic to small animals and insects when engulfed. They can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy, the large intake can also lead to severe health conditions.

Question: Why is my Panda Plant dying?

Answer: There can be a lot of reasons for its death, including overwatering, overfeeding the fertilizer, wrong type of potting soil.