Everyone knows the lovely succulent plant with flowers in all kinds of colors: the Kalanchoe. But it is not very well known that there are also Kalanchoe varieties that are grown as cut flowers. Like the plant, they are very strong. But… that old-fashioned image still has to come off a bit. There is nothing old-fashioned about this cut flower! The cultivation is fairly new, the flower is very strong, they are available in beautiful colors and because of their lovely appearance they are very suitable for weddings and events. We visited Hofland Flower Group, where Erik Hofland told us everything about growing Kalanchoes.

Hofland Flower Group
Hofland Flower Group has been in existence since 1975. The brothers Marinus and Erik Hofland are the third generation in the company; they grew up with growing Freesias. They have a beautiful cultivation and year-round production with a stable quality. Freesia cultivation is beautiful, but also a labor-intensive and mostly traditional cultivation. In addition to this craft, the men also wanted to grow flowers in a modern way, they wanted to keep up and were ready for a new challenge. Four years ago, Marinus and Erik started a collaboration with Slijkerman Kalanchoë. Now they have made so much progress with the cultivation that all startup issues have been resolved and they have decided to upscale production.

Cut Kalanchoe
Cut Kalanchoe is a product with a lot of potential that really needs to marketed. It is strong and has a very good vase life. It is important that the product is not stored in the cold store. Where other flowers are more difficult to keep in the warm summer months, the Kalanchoe will not disappoint you. This makes them very suitable for weddings, events or occasions where the flowers must remain beautiful for a long time.

Cultivation
The nice thing about growing Kalanchoe is that it is a new product for the brothers. The knowledge of Freesias has been passed on for generations, but now they have to reinvent the wheel. They learn every day! Yet one thing remains the same, just like with the Freesias, quality and continuity take precedence over quantity. 

From cutting to flower
The Kalanchoes are planted in the garden as a cutting, after which they are planted in the ground. Erik says that they 'play' in the greenhouse with the day lengths to pull the bud into the plant. The challenge here is mainly to grow a crop that is as uniform as possible. After about fourteen weeks, the first flowers can be cut. Each plant produces one flower branch and flowers once. After cutting, the plants are lifted and the new cuttings are planted.

The flowers are harvested relatively ripe, so that the flower receives more nutrition from the plant and the consumer ultimately enjoys them longer. There are two color lines in the cut Kalanchoe market. The 'Soraya' series is available in six different romantic pastel shades. And a new series that currently only consists of bright yellow, but which will soon be expanded with hard orange. And of course the breeder is working hard on new colors.

Care
It is important that the flowers have a storage temperature of above 13 degrees Celsius. A few degrees less during transport will not immediately cause problems, but the flowers should not be kept in cold storage. The flowers will go limp from the cold and will be useless. If you keep them out of cold storage, the cut Kalanchoe is a very strong product, which makes it very widely applicable. Cut flower food is not necessary, the flowers already have a very long vase life. If the flowers are used in a mixed bouquet, food may be added if this benefits the other flowers. All in all, the Kalanchoe is an all-round product that can be used anywhere; small pieces, beautiful bouquets or a wreath. And with a vase life of more than four weeks, the cut Kalanchoe as a flower in the house will also be a very rewarding addition.

FloraPodium, 26 May 2022