Mother of Thousands

Have you called your Mother yet?  It's Mother's day!  Yesterday and today I thought it would be fun to talk about plants that have the word Mother in them.  Today we have a unique plant that I love seeing around town.  It's really a weed here, but I think it makes an attractive plant that accents a planter or succulent garden.  This plant died back in winter but grew back with a vengeance later on.  It only takes one of these plants to spawn hundreds of thousands of millions.  Many people don't know what this plant is called, but when they find out, they have a laugh.  So why is it called a Mother of Thousands?

If you look closely at the edge of the leaves, you will see that the leaf is serrated.  Those are actually new little baby clones waiting to fall off into the dirt and create another plant.  Take 1.  Plant it.  It multiplies into 10's.  The 10's mature and before you know it.....you have a family of....well....not thousands, but if given the area......hundreds:)  What should you know about this plant?  It likes our desert dirt, but I have found that these plants do well in bright shade.  At our place, I've put them into our Cacti garden and under the oak tree.  Anywhere you find a shaded area, you may find this plant.  It does take on some sun.  Like I've said, it's a weed here but you can buy this plant at your local nursery.  But I ask you.....why?  Most of us have friends.  And in our circles, most of us have gardens.  If you live in Tucson, seek out a friend who likely would be glad to give you a couple of their plants.....maybe all of them:)  And even if they did give you all of them, I'm sure there would be a few that remained hidden.  Be aware that once you plant one in our climate and in the right spot, they will be prolific.  On this write, I've put two varieties of the Mother of Thousands plant.  There's the skinnier version on top and the second pic is of an attractive larger leaf variety.  Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there!  

Information on how to grow this plant outside the Tucson area.

"Mother of Thousands grows from a single stem, covered top to bottom with big, blue-green leaves. Its narrow, pointed leaves can grow to 6 in (15 cm) long and about half as wide. The real attraction are the tiny plantlets that grow along the edges of the leaves, which easily fall off and will root where they drop.

You've probably guessed already -- that's how this succulent plant earned its common name. Although a good-looking plant, it can really be a nuisance by spreading itself around. Fortunately, that's not much of a concern when you grow Mother of Thousands indoors. However, you may find its plantlets sprouting in adjacent pots!

When grown outdoors, it flowers in late winter then dies, with many offspring to take its place. The flowers are grayish-lavender, but you'll probably never see them because this succulent rarely flowers indoors.

Belonging to the Crassulaceae family, they are among a diverse group. Flaming Katy -- admired for its clusters of tiny flowers, and Jade Plant -- a branched tree covered with plump, shiny leaves are just a couple of common house plants in this family tree. They're all leafy succulents and easy to care for, so this Kalanchoe is in good company.

Light tip: Like most succulents, Kalanchoe daigremontiana grows best in bright light. It will even enjoy some direct morning sun. Move it outside for the summer, if you want. Just make the move a gradual one to avoid scorching its leaves. Be sure to bring it back indoors if the temperature drops below 40°F/4°C because it won't tolerate any frost.

Mother of Thousands is easy to grow in average room conditions. One thing it doesn't like is soggy soil, so I'd recommend potting it in a terra cotta pot with drainage holes and using a sandy medium, such as cactus potting mix for fast drainage. Repot in spring only when it outgrows its pot. But don't over-pot. Use a container that's only slightly larger."  End of article.  Source: http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/mother-of-thousands.html