Growing Donkey Ears Plant in India

Have you heard of the Donkey Ears Plant? It has magnificent leaves, is easy to maintain, and also flowers! Here’s how you grow it!

Growing Donkey Ears Plant is easy if you know what you’re doing. It cleans indoor air of harmful toxins, too. Ready to learn how to take care of this plant? Stay tuned.

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Donkey Ears Plant Information

The Donkey Ears is a succulent native to Madagascar and Tropical Africa. In India, it is not found anywhere in the wild but is easily available at nurseries and is a popular houseplant. It’s very well-suited for sunny and dry regions like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

The plant has thick, fleshy leaves that are waxy and look like a donkey’s ears, giving it that name. These leaves can grow up to 16-20 inches long and can be green, maroon, and even spotted or fuzzy. It flowers, too – giving red or yellow flowers in the shape of bells in winter or spring.

It matures in just a few years and propagates very easily. The plant also purifies the air and is extremely drought-tolerant, making it a wonderful indoor specimen.

Botanical Name: Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri

Common Names: Donkey Ears, Giant Kalanchoe, Sprout Leaf Plant, Palm Beachbells, Leaf of Life, Miracle Leaf, Life Plant.

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Propagating Donkey Ears Succulent

As we said, it’s really easy to propagate this plant. You can do it in the growing season which is spring to summer.
Just take a healthy leaf cutting and let it dry for 2-3 days. Then, take a pot with a well-draining succulent mix, dampen it by spraying water on it, and lay the leaf flat on the soil so the cut end is about an inch deep.

Now keep it in a bright space like a windowsill and mist the soil every now and then. In 2-4 weeks, the cutting will root and then start growing into a beautiful Donkey Ear plant.

You should pair it with the Starfish Plant in India

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Requirements for Growing Donkey Ears Plant

Sunlight

It’s a succulent and needs 6-7 hours of bright, indirect sunlight every day. So keep it near a South or east-facing balcony or window. You’ll have to give it shade in the afternoon from the scorching sun.

Soil

Gather all of the following. You can get them from any local nursery. Even online.

• 2 parts potting soil for structure and nutrients
• 1 part sand for drainage
• 1 part perlite or crushed granite for aeration and drainage

Mix these up, and you’ll have the perfect mix for your plant. It’s great for other succulents, too.

Watering

There’s a simple rule for watering Donkey Ears. Water the soil deeply, then allow it to dry out properly before watering again. That’s it. It may take 4-5 days but don’t water it before that. Overwatering will harm it.

Climate

The plant is perfect for temperatures between 18°C and 26°C. It can also tolerate mild winters but will need frost protection. Just bring it inside during the winter months, and it’ll survive.

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Donkey Ears Plant Care

Fertilizer

Just pick any good succulent/cacti fertilizer mix and feed the plant once a month during the active growing season. Don’t do it in winter, though. Dilute it to half its strength using water and then pour it around the base of the plant.

Pests and Diseases

The plant may be affected by mealybugs or scale, but you can handpick them or use insecticidal soap to get rid of them. Neem oil will work as well.

Most importantly, don’t overwater the plant. It will lead to mushy leaves and root rot. When it comes to succulents, watering less is better.