Wow, your Kalanchoe is gorgeous, such lovely color. Sounds like you have a nice setup in your basement! Thank you for your response and insight. I likely overwatered it when I first got it but for the last few months, I've been more prone to neglect it. Maybe the long floppy stems grew during the overwatering phase and now I'm stuck with it. Maybe beheading is the best option. Never thought I'd say that, lol. Yeah, I've been infested with mealybugs on other plants and these spots look very different. The spots appeared recently which coincided with a mealybug infestation on a nearby plant so I got scared.

Scale comes in different colors, but most often is brownish. And if it was scale, spots would be quite oval, and more-or-less similar in size. Check if the bugs by dipping a q-tip in rubbing alcohol, and dubbing the spot directly. If a bug, it will die on contact. If not, could be some mechanical damage, or maybe some oedema? If you have bugs on plants nearby, there is always a chance of them spreading. But I wouldn't expect them to stay on the surface of the leaf for too long.

Beheading is best option for etiolated plants. Check THESETHREADS for tips and photos...and the set-up in the basement is very basic - just some lights over the shelves with plants...I wish I lived in warmer place so I didn't have to do that, lol...

Thank you, Rina, very much appreciate your guidance. Beheading it shall be. :)

i hope by beheading.. you mean propagate it ....

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Kalanchoe+tomentosa+propagation&t=ffcm&iax=videos&ia=videos

and in a few months.. if it works.. just get rid of the old one ....

ken

Will do. Thanks for the link! :)

Why not both? :-) You might be able to propagate and regenerate the old one into a pretty succulent and have plenty of new friends. And hey, if it fails, at least you had several trials going at once as backup.

This is how I ended up with more holiday cactus and hibiscus and everything else than I know what to do with.

oh yes, most definitely!

Jill

Beheading works very well for etiolated succulents - see many good photos in the links I provided. The purpose of beheaidng is to rejuvenate plant that has been stretching; while you will end up with some cuttings that should/can be propagated.

Propagation works from stem cuttings or the leaves, or divisions or root cuttings....

I leave stem from beheaded plant in the pot, and often it may grow. Sometimes it doesn't, but often it start growing a new branch(-es), or pups along the stem; depends on the plant.

Your kalanchoe will grow very well if beheaded - I am saying that because I did exactly that, and more than once...

Offsets growing from a stem that was left in a pot after beheading the echeveria: main reason was to 'shorten' the stem that was getting too long/to rejuvenate etiolated plant; side benefit: few new offsets:

Main reason: to propagate plants from cuttings - in this case it was also beheading since I cut off tip from plant that was getting long, but was not really etiolated:

Main reason: propagation; from the leaves (this happens to be Kalanchoe tomentosa):

This will be beheaded - main reason: plant is growing really long stem because it is older, may have been getting lesser light some times but I do not remember. You can see the most of the contorted stem. I'll cut the top probably where the red arrow is pointing, maybe higher. If higher, the extra leaves that will be taken off will be propagated :

I found older photo of a stem left after beheading K. tomentosa. You can see few offsets growing on it:

Jill, if I may ask, where do you live? This plant does extremely well OUTSIDE in most of SouCal (I lived in San Diego for many years and tried to grow all of the Kalanchoe tomentosa varieties - I heartily recommend K. t. 'Super Fuzzy').