by Trina
(Lakeland, Florida)
Just got tihis aeonium arboreum variegata last week. I immediately planted it but today I saw this disaster!
I only gave it a sip of water since it’s very hot in florida right now and I am not sure if it will go dormant.
I must have dropped water on its crown.
This aeonium sits on a table with a ceiling fan running during day. Should I behead it? Will it make a new plant? I have removed the leaves that were rotting.
Hi Trina, I wouldn’t waste a single moment – the black rot at the top of the stem isn’t going to go away, there may be no hope for the rest of it.
I would behead it, and then leave it on the surface of some very sandy or gravelly soil, with no water for a day or so. Then, very lightly start to spray the adjacent soil around the base of it, which could be just enough to start encouraging the roots to emerge.
Hopefully, even in the extreme heat it will still be able to root.
There doesn’t seem to be any information if the summer dormancy refers to root formation as well as top growth, so you’re pioneering here!
Best of luck with it,
Jacki
