Why Not?
An Aeonium plant or two in your collection may go unnoticed – at first. Some of them undergo surprising changes through out the year.
Their rubbery stems just keep getting taller, and more textured as the rosette continues to grow, losing lower leaves along the way.
Once the flowering cycle is triggered, usually a result of warming temperatures, each mature rosette will start to flower. This is a bittersweet moment, as it means that this particular rosette will die after flowering.
With luck, there will be some immature rosettes to carry on, and also some small pups at the base of the dying mother rosettes. Pot these up, or leave them to grow where they are.
Each rosette seems to live for two to three years before flowering.
One beautiful chameleon is Aeonium haworthia ‘Kiwi’.
It looks like just an ordinary old green succulent, ho hum, nothing special.
But as the weather warms up and days get brighter, it transforms itself into an amazing sight; pink and pale peach tones start to emerge from the center of the plant, which sometimes seems almost white or pale yellow.
These luscious tones remain until the fall, and over the winter, even under lights, they revert back to plain green. What would cause this mysterious color change?
It seems to be a result of warmer temperatures and brighter light, as spring arrives. Enjoy this transformation, because it’s fleeting.
These plants are not like other succulents, even though they resemble their cousins, Echeveria and other rosette forming plants.
They have some unique properties and abilities, most of them evolved for protection from the extreme heat and brightness of their native habitat, the Canary Isles and Tenerife.
They are one of the few succulents which go dormant through the late summer, enabling them to catch their breath and revive as the weather cools into the fall.
This section provided by Lisa Coomb, a guest writer:
How to Grow and Care for Aeonium Plants
The Aeonium species consist of approximately 35 succulent plants under its banner. The perfect growing environment for Aeonium is like most of the other plants of the same category.
You need to provide good drainage, light, and appropriate amount of little water. Like other members of their family, people love them due to their foliage and variety.
Their branches have nothing else but leaves, the flower grows in summer and its appearance makes it look even more beautiful.
If there’s are no rosettes it means the plant didn’t reach maturity. Before any of it happen, you have to learn how to grow and care for Aeonium, the following tips can help you in doing that.
Provide enough sunlight for growth
Sunlight plays a key role in the growth of most of the plants. Some need less but other types may require excessive sunlight to grow well. Aeonium loves the sunlight, but direct and intense light is not good for this plant.
They can’t bear too much heat radiations so you have to select the place to plant them very carefully. It is due to their delicacy you have to care for them like an infant.
Buy the best fertilizer
Your Aeonium can grow better if you select the right fertilizer. Many people don’t understand the difference between various fertilizers.
They should understand that “excess of everything is bad” and an improper fertilizer may contain something that can affect the growth of Aeonium if used in excessive amounts.
If you are not aware of what to use, then ask an expert. Usually, a standard cactus fertilizer can do just fine with Aeonium.
Selection of the best soil
The soil selection decides the natural growth of Aeonium. The soil is the basic need of every plant and the need of nutrients in soil vary depending upon the species.
You have to be careful when choosing the soil for this plant. You just need the basic knowledge to understand what type of soil will be the best.
Since it requires good drainage, the common soil will do more harm than good. You can use cactus soils because they offer very good drainage. For further queries, you should contact a local expert.
Use precise amounts of water
You don’t need advice from a tree trimming company regarding the importance of water for the growth of plants. This plant particularly requires very precise amounts of water.
If you are planting them in containers the Aeonium would like a consistent supply of water while it is still growing. Typically, the summer is an ideal season for growth.
Since they have small roots, they need a perfect combination of water, light, and drainage to grow faster and better.
Understand their propagation
One of the main reasons of Aeonium’s low popularity is its clumping. They don’t clump freely as many other plants in the succulent family do.
Aeonium can be rooted easily by using leaf cuttings. You just have to take a dry leaf and put it under apposite type of soil, given that the moisture and temperature are good for their growth.
Some special plants from the Aeonium family would require a seed for propagation. The others can propagate using the classic approach as explained above.
Don’t repot often
There’s the thumb rule for the good propagation of most of the plants. You don’t repot them often. The reason is simple, the plant has very delicate and small roots.
If you keep disturbing the Aeonium plant during the peak time of their growth, it will affect them badly. You can ruin your plant if you have no prior experience of repotting.
You should consider hiring someone for the job or ask a friend with the proper knowledge to help you do that.
Keep your pets away
All of the above was the basic knowledge and considerations that come before the planting Aeonium. The growth of plants also depends on the general environment variables, such as pets.
Pets have an annoying habit of digging and it can damage the newly planted Aeonium very badly. The roots are very small and it can be pulled out easily. So, you should keep it away from the reach of your pets at least until it grows stronger roots.
Aeonium is an outstanding species in the succulent family and known for its beauty. You can enjoy this beauty by fulfilling the needs of this plant.
People plant them in their balconies or use them to decorate the entrance of their homes. They also make a valuable addition to the swimming pool decorations.
You must keep in mind the right environment is crucial for Aeonium. If you have plated it in the containers, it will give you the advantage of mobility.
You will be able to move them easily to provide the right conditions of moisture and light. You can also hire a professional for guidance.
Bio;
Lisa Coomb writes articles about plants, and lives in the US. She loves trees and has her fingers in many other pies. You can see her website here.
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