I absolutely love these!! I lost 2 of mine due to all the moisture here in fl this past summer, but I did end up saving my Pacific blue ice babies. I want more so bad & I cant wait to move into our new house so I can get my garden all set up! I've been a grower/gardener for 6 yrs now and love all the different plants mother nature has to offer us! I'm hoping to be able to start my own non profit organization, to help people in need as well. Thanks for sharing these beauties with all of us!! It's so hard to choose which plants to buy because I would love them all..lol
Great information on hen & chicks. I just received an order from you and can't wait to unbox. It will be my second order and my last order was awesome. Thanks for sharing ☺️👍.
Hi! Im new to your channel and excited that you’re sending me down the right track. I have an issue: I tilled a little section of my yard last year with added compost and mounded the soil up ~6” for better drainage, specifically for a succulent section. I did just realize tho, my hens are getting slightly less sun there bc the one side is stretching toward the sun, tho it gets around 6-8hrs direct sun. 🌻The dilemma: I noticed lately, the normal green color has turned somewhat pale, the one beside my lavender is a yellowish color. Most are having babies atm, if it were not for the washing of the colors, they’d seem perfectly healthy. No signs of rot or insect damage. I checked leaves and they feel normal n plump. We have had approx one heavy downpour per week in June, otherwise the chics may get a little wet from me watering other nearby plants. Zone 7, sunny, 85-90 humidity >60% Thanks. 🌸🌺
Yay welcome to the wonderful world of succulent gardening! Yes, pale stretching is a sign of lack of light. Is there a sunnier spot where you could test out or relocate some Hens & Chicks? Well-draining soil and less frequent water also helps them show their best "stress colors". Can't stop the downpours and humidity, but you could add more mineral grit to your soil like pumice, coarse sand, fine gravel, or perlite.
I ordered one and figured I would plant it in a large pot for plenty of room for chicks. It’s been a few weeks and no growth at all yet. The roots have taken. I’ve watered when the meter says it’s dry. Could it have hit its dormant time already? Was it a bad idea to plant it in a large pot? I’m only planting in pots for now since I live in region 8 (which is not a good region for outdoor pretty succulents, as far as I have seen)?
Yes, Sempervivum tend to slow down growth a lot in fall and winter. Fortunately they're VERY happy to be outdoors in temperatures down to -20F (zone 5) so you will not have a problem with frost damage whether they're potted or in-ground. We would recommend reducing your watering frequency during dormancy. Sometime moisture meters lead people to water succulents too frequently, so only water when the soil is completely dry AND the leaves start to go slightly limp.
Clay can be tricky for succulents, so the more that you can add mineral grit like more sand or pumice the better. It's also helpful to plant in raised beds or berms to speed up drainage. And you may just find that watering even less frequently balances the effects of your clay soil. Good luck!
Hey, I'm quite new to sempervivum and I 'm already running into trouble. I use a really sandy soil and I only water once every 10 days (now in spring) But my sempervivum still start rotting their leaves. I removed the ill plants and checked them, the roots and stem are alright but the leaves are just rotting. What could be the cause of this?
First, stop watering. Are you growing them outdoors in lots of sunshine? Are they in-ground or in containers? If containers, do they have drainage holes? If reducing your watering frequency is not sufficient, the other thing you can do is re-plant in a grittier soil. Good luck!
Here is how you can find which zone you are in. Cheers! garden.org/nga/zipzone/#:~:text=The%20USDA%20Hardiness%20Zone%20Map,refers%20to%20this%20USDA%20map.
Hi Jillian, all these varieties will work in cold-areas. mountaincrestgardens.com/hardy-succulents/ Double check which Zone you are in, but most of these tolerate zone 4-5
It depends on the cultivar, but many will start chicking in the second growing season. Sempervivum bought from Mountain Crest are about a year old and many already have chicks.
