How to Grow Potted Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum)? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Care Methods

Hens and chicks is also known as Sempervivum, Guanyin zuolian, and Buddha's seat lotus, among other names. It is a succulent plant of the genus Sempervivum in the Crassulaceae family. As its name suggests, it is fleshy, with a rosette-like appearance and richly varied leaf colors, and its purplish-red leaf tips are particularly distinctive. It is suitable for small to medium-sized potted plants or combination plantings. When grown in pots of different shapes, its ornamental effect also varies greatly. Now let's take a look at how to grow potted hens and chicks!

Growth Habits of Hens and Chicks

Hens and chicks is an alpine-type succulent that prefers a sunny, cool and dry environment and is suitable for acidic, neutral and alkaline soils. Except for appropriate shading during high summer temperatures to avoid scorching sun exposure, it needs full sunlight in all other seasons, and watering should be restricted in winter. It can withstand low temperatures of -20℃, and the plant is in a dormant state during both high summer temperatures and cold winters. The cooler spring and autumn seasons are its main growing periods, and it requires ample sunlight. If light is insufficient, the plant's shape will become loose and not compact, affecting its quality and ornamental value. Plants grown in ample light have thick, plump leaves, a compact shape and bright leaf color, looking very beautiful.

Propagation Methods for Hens and Chicks

1. Cuttings: During the growing season, the small rosettes around the large rosette can be removed. Those with roots can be potted directly, while those without roots should be dried for a few days until the wound is dry before planting. You can also cut off the small rosettes at the front end of the stolons, dry them for a few days, then insert them into sand or vermiculite. After insertion, keep the medium slightly moist, and they will root easily. Although leaf cuttings can occasionally survive, the success rate is very low.

2. Sowing: If seeds of hens and chicks can be collected, they can be used for propagation. Sow in a cold frame in early spring. At a temperature of 10℃, germination usually takes 2 to 6 weeks. Transplant into pots when the seedlings are large enough, but seedlings grown from seed grow slowly.

3. Tissue culture: Hens and chicks can be rapidly propagated using tissue culture. The required materials are easy to obtain and the propagation success rate is relatively high, and it can also produce quite a few variants, making it a fairly promising propagation method.

How to Grow Potted Hens and Chicks?

1. Soil: The potting soil for hens and chicks should be loose and fertile, with good drainage and aeration. You can add one third humus soil to the potting soil, plus another one third river sand or coal cinder, and mix in a little bone meal. Since the soil is moist, newly planted plants do not need too much water; keep it in a semi-dry state to help the root system recover.

2. Temperature: Hens and chicks prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded growing environment. The optimum growing temperature is 20 to 30℃, and the overwintering temperature is 15℃. If the nighttime temperature in winter is not lower than 5℃ and the daytime temperature is above 15℃, the plant can continue to grow, can be watered normally, and can be fertilized appropriately. If watering is controlled to keep the plant dormant, it can also withstand low temperatures of 0℃.

3. Light: Hens and chicks is in a dormant state during both high summer temperatures and cold winters. Its main growing period is in the cooler spring and autumn seasons, and it requires ample sunlight during the growing period. If light is insufficient, the plant shape will become loose and not compact, affecting its ornamental value. Plants grown in ample light have thick, plump leaves, a compact shape and bright leaf color.

4. Watering: Water hens and chicks according to the principle of “do not water until dry, and water thoroughly when you do”. Avoid prolonged waterlogging to prevent root rot, but do not let it become too dry either, otherwise although the plant will not die, it will grow slowly, its leaf color will be dull, and it will lack vitality. During high summer temperatures, leaf water evaporation is high and the water requirement is greater. If water is lacking, the leaves are very prone to wilting, so you must frequently spray water on the leaf surface and keep the environment moist, but you must avoid water accumulating in the pot, otherwise it will cause root rot.

5. Fertilizing: Fertilize hens and chicks about once every 20 days with decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer or a compound fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus and potassium. When fertilizing, do not splash the fertilizer water onto the leaves. Generally do it on a clear morning or evening, and water thoroughly once on that evening or the next morning to dilute the residual fertilizer liquid in the soil.

6. Repotting: Repot hens and chicks once every 1 to 2 years in spring or autumn. When repotting, prune the root system and cut off dead roots or overly long old roots. The potting soil should be loose and fertile, with good drainage and aeration. You can use a mix of leaf mold, coarse sand and vermiculite in a 2:1:1 ratio, and add a small amount of plant ash and bone meal as base fertilizer.

Precautions for Hens and Chicks

1. Spring: Repot when the spring temperature stabilizes above 15℃. When the outdoor temperature stabilizes above 20℃, hens and chicks can also be moved to a semi-shaded balcony for cultivation. When the temperature is relatively high in late spring, keep the soil moist and fertilize appropriately. When the clump is dense, some old leaves can be appropriately cut off to promote the growth of new leaves.

2. Summer: Hens and chicks likes a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, and summer is its peak growing season, so the potting soil should be kept moist. It is not heat-tolerant. After May, the plant's growth gradually stops and it enters the summer dormancy period. At home, it can be placed under a corridor or on the inner side of a balcony, in a place without direct sunlight, with good ventilation and protected from rain, and watering should be controlled and fertilizing stopped, so as to avoid plant rot caused by stuffiness, humidity and water accumulation in the soil.

3. Autumn: After the autumn temperature becomes cool, it can gradually be moved to a place with morning and evening light for cultivation. Keep the potting soil moist, and spray water on its surroundings and leaves several times a day, and stop fertilizing. As the temperature drops in late autumn, gradually reduce the water supply to keep the potting soil on the dry side. After the temperature drops below 15℃, the aboveground part gradually wilts and enters dormancy. If the indoor temperature in autumn and winter can be maintained above 18℃, hens and chicks can grow slowly and will not go dormant.

4. Winter: Hens and chicks is not tolerant of low temperatures. When the winter temperature is relatively low, the tuber goes dormant, and the potted plant should be placed indoors above 10℃ to overwinter. The potting soil should be kept dry rather than parched; when the potting soil humidity is relatively high, the tuber is prone to rot. If the indoor temperature is maintained above 18℃, hens and chicks will not go dormant and still retains its ornamental value. It should be placed on a windowsill with morning and evening light, keep the potting soil moist, and frequently spray water around its leaves to increase air humidity.