Aeonium care tips to help you grow them to their peak condition

Speaking of which, has Huizhang been feeding you a lot of beautiful aeonium photos lately? Are your blood sugar levels drained, and your wallet empty along with them? But many succulent growers, after seeing other people's photos, can't help but start doubting their own aeonium. Well then, here's the care method - catch it!

The aeonium can be called the most colorful variety among sedums, from red to purple, from green to tribute, and all kinds of very beautiful, stunningly gorgeous variegated forms and so on. Summer is about to arrive, and the season for aeoniums to flaunt their dazzling colors has come again. Are you ready?

But, many friends feel heartbroken over their aeonium's departure in summer, thinking aeoniums are hard to grow - green indoors, dead outdoors - and at one point they give up entirely on growing aeoniums.

So here comes the benefit... First, enjoy a round of dazzling aeonium beauty shots to recharge.......

Compared to other succulents in the sedum category, aeoniums prefer sunny, warm and dry places, with special attention to ventilation. Once the growing environment becomes hot, stuffy and poorly ventilated, the aeonium will just go Over on you.

Repotting in spring and summer is for surviving the summer; repotting in summer and autumn is for better growth. As summer approaches, the aeonium is about to go dormant, so it is best to repot two months before summer in order to get through it.

At this time the soil should be mainly loose and breathable. Those who can should use 75% granular soil throughout; the gaps between the granules can fully guarantee aeration and drainage for the succulent's roots. Of course, granular soil cannot be one hundred percent guaranteed to be the most correct choice either.

There is another way: with summer starting in June, repot in March, using an appropriate amount of sand (5 parts) + peat soil (3 parts) + perlite (2 parts). This soil mix keeps it draining well to the greatest extent while also providing sufficient nutrients to keep the roots absorbing.

Within the two months after repotting, having gone through the spring growing season, the aeonium's roots take hold and spread through the sandy soil, allowing it to get through the hot summer to the greatest extent.

As early autumn approaches, with clear autumn skies, the aeonium's dormancy ends. At this point, having endured the torment of the scorching summer, the green main stem has turned brown and gradually becomes woody - this is what we commonly call a woody-stemmed aeonium.

A woody aeonium has thick, coarse fibers and is tougher. At this time the roots become thicker and tougher, gripping the soil tightly and effectively maintaining the plant's growth.

At this point you need to do the second repotting of the year, using peat soil 5 parts + coconut coir 2 parts + perlite 2 parts + sand 1 part. Those who can may also add a few dozen granules of slow-release fertilizer when mixing the soil, because in the growing season it consumes nutrients heavily.

Aeoniums like warm, ventilated, dry and sunny places. Please note that the hot summer sun will directly scorch aeonium leaves. When the middle of the leaf, near the flower center, shows signs of drying out, provide shade as appropriate.

Aeoniums grow in spring and autumn, go dormant in summer, and in winter whether they grow depends on the indoor temperature. If the temperature is suitable and water can keep up, aeoniums can also grow quickly in winter.

In spring and autumn, 20-25 degrees is the best temperature for aeonium growth. When the summer temperature exceeds 35 degrees, ventilation treatment is needed. When the winter temperature drops below minus five degrees, the aeonium stops growing - please keep it warm and avoid the aeonium being exposed to cold air, which could cause unnecessary results such as turning to mush or black rot.

Watering aeoniums: pay attention to two points - first, water only after the soil has dried out completely; second, do not water during dormancy. Watering after complete drying suits granular soil, and the time aeoniums use granular soil is mostly in summer when they are dormant, so the usual watering habits do not apply to aeoniums.

In the growing season, aeoniums are generally grown in soil with more peat. Although adding coconut coir, perlite and sand can effectively stop the soil from compacting, after long growth the aeonium's fine roots can still gradually grip the soil into a clump.

Many friends like to plant aeoniums in especially large ceramic pots. This kind of pot has a small mouth and great depth, holds a lot of soil, and makes it even harder to tell whether the inside has dried out completely.

So just pay attention to one thing: when the aeonium's leaves begin to droop, that is, the leaves are no longer so firm, and feel soft when you touch them with your hand, this means the aeonium is short of water.

Another point is that during the growing season aeoniums are generally all green - of course, variegated aeoniums are an exception and will have other colors. When the green edge of the aeonium's leaves begins to show a purple border (except for Aeonium 'Verde', green tea aeonium, green cashmere, Aeonium 'Mingjing' and Aeonium 'Emerald Ice'), it also means that the water the aeonium's roots can absorb has begun to fall below the water lost through sunlight exposure. At this point you can water after a few days.

Take special note: never water in summer. In summer the aeonium is dormant, and its roots absorb especially, especially little water, relying entirely on the water stored in its body and the nutrients produced by photosynthesis for low-consumption survival.

Watering at this point will keep the roots soaking in water, increasing water absorption, leading to black rot and withering of the main stem and leaves dropping off layer by layer. At that point there really is no saving it.

Aeoniums are generally propagated by cuttings, and some aeoniums with thick leaves can also be propagated by leaf cuttings. Here is a brief introduction, but it is recommended that you only propagate when you have no other choice, because once an aeonium is beheaded, its overall integrity and beauty are reduced.

Cutting propagation: this method generally involves cutting in at the green stem lower down on the aeonium's head, then applying carbendazim or chlorothalonil to the wound on the main stem, and placing the cut branch in a ventilated spot to let the wound dry naturally - generally 2-3 days is enough. This is beheading.

After 2-3 days, once the wound has dried, use the normal soil for the aeonium's growing season (peat soil + coconut coir + perlite + sand + slow-release fertilizer) and plant in moist soil: insert the beheaded branch into the moist soil.

Ordinary aeoniums generally root in 2-3 weeks, with individual exceptions, such as Aeonium 'Emerald Ice', whose normal rooting process takes one month; if the time, climate and environment are unsuitable, it will be delayed to 2 months or it will not root at all.

If the aeonium goes too long without rooting, lift its head with your hand. If you feel a mutual pulling resistance, it means the aeonium has rooted. If it comes right up when you lift it, check whether the bottom of the main stem has dried out or formed a lump.

At this point you need to cut off the dried part or the front of the lump with a scalpel, let the wound dry, and re-insert it. Leaf cutting propagation: this method involves selecting healthy leaves and placing them in a moist, shady environment.

If you can, place the leaves in a seedling tray with a mesh opening at the bottom, cover with a shade net of 60% light transmittance, and remember never to expose them to strong light. Then quietly wait for the leaves to root and sprout.

When the leaf's roots reach 1 cm and the sprout is about 1 cm, you can take it out, bury the roots in the soil, and wait for it to establish and grow.