How To Grow Aeonium

 

The botanical name of Aeonium plant is Aeonium spp and the plants are fleshy leaved succulents that grow in a pronounced rosette shape. Are aeoniums easy to grow? Actually growing aeoniums is easy in areas with few freezes. The plant can also grow indoors, in a sunny window where temperatures are toasty warm. Continue reading to learn how to grow an aeonium plant for unique texture and form in both indoor and outdoor garden displays.

Aeonium plants are succulent plants that have a special adaptive survival strategy for hot, dry locations. The Aeonium plants come in a wide range of colors, textures, and sizes. What are aeoniums? The Aeonium plants also have the fleshy leaved characteristic of succulents, where they store moisture. Unlike many other succulents, however, aeoniums have shallow root systems and they cannot be allowed to dry out completely. Only the top few inches (8 cm.) of soil should be allowed to dry out when growing aeoniums. There are over thirty-five aeonium species, in a graduating range of sizes.

Aeonium Uses

You can consider growing aeoniums as part of a cactus or succulent display. Aeonium plants do well in shallow pots with a mixture of cactus soil and peat. You can combine them with other plants such as agave, aloe, or jade plants. Place a thin layer of inorganic mulch such as ornamental rock around the Aeonium plants and then place in a sunny, warm location. For outdoor use, you can place them along sunny borders or in rockeries. In temperate or cooler zones, frost may kill the foliage and the rosette will fall off. If the Aeonium plants is mulched it will grow anew in spring.

How to Grow and Care of Aeonium?

Make sure you provide the plant with well-drained soil in a sunny location. Aeonium plants prefer temperatures between forty and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. How do you grow Aeonium from cuttings? The Aeonium plants are very easy to grow from cuttings. You really just have to cut off a rosette and let the cut end dry out for a couple of days. Then set it in lightly moist peat moss. The piece will root quickly and produce a new plant.

Furthermore, Aeonium plant care is remarkably easy. Plants in containers actually require more frequent watering than those in ground. Fertilize the Aeonium plant in containers once annually in spring when new growth commences. In-ground plants rarely need fertilizer, but they may benefit from a light coating of mulch just around the base of the plant. Be very careful not to pile it up around the stem or rot might set in. The most common problems when caring for Aeonium plants are root rot and insects. Root rot is prevented by using clay pots with good drainage or checking soil percolation prior to planting. Make sure you keep the roots moist but never soggy. Good Aeonium plant care also requires you to watch for pests. Mites and scale may attack the Aeonium plant. You can combat these with horticultural soaps or neem oil. Be very careful when using soap sprays, however. Spraying too frequently can actually cause discoloration and lesions on the skin of the Aeonium plant.