The mild winter meant they got a bit tatty, so I decided to start again and cut the whole thing up. The plants are at a good stage now, so I thought I would show how to go about dead heading these in the hope that others find it useful. Having cut the heads off, they get cleaned up, all dead leaves removed and checked for any issues. Then place them on a wire shelf to dry. I tend to leave these for a couple of weeks, this not only gives them time to callus over but also for roots to start.
At this point they are ready to be planted up. No water for the first few days and then grandually over the next couple of weeks you can water a little bit more each time. This seems to be a good rule for them in general (after re-potting, after purchasing) - start slowly with the watering.
Don't worry if you lose a few leaves, especially if you get a sudden hot spell at this stage. You will probably find a few leaves mark, but they will grow out and within a couple of months you won't notice. After a couple of weeks if you try to gently move the rosette it should hold firm showing the roots have taken and the plant is good to go.
Not sure what I am going to do with 10 pots full of these. Over the next couple of years they will each form clumps and I would guess two repots will be all that's required to get one back into the large bowl again. I guess I have some good trading material for this summer.
Hello! How often do you water these and how do you water them? Thank you! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteDepends on how hot it is. They must dry out between watering, so in the Uk at this time of year abotu once a week, then as it gets hotter every couple of days. Apart from that i don't water them any differently than my other succulents
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