Last updated on August 25th, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Hen and chick plant (sempervivum pluto) is a large rosette of deep green with dark purple tips. This strong grower has wide, satiny leaves edged with cilia. It is a prolific cultivar and creates great deals of new offsets each spring. Short winter days make the whole rosette flush purple.
Hen and chick plant requires lots of outdoor sunshine to show their ideal colors and maintain a tight rosette form. They flourish in abrasive, well-draining soils and pots with drain openings. They create new offsets or “chicks” on stolons. These chicks can be left to form neat clusters or removed to share and also a transplant.
Sempervivum succulents do the majority of their growth in the spring and summertime, and also will thrive with weekly watering and mid-day shade if temperatures go beyond 80F. They are exceptionally frost-hardy and will happily overwinter under an insulating blanket of snow. Secure from hefty rains and standing water to avoid rot.
Among the simplest plants to grow, hen and chick plant endures heat, drought, and also neglect with style. Helpful in rock gardens, container gardens of all types, rooftop gardens, and rock wall surfaces. Numerous varieties exist. All kinds form a low cushion or carpet of fleshy leaves, tiny new plants appearing in a circle around the mother in the center.
This option has large-sized rosettes that are glossy green with burgundy tips. Brief spikes of light flowers show up in the summer season. Conveniently enhanced by just eliminating the tiny child rosettes and replanting in a brand-new area at practically whenever. After blooming, the mom rosette dies to leave the area for the chicks: remove this by yanking delicately at the base of the flower stem.
More Look Into Hen and chick plant (Sempervivum Pluto)
Occasionally called sempervivum pluto, houseleeks, hen and chick plant, or sempervivums, are hardy, succulent, alpine plants that grow in the wild between rocks in mountainous regions. They look excellent when grown in containers, in rock gardens, and in completely dry rock walls and fractures in paving, specifically together with low evergreen plants such as sedums.
They look exceptional in the winter season when there’s little else of passion in the garden, sempervivums additionally look excellent in the summer season, when, tall, cone-like spikes of greenish pink flowers rise from the center of fully grown plants.
Sempervivum ‘Pluto’ is a beautiful cultivar, bearing huge rosettes of deep green leaves with dark purple tips. For best outcomes, grow ‘Pluto’ in full sunlight in well-drained soil, preferably in containers with included gardening grit to help drain.
Sempervivums do not require feeding but do benefit from being repotted every year into garden compost containing slow-release fertilizer. Circulate brand-new plants by delicately teasing out the small baby rosettes (chicks) which appear around the primary plant (hen), and transplant to a new location.
Hen and chick plant care and propagation
Hen and chick plant is a lime green rosette succulent that will actually flush dark purple at various times of the year, especially the autumn and cold weather.
This succulent also creates many offsets in the spring that makes it an optimal succulent to multiply from and also share with your buddies.
So not just is Hen and chick plant very appealing in appearances, however, this succulent is additionally super easy to grow, care for and propagate even if you’re a complete beginner.
With all of that being said, let me show you exactly how to effectively take care of and propagate a hen and chick plant succulent and whatever you will require to know it.
How to care for hen and chick plant
How to water.
There are a couple of elements at play that will certainly help you identify how frequently you ought to be watering when it comes to watering Hen and chick plant.
But first, you need to understand what kind of climate conditions your area is known for. If you live in a hot and or dry location, after that you will most certainly be watering more frequently than you would certainly be in a cooler area.
The same goes with the various seasons of the year as the summer season is a lot warmer than the winter season is and so on.
In general, you can expect to be watering your Hen and chick plant succulent on weekly basis in the summertime or in a very hot place and also on a monthly basis in the winter months.
It will be somewhere in the center for the autumn and springtime months and much more commonly for newer plants and less often for elder succulents.
Having stated that, the only point that matters is that you only water your Hen and chick plant when the soil is totally dry. Just like the majority of succulents, Hen and chick plant likes a completely dry environment and also grows properly this way.
Likewise, by watering only when the soil is completely dry you protect against overwatering which can trigger root rot to take place which will certainly end your succulent experience quickly if you’re not extra careful.
So just water your Hen and chick plant when the soil is totally dry and you and your succulents will be completely fine.
What type of soil to use for hen and chick plant
Preferably you will certainly like to make use of a mix of succulent and cactus soil for your Hen and chick plant that is top quality well-draining.
For the finest drainage feasible you will additionally wish to include some grit such as Perlite or Coarse sand as these products prevent water from soaking in the soil for too long.
The combination of premium quality soil and grit will perform wonders keeping your succulent healthy, balanced and delighted. If you plan on growing Hen and chick plants in a container, using containers with water drainage holes is also advised.
Can Hen and chick plant grow indoors or outdoors?
Many people will grow Sempervivum succulents outdoors as that really is the best environment for them and also they do require a whole lot of sunlight.
Having said that, you can still grow Hen and chick plant inside your home, however, you will certainly have to be using an indoor grow light for succulents if you intend to grow indoor.
As long as you can give 6 hrs of top quality light on a constant basis after that you can really grow anywhere, however, outdoor growth is usually chosen.
Outdoor lighting conditions
Hen and chick plant truly likes to get a mix of complete sunlight with some partial sunlight later in the day to grow incredibly solid and healthy.
This can be done by positioning your succulent in a spot outdoors where the sun shines easily for many hours of the day and afterward is obstructed for the remainder of the day which will certainly offer some shade for your plant.
It may require some trial and error for you to discover that perfect area outdoors.
If everything else stops working simply see to it that this succulent gets lots of sunlight on a regular basis and you will certainly be good to go.
Indoor lighting conditions
If you decide to grow Hen and chick plant inside your home then you will absolutely need to see to it this succulent gets the exact same amount of light inside your home as it would certainly outside.
If you have a great window design that get at least 6 hrs of intense sunshine per day then you can position this succulent by that window. If you do not have an excellent layout then you will certainly need to invest in a high top quality indoor grow light for succulents so you can provide the light your plant will certainly require.
Because you can provide exact amounts of light no matter the time of day or how the weather is doing in your area, grow lights for succulents are awesome.
Is Hen and chick plant cold hardy?
Hen and chick plant is in fact incredibly cold hardy and also can make it through temperature levels as low as -20 degree Fahrenheit.
This means that unless you reside in one of the coldest positions on the Planet, you will not have to fret about your succulent being in threat due to low temperatures.
Hen and chick plant can conveniently overwinter when a snowstorm hits and so you will certainly not have to bring this plant indoors during these times or use a small greenhouse for succulents.
How to propagate Hen and chick plant.
Propagating Hen and chick plant is in fact very easy and beginner-friendly as long as you make use of one of the simplest methods which is by using offsets.
Here is how you do that:
As Soon As your Hen and chick plant is fully grown enough to generate a load of offsets, you can then gently draw one-off from the main rosette.
From here simply plant the offset in its own soil and container in about 1 inch deep into the soil container if it doesn’t have roots yet and even much better and deeper, about 2 inches deep into the soil container if it has roots.
When the soil is completely dry like you normally would, now just add some grit at the top of the soil and water the soil fully once and only water again when the soil is completely dry.
That’s all there is to it.
Is Hen and chick plant family pet safe?
Hen and chick plant is considered to be entirely pet safe for typical family pets such as dogs and cats.
Conclusion on Hen and chick plant.
There you have it.
By following this Hen and chick plant propagation and care guide you will have no problem growing, caring for, or propagating Hen and chick plant succulents for as long as you like.
If that sounds excellent to you then proceed and start immediately, I wish you a total favorable and positive succulent experience.
