Sedum

FamilyCrassulaceae.

Homeland. The plant originates from Asia.

Description. Sedums are a large genus, including about 600 species, very diverse in appearance, representing evergreen or deciduous, annual, biennial or perennial subshrubs and shrubs.

HeightThe flower reaches a height of 10 cm to 60 cm. The growth rate varies depending on the species and environmental conditions.

The final size will depend on growing conditions.

Sedum

Planting and care

Propagation

Growing sedum is pure pleasure. It is very easy to propagate by leaf or stem cuttings or division.

  1. It is enough to take stem cuttings about 2 cm long and separate them from the mother bush with a sharp sterile instrument.
  2. Before planting, the cut site must be dried for several days.
  3. Before planting, remove the lower leaves from the cuttings.
  4. Rooting is carried out in wet sand under a cover of a plastic cap or glass for 2-4 weeks.
  5. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of about 23 ° C, rooting of cuttings is quite simple.
  6. The completion of rooting is indicated by the appearance of new shoots.
  7. Young sedums should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Even leaves scattered on the surface of the soil easily root, and cuttings left to dry can form young leaves right in the axils of the leaves.

Adult specimens grown at home can be divided into several parts with a sharp sterile tool. Make sure that each part has its own root system and well-developed green mass.

Some varieties form small babies around themselves, which are separated after they form their own roots and planted in separate cups.

Another method of propagation is sowing seeds in the spring in a moist and very porous substrate. Seedlings are pricked out when the first true leaves appear - small bushes are planted in separate containers.

How to replant

The sedum plant is replanted  in the spring, as it grows, when the roots have filled the substrate.

  1. For planting, use shallow bowls with large drainage holes.
  2. Succulents do not like spacious pots, as they have a very modest root system, and in addition, excess soil accumulates moisture and causes rot.
  3. Mature plants need to be replanted approximately every 3-4 years.
  4. The surface of the soil can be covered with a layer of coarse river sand or small multi-colored pebbles - this will add attractiveness to the composition, and, in addition, will allow moisture to move deeper into the soil faster.
  5. After planting in fresh soil, watering is stopped for several days, giving the bush the opportunity to heal any damage to the root system and adapt to new conditions.

Sedum

Growing homemade, pruning

Representatives of this genus are very unpretentious when grown at home and can tolerate neglect. Only some varieties require care and adherence to certain agricultural practices.

Many types of sedum look great in hanging baskets.

It is very easy to maintain a compact and bushy shape with periodic pruning.

Long shoots are pinched at a young age to form additional side branches.

To prevent the plant from leaning towards the light source, turn the pot a quarter turn once a week - this measure will allow you to form symmetrical, strong bushes.

When blooms 

Spring Summer . Indoor specimens rarely bloom, due to the lack of light and the absence of a cool dormant period during the winter months.

Soil

Tolerates fairly nutrient-poor soils with excellent drainage.

Leaf soil can be used as a nutritional base.

The mixture should contain a large amount of coarse river sand. Perlite and fine expanded clay are also added to improve drainage.

You can sprinkle a small amount of charcoal onto the substrate to make the soil more loose.

Ready-made soils for cacti and succulent plants are suitable for growing.

A sufficient layer of drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot. 

Sedum adolphii

Pests and diseases

  • Dry, brown spots on the leaves appear as a result of excess moisture, especially in the autumn-winter period.
  • Plants rot relatively easily and may die.
  • Overwatering can cause leaves to become limp and soft.
  • When grown in partial shade, the shoots stretch out - the distance between the internodes increases.
  • The impact of cold drafts is manifested in the fact that the sedum  loses its lower leaves and exposes the stems.
  • Leaves turn yellow and fall off when the root system rots.
  • When grown outdoors, some species turn black when exposed to frost.

Flowers may be attacked by aphids, thrips and weevils.

Watering 

During the growing season from April to September, water abundantly until the earthen ball is completely soaked, but the soil should have time to dry to half its depth before the next watering.

In winter, reduce the frequency of watering to a minimum. Shriveled leaves will indicate the need for another watering at this time.

Plants do well without water for a long time, but quickly rot from a small flood. 

Growing temperature

During the growing season, the optimal temperature range is from 18 to 26 ° C.

In winter, a dormant period is possible at a temperature of about 10 ° C.  Such a cool winter will stimulate the onset of flowering.

If possible, arrange for a daily temperature difference.

Sedum

Feeding

Feed monthly during the growth period with liquid fertilizers for cacti and succulents.

In the autumn-winter period, stop all feeding and resume only with the beginning of new growth in the spring.

It is advisable to dilute the fertilizers to half the dose recommended on the package and apply after watering. In dry soil, the nutrient solution can burn the thin and delicate roots of sedum.

Lighting

Sedums are light-loving plants and prefer a brightly lit location with light shade on summer days.

Direct sunlight may fall on shoots and leaves in the morning and evening.

Brightly colored varieties and species may lose their appeal when grown in low light conditions.

Spraying 

There is no need to spray the leaves.

In summer, when the air temperature is high, you can spray a little in the morning, but make sure that the water evaporates before evening.

Provide the bush with a place with sufficient air circulation without cold drafts.

Sedum Sieboldii

Purpose

The compact form, variety of species and forms, unpretentiousness of the genus representatives allow you to collect a large collection on a regular windowsill.

This tenacious flower has become very popular in floriculture. Sedum is an unrivaled plant for florariums.

Extreme endurance and ease of propagation allow even novice gardeners to grow this species.

Some variegated varieties sometimes have simple green shoots - they should be removed, since over time the bush can completely mutate and become less attractive.

Some varieties can be used for cutting - standing in a vase with water, they do not lose their attractive appearance for a long time.

Many species grown in open ground are excellent honey plants.

Note

This genus is so diverse that even the most demanding person will find a suitable flower. Sedum is used in folk medicine as a wound-healing and soothing agent.

Some species lose their lower leaves with age and expose the trunk - replace such specimens with young seedlings obtained using cuttings.

Many varieties are poisonous - wear gloves when handling them and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Place these ornamental bushes out of the reach of children and pets.

Symptoms of poisoning include diarrhea and difficulty breathing. The juice of caustic sedum causes redness and irritation when it comes into contact with the skin.

Hydroponics

The flower develops well in a hydroponic solution. 

Sedum

Varieties:

Sedum morganianum

A very attractive hanging plant with small, succulent light green leaves and lodging stems. The leaves are oblong-pointed, round in cross-section, and when touched, easily break off and fall off. It blooms quite rarely in cultivation. The flowers appear at the ends of the shoots on leafless peduncles, have 5 pointed crimson or pink petals, and are attractive. 

The main difficulty in growing this species is replanting, since at the slightest touch the plant loses its leaves and becomes less attractive. 

Sedum morganianum

Sedum Sieboldii

A small shrub with fairly rigid, semi-recumbent stems and rounded, thick leaves. The shades of the leaves are very varied and include: light green, green, yellow, orange, reddish, pink, white and bluish. Many species have leaves of two or more shades. Pink flowers are collected in small inflorescences - umbrellas at the ends of the stems. 

Sedum Sieboldii

Sedum adolphii

It is a cross between the two types listed above. The leaves of this low-growing sedum are flatter than the Morgan's sedum and come in a more varied range of colors, from light green to bluish, pink, white and yellow. In indoor culture it blooms extremely rarely.

Sedum adolphii

Sedum weinbergii

A dwarf shrub with stiff stems and wide but pointed thick leaves that form rosettes. The shades of the leaves are mainly in gray and bluish-lilac tones. At the ends of the shoots during the flowering period, branched, few-flowered inflorescences with white or yellow flowers are formed. Flowering is not of particular interest. 

Sedum weinbergii

Hylotelephium spectabile

One of the tallest species - grows up to 60 cm. It is a shrub with numerous vertical stems. The leaves are green, oblong-oval, thick, collected in a basal rosette. The inflorescences are apical and consist of many pink, greenish or white flowers. 

Hylotelephium spectabile

Sedum spurium

Plants with creeping or erect stems 3 - 45 cm high. When they come into contact with the ground, roots appear in the leaf nodes. The leaves are thick, on short petioles, arranged alternately, reaching a length of 2.5 cm. Leaf blades can be oval or round, entire or with small denticles. The color of the leaves is variable - it can be all shades of green or with white and pinkish stripes. As plants age, the lower portions of their stems may become bare. The flowers are small - white, pink or red, collected in apical inflorescences. 

Sedum spurium

Sedum reflexum 'Cristatum'

Spectacular succulents 15 - 30 cm high with a beautifully curved stem. The leaves are green and needle-shaped when grown in direct sunlight and turn pinkish. During the flowering period, the plant decorates itself with small inflorescences with yellow flowers. 

Sedum reflexum 'Cristatum'

Sedum stoloniferum

An evergreen succulent up to 20 cm high. The leaves are light green, simple, alternate, oval or round, sessile. During the summer months, small pinkish, star-shaped flowers appear profusely at the tops of the shoots. 

Sedum stoloniferum

Sedum sarmentosum

A fairly fast-growing, ground-cover succulent with creeping, abundantly branching stems of a soft pink color. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate, simple, green, sessile, densely covering the shoots. The flowers are yellow, with narrow, pointed petals, and are formed very abundantly. 

Sedum sarmentosum

Sedum burrito

A common indoor succulent is a subspecies of Morgan's sedum. Plants have lodging, long stems, branched at the base. The leaves are succulent, round in cross-section, light green, covered with a bluish waxy coating. This variety has shorter and thicker leaves. In the warm season, small inflorescences with pinkish flowers appear at the top of almost every shoot. The plant should not be placed in passages and corridors - the delicate leaves easily break off at the slightest touch. 

Sedum burrito

Sedum sexangulare

Low-growing perennials with erect, strong shoots, forming a dense crown up to 10 - 15 cm high. The leaves are green, glossy, needle-shaped, round in cross-section, arranged spirally. During the fall months, the leaves may take on a bronze or burgundy hue. The flowers are bright, star-shaped, collected in apical inflorescences. Flowering is very abundant. 

Sedum sexangulare

Sedum selskianum

Evergreen succulents 15 - 20 cm high with erect, burgundy or green shoots forming a round, dense crown. The leaves are green, club-shaped or vice versa - ovate, with small teeth along the edge. When sunlight hits the leaves, thin pinkish stripes appear along their edges. In August, each stem forms a small umbrella with yellow or orange flowers at the top. 

Sedum selskianum

Sedum oreganum

A bright ornamental foliage plant, the leaves of which can be painted in a wide range of colors - from standard green to pink, orange and burgundy. Stems lodging, pinkish. As these plants age, they form dense grassy mats. During the flowering period, erect, strong peduncles with bright, golden flowers appear. 

Sedum oreganum

Sedum middendorfianum

Perennial flowering plants with long, narrow, glossy leaves. The tips of the leaf blades may have small teeth. In the autumn months, the leaves turn a reddish-burgundy hue and die off. The flowers are golden yellow, collected in apical umbels. 

Sedum middendorfianum

Sedum prealtum

Tall tree-like sedums up to 90 cm high with strong, erect stems branched over the entire height. The leaves are light green, oblong, club-shaped, sessile. Small specimens resemble bonsai. During the summer months, the plant decorates itself with large inflorescences with many small, yellow, star-shaped flowers. 

Sedum prealtum

Sedum floriferum

A herbaceous perennial plant native to Kamchatka, it is a semi-evergreen succulent up to 20 cm high with numerous lodging shoots. With age, this variety forms a dense soil cover. The leaves are small, round or oblong, club-shaped, sessile. The tips of the leaf blades may have small teeth along the edge. With the onset of frost, plants may lose foliage; in frost-free climates, they remain evergreen. The peduncles are erect, strong, rise high above the foliage and bear at the tops umbrellas with several rather large, orange-yellow flowers. 

Sedum floriferum

Sedum nussbaumerianum

A miniature succulent up to 20 cm high with abundantly branched, thick stems. This variety is distinguished by attractive, brightly colored leaves - narrow lanceolate leaf blades can be green, brownish, red and orange. The inflorescences are very large, rounded umbels, consisting of many pinkish or white flowers with a light aroma. 

Sedum nussbaumerianum

Sedum stahlii

Plants with thin erect or creeping stems up to 30 cm high. The leaves are thick, juicy, round in cross-section, arranged in opposite pairs, fall off at the slightest touch and take root easily in the ground. The stems often have aerial roots. The flowers are greenish-yellow and appear in late spring or the first half of summer. 

Sedum stahlii

Sedum lineare

Low evergreen succulents up to 15 cm high, with erect, thick stems and narrow, light green or bluish, linear leaves. Attractive variegated plants have thin white stripes along the edges of the leaf blades. The flowers are yellow or cream. 

Sedum lineare

Sedum villosum

Plants with erect, abundantly branched stems at the base. The leaves are green or burgundy, round in cross-section, oblong, glossy, and may be covered with a slight light coating. The flower stalks are strong, vertical, and bear attractive lilac, white or pink flowers at the top. 

Sedum villosum

Sedum stenopetalum

A perennial evergreen succulent with erect stems up to 20 cm high. The leaves are light green, linear, sessile. The flowers are greenish-yellow, star-shaped, appearing at the top of each shoot in the summer months. 

Sedum stenopetalum

Sedum rubrotinctum

Succulent plants with shoots branched at the base and lodging. Upon contact with the ground, the shoots quickly take root. Young shoots may be erect, but with age they droop. The leaves are thick, fleshy, light green, densely covering the stems of the plant. During the summer months or when grown in direct sun, the leaves may turn red, orange, or burgundy. The flowers are bright yellow and appear at the tops of the shoots. 

Sedum rubrotinctum

Sedum obtusifolia

Attractive ground cover, evergreen plants up to 15 cm high with green or bronzed, glossy leaves of a wide triangular shape. With the onset of hot summer months, the edges of the leaves may turn reddish. During the flowering period, plants form apical peduncles with small, star-shaped, pink or lilac flowers. 

Sedum obtusifolia

Sedum cyaneum

Low-growing evergreen perennials with thick, erect or lodging stems. The leaves are thick, round, succulent, and tightly cover the shoots of the plant. Leaf blades can be painted in lilac, gray, bluish, dark green shades. The flowers are bright, lilac, and contrast perfectly with the leaves. Flowering is abundant. 

Sedum cyaneum

Sedum caespitosum

Annual succulents with erect, thick, short stems 2 - 5 cm high. The leaves are green, glossy, juicy, oblong-oval, round in cross-section. When grown in direct sunlight, the tips of the leaves may turn reddish. With age, plants can form colonies of impressive size. The flowers are star-shaped, with narrow white or pink petals - formed in the second half of summer - early autumn on the tops of the shoots. 

Sedum caespitosum

Sedum Dasyphyllum

A dwarf ground cover succulent with creeping stems that form a dense herbaceous mat. The leaves are small, oblong, round in cross-section, bluish-green. Variegated varieties have pink or purple leaves. The flowers are soft pink and appear in the summer months on the tops of the shoots. 

Sedum Dasyphyllum

Sedum palmeri

Small succulent plants up to 30 cm high with thick, vertical shoots, on the tops of which there are green, oblong leaves collected in rosettes. Variegated specimens have reddish or pink colored lower leaves in a rosette. The inflorescences are drooping, apical, and consist of many small, golden flowers. 

Sedum palmeri

Sedum allantoides

Decorative foliage plants with erect, strong shoots, on which there are long, round in cross-section or slightly flattened, bluish-green leaves. The shape of the leaves resembles a loaf of sausage, which is how the plant got its name. In the warm season, low, branched peduncles with small, greenish, inconspicuous flowers form at the tops of the stems. 

Sedum allantoides

Sedum makinoi

Bright light green or bluish green ground cover plants with rounded, glossy leaves. The flowers are small, yellow, collected in apical inflorescences, often lost against the background of foliage.

Sedum makinoi

Sedum pachyclados

Extremely attractive, evergreen perennials with bluish, oblong leaves, serrated along the edges, collected in rosettes. The stems are long, lodging, bare at the bottom, but the plants do not lose any of their attractiveness. Lush inflorescences with small, white or cream flowers will complement the spectacular appearance. 

Sedum pachyclados

Sedum ewersii var. homophyllum

Dense ground cover perennials with creeping stems branched at the base, densely covered with rounded sessile leaves. The leaf blades are light green, entire, covered with a bluish waxy coating. During the flowering period, the plant adorns itself with very abundant pink flowers, creating an excellent contrast with the leaves.

Sedum ewersii var. homophyllum

Sedum sichotense

Low succulent plants with erect stems branched at the base. The leaves are narrow, linear, the edges of the leaf blades are covered with small denticles. The color of the leaves is variable and includes green, bluish-green, yellow and orange, as well as pink and red shades. In spring or summer, small inflorescences - umbrellas with yellow flowers - form on the tops of the shoots.

Sedum sichotense

Sedum forsteranum

A spectacular representative of sedums - they are low-growing evergreen perennials with abundantly branched shoots. Plants form dense herbaceous mats as they age. The leaves are long, round in cross-section, resemble needles, and abundantly cover the stems of plants. The color of the leaves is most often bluish or light green; when grown in direct sunlight, the leaf blades may acquire a pinkish or red tint. It blooms with small, greenish-yellow flowers collected in inflorescences.

Sedum forsteranum

Sedum mexicanum

A bright, sunny, ground cover plant with lodging shoots. The leaves are light green, sometimes yellowish green, glossy, narrow, linear. Leaf blades are entire. During the flowering period it produces small greenish-yellow flowers.

Sedum mexicanum

Sedum rubens

Annual herbaceous plants up to 15 cm high with lodging stems. The leaves are narrow, 1 - 2 cm in length, bluish green or light green. An interesting feature of this variety is that during the growing season the leaf blades sometimes change their color to burgundy or red. The flowers are pinkish-white, with long and narrow petals.

Sedum rubens

Hylotelephium populifolium

Low succulents with strong, branching shoots. The main decoration of the plants are bluish-green, oblong leaves on short petioles. The edges of the leaf blades are covered with denticles of varying sizes. During the flowering period, small inflorescences are formed - umbrellas with white or pale pink buds.

Hylotelephium populifolium

Sedum spathulifolium

Spectacular ground cover plants with lodging stems. The leaves are round, sessile, and collected in whorls. The leaf blades are light green, covered with a dense waxy coating of blue or almost white color. During the flowering period, strong, erect peduncles of a burgundy or reddish hue are formed. At the tops of the peduncles there are small inflorescences with yellow, greenish or orange flowers. When grown in full sun, the leaves may take on a pinkish tint.  

Sedum spathulifolium

Sedum dendroideum

Perennial succulents with powerful, branched, woody stems. Over time, the stems of this variety become covered with light brown bark. The leaves are spatulate, light green or bluish green, the edges of the leaf blades often have a pink or burgundy tint. It blooms with small yellow or greenish flowers.

Sedum dendroideum