Sempervivum - Houseleeks - Liveforever plant are available in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Their colors change drastically throughout the season...
Sempervivum, also called as Houseleeks, Liveforever plant, Hen and chicks, Diopogon, Jovibarba, Sempervivella, is a genus of the Crassulaceae family. This genus was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The name Sempervivum has its origin in the Latin semper (always) and vivus (living), because this perennial plant keeps its leaves in winter and is very resistant to difficult conditions of growth. The common name "houseleek" is believed to stem from the traditional practice of growing plants on the roofs of houses to ward off fire and lightning strikes.
IDENTIFY SEMPERVIVUM
Sempervivum is native from Europe to Western Himalaya, Morocco. heir natural habitats are near rocks on shallow soils under harsh conditions at typically 3000 to 8000 feet above sea level in mountainous regions, subalpine and alpine belts.
It is a herbs, perennial, monocarpic, not viviparous succulent which reaching 10-60 cm in height and 2.5-13 cm in diameter with erect, (compressed), not branched stem. They usually have thick fleshy leaves arranged in a dense rosette. Small plantlets, or offsets, arise in a cluster around the parent plant. Each rosette is monocarpic, meaning that the rosette dies after flowering, though the clonal offsets will persist.
Houseleeks will eventually bloom after several years of growth, whether induced by stress or simply age. Signs that a rosette is preparing to flower include a closing in of the central leaves, stretching of the main stem, and tilting of the whole rosette. The flowers are dainty star shaped things. The flowers of different varieties can have very subtle differences. Blooms are typically pink, but can also be red, pale yellow, or white.
With over 3000 named cultivars, these succulents are available in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Their colors change drastically throughout the season due to maturity, temperatures, sunlight exposure, and other factors. The main interest of these cultivars is not their flowers, but form and color of the rosette-leaves.
SEMPERVIVUM CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Sempervivum can tolerate a range of lighting conditions, from full sun to partially shaded with at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. If the plants grow outdoors, be sure to acclimate them to direct sunlight slowly, to avoid burning the leaves by making the transition too rapidly. While these plants can tolerate intense sun and intense heat, they perform the best when they are not subjected to both at the same time.
Temperature:
Houseleeks can grow in USDA zones 4-9 and prefers summer temperature of 18-21 °C. In winter, they suffers the most during the frosts, and the effects will be noticeable only in the spring. The frozen leaves turn black and begin to rot. But it is necessary to note that after frost damage, the plants recover quickly.
In the winter, the care of the sempervivum is minimal, and you do not need to do anything special. However, there is something you still have to do to make overwintering easier: spray the plants with a fungicide (fungal diseases can develop even in winter, especially if there were no severe frosts), make sure that the soil does not contain much moisture to help the plant does not rot during the winter by add some small rubble to the soil, and do not cover or mulching these plants (cover the plant only increase the risk of disease).
Substrate and growing media:
Liveforever plant are commonly grown in containers (6 inch pots or larger), but you can grow them in bricks, driftwood and tufa rock, due to their ability to thrive in very little compost. South-facing rockeries, gravel gardens and vertical walls also make good habitats for these plants.
Good drainage is the most important requirement for the plant. Plant them in sandy soil or add compost, potting soil, gravel or vermiculite to the ground to help with drainage. They survive in soil where other plants can't grow. Ideally the soil pH level should be neutral, between 6.6 and 7.5.
Watering:
Adequate and consistent watering is essential during your plant's first year in the garden. Once established, the plants are very drought tolerant and require little watering. During the first summer, you may need to water as often as every few days in periods of drought and extreme summer heat. To determine if your plant needs water, dig a few inches into the soil next to the plant. If the soil is dry 2-3 inches below the surface, it is time to water. When the plant are mature, it is extremely drought hardy and thrive on infrequent but thorough watering - as little as once a month should be sufficient, in all but the hottest and driest of conditions. Plan to water even less as temperatures dip towards freezing to avoid leaving the roots in cold and soggy conditions, which can predispose plants to rot.
If you plant in a container, allow the top half of soil to dry out moderately between waterings. Water thoroughly until the soil is well-saturated and excess water flows through the drainage holes at the bottom of the container. Never allow the plants to sit in a saucer of water. Pots may be kept in saucers after any excess water has drained from the pot.
Fertilizer:
Feed your plants once every 2-3 weeks during the growing season with a water-soluble fertilizer. Discontinue feeding after September 1st so your plants can harden off for winter. Resume fertilizing when new growth appears in the spring.
Pruning:
Each central rosette produces new rosettes throughout its life cycle. As it approaches the end of its life cycle, the old rosette will stop making new rosettes and begin producing a flower spike from the center of the plant. Each rosette flowers when it reaches full maturity, then dies. Carefully remove the dead rosette after it has finished flowering. The new rosettes will quickly fill in the space and the cycle will continue. Remove the new rosettes and replant them if they become over-crowded.
Winter period:
Sempervivum are incredibly hardy and do not require any special winter protection when planted in-ground. In very cold areas, containerized plants can be brought into an unheated, protected area such as a garage or cellar before temperatures drop below freezing. Check soil moisture every 2-3 weeks and water as needed during winter. In spring, containerized plants should be moved back out into the garden sunlight where they will begin to repeat their yearly garden performance.
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Pests and diseases:
Keep the area around your plants free of weeds. Weeds compete with surrounding plants for food, water and light. Walk around the garden periodically and pull weeds, including the roots, as soon as you see them.
There are very few critters that eat the plant, for the most part of the year. In early spring, they are at risk from hungry deer or squirrels, who are eager for something delicious. The oddest pest is something you would never suspect, and they can clean out every last scrap, down to the roots. This unexpected predator is the wild turkey. Luckily, they're easy to combat with some chicken wire laid over top of the plants, or some bird cages.
Propagation:
Sempervivum readily offset via stolons, or creeping stems, allowing these plants to quickly form a dense mat of foliage. As such, the easiest way to propagate these varieties is to gently lift an offset away from the parent plant, snip the stolon connecting the two, and replant the offset into porous soil in its own pot. Newly repotted offsets will require slightly more frequent watering as they establish their root system - but once growth is evident, revert to the more infrequent watering schedule preferred by mature plant.
BUY SEMPERVIVUM AND RELATED PRODUCTS
BUY ANOTHERS SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SEMPERVIVUM GENUS HERE!
SOME SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF SEMPERVIVUM WITH CARE TIPS AND CULTURE SHEET:
- Sempervivum altum - Tall houseleek
- Sempervivum arachnoideum - Cobweb houseleek
- Sempervivum calcareum - Limestone Houseleek
- Sempervivum ciliosum - Teneriffe houseleek
- Sempervivum macedonicum
- Sempervivum marmoreum - Balkan Houseleek
- Sempervivum pittonii - Pittoni houseleek
- Sempervivum tectorum - Common houseleek
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