Hi,
I'm just after some info about these guys. I know they are nothing unusual but I don't know what they are. Can someone enlighten me, please?
Also, I'm intrigued by the way they are growing. I bought one last spring which looked a lot like the left-hand one. It rapidly became leggy and unattractive. So I cut the stems off last summer and rotted them thinking that this way I would end up with 2 very similar plants but this hasn't happened. The ends that I rooted as expected are simply growing but the pieces left from the 'pruning' have become much more 'bushy', forming something like florets. In addition, the larger 'leaves' are going pale and dropping off which is now making the plants leggy. Has anyone any thoughts on this process or on how to get the best out of this plant so that it will not need endless pruning and re rooting and will look attractive? Thank you.
Sedum X rubrotinctum. The left hand plant is what it looks like when grown in low light levels. In better light it is more compact - there is less stem between each leaf. In full sun the leaves turn red (hence the name) and look much more attractive. It does get leggy in a few years, so is always best restarted from cuttings every few years. Take the top part of the stem, which will root easily to give new plants; the base will offset to give a new clump. It also grows easily from single leaves. It will produce its yellow flowers if in full sun, though they're not particularly spectacular.
There's also a variegated form, cv 'Aurora' which has a pearly pink colour; again colours are better in full sun.
Thanks Mike for all the info. They've been grow side by side so I'm not sure why they would be different. Good to know they appreciate lots of sun. My original plant went leggy in a matter of months. I will see what these get up to this summer. Cheers!
If they have been grown under the same conditions then I think it has to be a nutrition effect. The original chopped-down plant has probably now exhausted much of the fertilizer that was in the compost, while food is still there in the compost for the rooted cuttings. The compact plant is what you should be aiming for.
That makes sense Terry. Thank you. I've often wondered if feeding a plant can make up for depleted soil. Should I repot in the spring, do you think? Could they do with a bigger pot?
Last edited by Julie A on Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hi Julie. These are pleasing little plants and I think you can re-pot pretty well any time, perhaps wait a few weeks. Look out for the pink coloured version, very pretty. They will root up easily from a leaf left on top of soil or even fallen on the bench. I have some growing outside but covered for periods of frost. Bright outside so they keep nice and compact.
Thanks Brian, they are attractive aren't they! I like the glossy surface and nice shades of red and green. The pink variegated one sounds lovely. From what you say they are obviously tough little characters. Thanks again for your help.
You're correct Julie, the green chlorophyll is inside the leaf - it's what is known as chimeral variegation. If you cut a leaf across, you would see the green part in the middle. It also means that it is slower growing than the green form.
