Sempervivams winter care

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Eric Williams
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Sempervivams winter care

Post by Eric Williams »

Hi all, as I have a small space available in my g/h, I wondered if my few pots and trays of semps. would appreciate a spell indoors this Winter, or do they need the outside cold and wet environment to flourish. Thanks
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BrianMc
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by BrianMc »

Hi Eric,

Cold but dry is best for most Semp. A bright, cold/unheated greenhouse is ideal. However, If you heat your greenhouse during the winter months I would suggest you keep your Sempervivums outside but with some over head protection to reduce excessive rainfall on the plants.
Especially interested in Mesembs. small Aloes and South African miniatures and bulbs.
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Eric Williams
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by Eric Williams »

Thanks Brian, my g/h is heated no more than 6or7 C, woul you regard this as cold ? Cheers
lobman
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by lobman »

I guess that most semps would enjoy that temp , but the main drawback is that on sunny days the temp wil go a lot higher and will stress them .
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by Liz M »

You could keep your Sempervivums outside if you put them under a piece of glass or strong clear plastic, suspended on bricks to keep air circulation and weighted down with bricks or stones when it is windy. That way they don't completely dry out either.
Obsessive Crassulaceae lover, especially Aeoniums but also grow, Aloes, Agaves, Haworthias and a select number of Cacti.
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AnTTun
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by AnTTun »

I keep mine outside, in 'bricky garden' whole year round. So far they stood all that changed climate has put on them, freezing, overwatering, temp variations, loads of snow... But I grow them outside for more than 30 years, I guess they added some to their endurance thru the years.
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srboisvert
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by srboisvert »

I've been growing one semp inside for two years. It is perfectly healthy but never offsets and it was extremely prolific when I had it in a garden in England.

I'm guessing they need the seasonal change to trigger asexual reproduction.
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sueshells
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by sueshells »

I have around 200 semps and jovibarbas and they all stay out all year round. That's not to say that I don't lose some now and then, especially arachnoideum types. I have Sempervivum minus (from Peter Mitchell) which is supposed to require winter protection but it's been OK outside for the last twenty odd years! My only concession is to stand its pot on another upturned pot to aid drainage. If anything it is not cold enough for them here in North Buckinghamshire. We rarely get snow and regularly get high winter rainfall. I wouldn't put semps in a heated greenhouse - might possibly try unheated with lots of ventilation if the opportunity arose and even then only for webby species and cultivars.
canigou
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Re: Sempervivams winter care

Post by canigou »

I have been growing sempervivum for many years. They hate the wet and I do store some in my unheated greenhouse but I have too many for them all to be inside. Tucking the pots up against a wall or covering them with old window frames or sheets of glass does OK here in very wet west of england. In my experience they do not like to be too warm. Vine weevils are the real curse with semps. Good luck
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