Does anyone know how to help my plant?
Hello fellow plant lovers!😄I have a couple questions regarding my Tree Aeonium. The first one is is this a Tree Aeonium?🌱I bought this little guy and without a tag, and I’m not quite sure if that is what it’s called… Second, and most importantly, ever since I got him, his leaves (is that what their called!?) have been drying out and falling off. I have no idea why, and have been trying multiple things to help, but nothings working. If anyone has any questions or advice, it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Last watered 3 months ago
3
Best Answer
Hey Madison! I feel a personal obligation to help your plant since we share a name lol 😂
Ok, so a few things aeoniums needs to thrive. One is lots of direct sunlight, at least 3-4 hours a day. I see your plant card says it's only getting indirect light, which can definitely cause it to whither and die. In my experience, aeoniums don't do very well indoors unless you have a strong grow light. But you can certainly improve things by moving her to a west or south-facing window that gets direct sunlight (direct means the suns rays hit the leaves without any obstructions or shade).
In the wild, aeoniums grow in rocky, dry terrain that offers very little nutrients, so they need to be potted in something similar. Commercial growers tend to use very dense, moisture retaining soil (so they don't need to water as often), which isn't a good long-term option for aeoniums. They need to be transferred to a more suitable soil. A great choice is cactus or succulent soil with extra perlite mixed in (perlite is the little white balls in potting soil that look like styrofoam). Mix equal amounts of each.
What your pot is made of is also important. Terracotta pots are recommended for succulents because they're porous, which helps the soil dry out faster. Plastic is non-porous, so it holds onto moisture a lot longer.
One of if not the most important part of caring for your aeonium is correct watering. Before watering, always check the soil to make sure it's completely dried out. When in doubt, it's always better to under water than overwater.
Ok, last thing and then I'll shut up lol. This one is important: aeoniums' active growing season is different than a lot of plants. It BEGINS in the fall and ENDS in the spring, instead of the other way around. They're what's known as "summer dormant", so their active growing season is the winter. As warmer weather approaches, their growth slows and they'll close up into tighter rosettes. This is totally normal! It means they need a lot less water during the summer months. I typically water mine around once a month in their active growth phase and once every other month when they're dormant. Your watering frequency will vary depending on a bunch of factors unique to your environment (humidity, temp, etc), so a good rule of thumb is just to reduce watering by half in the summer (not half the amount of water, but half as often 😛).
Ok, that's all! Sorry for babbling on so long lol 😂 If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, just tag me! 🤗
Ok, so a few things aeoniums needs to thrive. One is lots of direct sunlight, at least 3-4 hours a day. I see your plant card says it's only getting indirect light, which can definitely cause it to whither and die. In my experience, aeoniums don't do very well indoors unless you have a strong grow light. But you can certainly improve things by moving her to a west or south-facing window that gets direct sunlight (direct means the suns rays hit the leaves without any obstructions or shade).
In the wild, aeoniums grow in rocky, dry terrain that offers very little nutrients, so they need to be potted in something similar. Commercial growers tend to use very dense, moisture retaining soil (so they don't need to water as often), which isn't a good long-term option for aeoniums. They need to be transferred to a more suitable soil. A great choice is cactus or succulent soil with extra perlite mixed in (perlite is the little white balls in potting soil that look like styrofoam). Mix equal amounts of each.
What your pot is made of is also important. Terracotta pots are recommended for succulents because they're porous, which helps the soil dry out faster. Plastic is non-porous, so it holds onto moisture a lot longer.
One of if not the most important part of caring for your aeonium is correct watering. Before watering, always check the soil to make sure it's completely dried out. When in doubt, it's always better to under water than overwater.
Ok, last thing and then I'll shut up lol. This one is important: aeoniums' active growing season is different than a lot of plants. It BEGINS in the fall and ENDS in the spring, instead of the other way around. They're what's known as "summer dormant", so their active growing season is the winter. As warmer weather approaches, their growth slows and they'll close up into tighter rosettes. This is totally normal! It means they need a lot less water during the summer months. I typically water mine around once a month in their active growth phase and once every other month when they're dormant. Your watering frequency will vary depending on a bunch of factors unique to your environment (humidity, temp, etc), so a good rule of thumb is just to reduce watering by half in the summer (not half the amount of water, but half as often 😛).
Ok, that's all! Sorry for babbling on so long lol 😂 If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, just tag me! 🤗
Hello! According to the #GregID it is, it looks like it has been overwatered.. Allow it to dry out. It's a succulent and it stores water in it's leaves. So it does not need to be watered very often. You can google how to take care of it. Hope this helps! 🌿🌵🌻🪴🏜
@stephonicle Wow, this is all so helpful, thank you so much!😄 I’ll get right on it!👍🌱