ENHFL04-006 Warm Climate Production Guidelines for Succulents Rick Schoellhorn, Marc Frank If you’re looking to stand up to neglect and don’t require frequent diversify your watering. Even when they are not in bloom product line and many succulent plants provide visual interest set yourself apart in the form of bold textures and colorful from the foliage. competition, Photo by Marc Frank perhaps you Many of these same characteristics make should consider growing succulents. These succulents attractive to professional growers. are plants that are adapted to withstand Although they may take longer to produce, drought by storing water in specialized cells in these are plants that actually thrive on their leaves, stems, and/or roots. The term reduced water and fertilizer inputs. They succulent does not refer to a plant family per rarely require insecticides, fungicides, or plant se, but to a water-storing adaptation that is growth regulators. Many succulents are found in many different plant families. Cacti easily propagated by stem or leaf cuttings, are probably the best known family of while others readily produce offsets that can succulent plants, but there are many other be removed and potted separately. Most types of succulents in a huge variety of succulents can also be propagated by seed, shapes and sizes. but it may take a year or longer for them to reach a saleable size. Succulent plants are increasingly popular among plant collectors, home gardeners, and In order to grow succulent plants, you will professional landscapers for a number of probably need to modify your normal reasons. With water restrictions in place in production protocol. A well-aerated and many areas across the country there is an freely-draining medium is critical. increasing demand for plants that are Commercial cactus and succulent mixes appropriate for xeriscaping, or landscaping to usually consist of equal parts coarse sand, promote water conservation. Many perlite, and peat or fine bark. If you want to succulents are particularly well adapted to make your own, try mixing one part soil less withstand climatic extremes, from drought to or soil-based media with one part coarse high heat, strong winds, and frost. They are sand and one part washed grit, small gravel, generally free from insect pests and diseases claimed clay, pumice, or expanded slate. and are less prone to nutrient deficiencies. Mixing a time-released fertilizer in the media They are also amazingly tolerant of poor and will insure a constant supply of nutrients. shallow soils. There is a huge variety of Succulents should be allowed to dry slightly forms and landscape uses for succulents, between watering. Under potting is a good including ground covers, bedding plants, and way to insure that the roots don’t become imposing garden centerpieces. Succulents oversaturated. To produce rapid growth and make excellent container plants. Mixed the best form and color, succulents should be containers of succulents are a high value grown in the strongest light possible. Plants product that consumers love because they that are grown in full sun and warm Warm Climate Production Guidelines for Cacti and Succulents 1 ENHFL04-006 temperatures will respond more favorably to teeth and reddish orange flowers arranged on high water and fertilizer inputs. Many dense spikes. All three of these form large succulents tend to go dormant during the clumps that thrive in full sun and are relatively shorter days and cooler temperatures of frost tolerant. Aloe variegata, partridge breast winter. This is the time when they are most aloe, is a much smaller species with extra prone to fungal pathogens that cause rot. To thick, triangular, spineless leaves that are keep them actively growing during the winter deep green with silver-white bands. It prefers months, you may want to consider extending more shade than most other aloes and is day length with supplemental lighting and particularly prone to rotting if over watered. It keep your greenhouse warm. Maintaining a is usually grown as a container plant. lower than normal relative humidity and excellent air circulation in your greenhouse Agave will reduce the likelihood of disease and The Century Plants, or Agave, are an insect pests. incredibly diverse group of rosette forming perennials. There are Agave to suit almost Aloe every climate zone in the U.S. with cold hardy There are over 300 species of Aloe native to forms that can withstand single digit Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, but only a temperatures. While most people look at few are common in cultivation. Most are low these plants as a southwestern phenomenon, growing stemless rosettes of attractively our changing ideas of what an annual is are patterned and frequently spiny succulent opening markets for these plants as summer leaves, but some aloes develop stems and color throughout the U.S. Northern growers grow into bushes or trees. All have erect may need to look at buying in pre-finished spikes of tubular flowers in shades of orange, material, as the crop is in general a very slow yellow, or pink. Aloe maculata (also known one from seed to sale can be 1-6 years. as Aloe saponaria) is commonly referred to as Plants are durable, but heavy which can be a soap or zebra aloe. It has medium green problem in shipping. Another misconception is leaves with white spots arranged in bands that all Agave are sharply spined, and a and a branched inflorescence with pinkish- problem to work with; while it may be true that orange flowers. This an awesome landscape most Agave are spined, one of the most plant for mild winter regions because it dramatic and easily grown species A. multiplies readily to form handsome clumps attenuata is soft leaved and extremely that bloom repeatedly throughout the year. architectural. A. americana is a large blue Medicinal or Barbados aloe, Aloe vera, is gray foliaged form with sharp spines but a known for its gel that is wide range of acceptable climates across the used in cosmetics and southern half of the United States. The to soothe burns. It has variegated form of this plant is less cold grey-green foliage with hardy, but broadly banded with creamy yellow dull spines and intense stripes. There are Agave native throughout yellow flowers. the U.S and for specimen containers, or Candelabra or torch creating a western look in a landscape you aloe, Aloe can’t beat these prehistoric, bold textured. arborescens, has blue Except by using paddle Cacti, which is also a green foliage with great idea, but will have to be another Photo by Marc Frank sharp paler colored article… Warm Climate Production Guidelines for Cacti and Succulents 2 ENHFL04-006 Sempervivum and Echeveria yellow, orange, red, and pink, are borne in Sempervivum and Echeveria are both clusters on arching stems. There are about commonly known to as hens and chicks, and 150 species of Echeveria, which have been each attracts a devoted following of hobbyist extensively hybridized to create an collectors, but they are actually very different astounding assortment of cultivars. plants. Sempervivums, also referred to as Echeveria lilacina has powdery grey leaves houseleeks, are native to southern and with pointed tips, forming a tight, elegant- central Europe. They are generally frost- looking rosette. Echeveria pulvinata has hardy but tend to suffer in extremely hot and upright stems with rosettes of rounded fuzzy dry conditions. The leaves form low-growing, green leaves with glowing red tips. Echeveria tightly rounded rosettes in varying shades shaviana has blue-green and patterns of green, grey, and red. The glossy leaves with frilly flowers, which are usually pink or purple, are edges. One of the most held on stout stems just above the foliage. popular cultivars is ‘Perle These plants are monocarpic, which means von Nurnberg’, which has that each rosette dies after it flowers, leaving broad pointy-tipped grey- behind a cluster of offsets. There are around green leaves flushed with Photo by Marc Frank 40 species and at least twice as many pink. An Echeveria cultivars of Sempervivum. The most relative, Graptopetalum pagaguayense, commonly grown and hybridized species are sometimes called the ghost plant, has grey Sempervivum tectorum, which has grey-green leaves flushed with pink and erect spikes of leaves with red tips, and S. arachnoideum, white star shaped flowers with red markings. which has tiny threads connecting the leaf These plants may be grown in the landscape tips to create an amazing cobweb effect. in mild winter areas, but they really shine in Sempervivum are appropriate for landscape mixed containers. use throughout most of the U.S. but are prone to rotting in areas with hot humid summers. Yucca Combining several different Sempervivum in Yucca, an unfortunate name for a plant, eh? a container creates a dynamite effect. Well, this group of plants is also misunderstood and underused. Most of us Echeverias are native to Central America. are familiar with Yucca elephantipes which is Consequently they are able to withstand high sold as an indoor plant, produced as a cane, temperatures and drought better than their much like Dracaena. As with Agave there are European Sempervivum relatives, but are not Yucca adapted throughout most regions of particularly frost-hardy. The rosettes of the United States, so why don’t we use them Echeveria are generally much larger than more often? There is also a misconception those of Sempervivum, and the range of leaf that ALL Yuccas are sharply spined and shapes and colors is much more diverse. troublesome to work with. I think two of the The foliage colors include green, grey, blue, best examples of soft foliaged and attractive pink, orange, and red, and many are edged in are the Yucca filamentosa hybrids ‘Bright a contrasting color.