Houseleek (Sempervivum) is a lovely little succulent to add to your garden as it is very easy to care for and grow when you are very busy and cannot tend to it often enough. Let’s see how to propagate, cultivate Immortals and their care.
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Where to Grow Immortelles
Immortelles are the quintessential rock garden specimens. They will grow happily and greedily wherever most of the time is dry.
This makes it an ideal candidate for pots and dry corners of the patio or garden where you need something to fill the space.
They will grow well with other succulents that are hardy in your area, but I find Sempervivum grows best in a relatively naturalized environment.
Usually, the best location for everlasting is in a spot with other plants that don’t want regular fertilizing, or really, any attention at all.
How to propagate immortals
While it is possible to grow Immortelles from seed, it is incredibly impractical compared to simply picking a few “children” of a mature plant for propagation.
Let your Immortal Mother produce little “babies” (stolons) herself and let them roam your garden as they please.
These “children” are small offshoots produced by the parent plant, which spread throughout the garden like creepers and spores.
Each stolon will produce a few small leaves to which it will cling while the plant continues to support the “child”.
The surest way to ensure their survival is to wait for the stolon that connects them to dry completely and become brittle to the touch before separating them.
Cut a few “suckers” when they have formed roots and plant them precisely where you want them to grow the most. Either in pots or in garden soil.
Once transplanted, always keep the soil moist and leave new plants where they receive sunlight but no direct light, at least until you see new growth on the plant. At that time, you can transplant them to where you want them to grow.
Another way to propagate an immortelle is through its leaves, just cut it and plant the base in the ground, in the following article we will show you how to do it in detail: 4 Methods to easily propagate succulents
Ideal conditions for growing Immortelles
Soil and compost
Houseleeks can grow in almost any type of soil, but will do best when the soil quality is generally poor, rocky and dry.
Houseplants can grow in richer soils and more hospitable conditions, but they cannot tolerate high humidity or standing water.
Don’t worry about the subscription. The Everlasting prefers to find nutrients on its own, which is fortunate, as it doesn’t need a lot of them.
Seriously, it’s one of those garden dwellers that will trip over its own feet if it gets any fertilization.
It won’t die from the extra fertilization and will probably produce more runners and offspring as a result, but in general fertilization is mostly a matter of waste – Houseleeks don’t need it.
You will be a very generous planter if you limit yourself to giving a little compost once or twice a year in autumn or winter.
Light
Partial shade is tolerable, while full sun is desirable. The ideal is to place the Immortelle where it receives a lot of light but no direct sun, especially at midday in summer.
He likes the sun very much in the morning and in the afternoon. In winter, give it as much direct sun as possible throughout the day.
Immortelle treatment
Irrigation
Don’t worry about watering, except in severe drought. Water your immortelle when the soil is completely dry to the touch, you can insert a finger into the soil, if it is dry lower down, water, otherwise wait a few days.
harmful
You will be delighted to discover that Houseleeks do not really face common pest or disease problems.
As such it is very resistant to insect problems, although in poor conditions it can become stressed and harbor a swarm.
I have never experienced an infestation of aphids or scale insects on evergreens growing in the garden, but this has been the case with all the plants I have tried to grow indoors.
Wet, humid environments with poor air circulation are not what this plant wants to live in.
You can spray the infestation with your insecticide of choice, but I think the best solution is to put some alcohol on a cotton ball and dry the problem areas of the rosette thoroughly.
The best way to prevent aphids or scale insects from attacking is to keep the air moving around your plants and make sure they grow in sunny, dry places with excellent drainage.
Diseases
Houseleeks can contract a fungal infection if grown in very humid conditions, indoors or outdoors.
Rust is usually the most common culprit, but infections are rare. You can identify it by the telltale orange circles you’ll see scattered around the infected plant.
A copper fungicide spray is the best solution to deal with these problems if they arise. But it’s usually best to throw the plant in the trash to prevent it from infecting other plants in your garden.
The ultimate tool for preventing fungal problems is to ensure your plants are grown in dry conditions with fast-draining soil.
Transplant
You’ll find plenty of Sempervivum options at your local nursery, most sold in familiar plastic pots.
When you take this plant out of its pot, don’t worry if most of the soil crumbles because it doesn’t have a very vigorous root system.
It may also be interesting to read: How to propagate, grow Torch Plant (Aloe aristata) and its care
Dig a shallow hole with your favorite digging tool, place the roots inside and lightly fill the hole, then give it a good glass of water and leave the pot in the shade for a day to help to recover faster.
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