AT A GLANCE
How do I properly plant and care for houseleek in pots?
The houseleek (Sempervivum) comes from the sun-drenched, barren mountains of Europe and Asia Minor. With modest demands, the succulent plant (Crassulaceae) has adapted to the Spartan living conditions. Planting and caring for a houseleek in a pot are therefore based on one gardening minimal principle with these key data:
- The pot is ideally a flat, wide bowl with holes in the bottom for water drainage.
- A succulent soil-sand mixture over a drainage is suitable as a substrate expanded clay.(€19.00 at Amazon*)
- Do not fertilize houseleek in the pot.
- Water the potted rock rose sparingly with soft water when the soil is noticeably dry.
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Which location is ideal for a houseleek in a pot?
The main pillar for the successful pot culture of a houseleek is the choice of location. Put the vessel to one, please sunny, warm place. On the balcony, a rain-protected location under a canopy is ideal. It is important to note that there is no cast shadow caused by neighboring plants or the house wall. As a houseplant, the stone rose feels best on the south-facing window sill.
How should the houseleek overwinter in the pot?
Planted houseleeks are hardy to - 35° Celsius. In the limited substrate volume of planters, winter hardiness reaches its limits at - 5° Celsius. You can overwinter a houseleek in a pot either outside or inside. How to do it right:
- Outside: Cover the pot with fleece and place it on wood, cover the leaf rosettes with straw or brushwood.
- Inside: houseleek bright and cool tempered hibernate at 5° to 8° Celsius.
- Winter care: do not fertilize, do not water or water very sparingly.
When and how should I repot a houseleek?
Two occasions make it necessary to repot a houseleek. If the leaf rosettes collide with the edge of the pot or are already overhanging, the houseleek wants a larger container. Once the Sempervivum has flowered, the mother rosette dies. Previously, numerous rosette offshoots have formed, which in the new, larger pot with fresh succulent soil keep growing. You can reuse the drainage material after cleaning. The best time is in spring.
Tip
Houseleek is open to pot experiments
Houseleek is the floral ace up your sleeve for extravagant planting ideas. The hardy thick-leafed plant thrives in pots beyond the conventional notions of traditional plant pots. The stone rose has already been spotted in antique bathtubs, rustic wash tubs, traditional galoshes and rustic wooden wheelbarrows. Planted with a colorful houseleek composition, great-grandmothers have had their day Chair a sensational second life in the trendy shabby look.
