Cultivate hot stonecrop, stonecrop, sedum acre properly

The hot stonecrop Sedum acre belongs to the succulent plants and grows perennial, creeping and herbaceous. The name hot stonecrop comes from the pungent taste you get when you chew the leaves. Its succulent leaves are ovate with a mostly reddish-brown color. Many small, vertically growing short shoots are typical of this plant. It can reach heights of growth between 10 and 15 cm. The fivefold golden yellow flowers are arranged in a star shape. So-called follicles later develop from the flowers, which in turn contain the seeds.

Plant

Before planting, dig a spacious planting hole and thoroughly loosen the soil in the planting area. Heavy soils are loosened up with plenty of coarse sand. Now you can plant the sedum so deep that the surface of the root ball is slightly below ground level. Then fill up with soil, press it down and water the whole thing.

location and soil

Hot stonecrop thrives best in full sun to sunny locations. If possible, it should not be overgrown by larger plants, so that it gets enough sun, can spread well and form dense cushions. He tolerates shade only for a short time and only with dry feet. A planting density of about nine plants per square meter is recommended. In addition to rock gardens, you can also plant or decorate dry stone walls, wall cracks, gravel paths or gravel roofs with this sedum plant. greening.

The soil should be highly permeable, moderately moist to dry, low in nitrogen and nutrients and calcareous. Sandy-gravelly soils and a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 are optimal for these succulents. Heavy or very loamy soils can be made more permeable by adding fine gravel or sand. Permanently wet soils or peat soils are unsuitable. Since this plant is very drought tolerant, it is also very suitable for cultivation in pots or tubs. A loamy potting soil is recommended here, mixed with fine gravel to make it looser and more permeable.

watering and fertilizing

The frequency of watering and the amount of water depends on the location. While specimens planted out in the bed are usually only watered during longer periods of drought If you have potted plants, you can dry out the soil between the individual waterings permit. Plants that are only sitting on or between stones or walls should be watered regularly.

The nutrient requirement of this plant is also relatively low. Despite everything, she can't do without it either. Accordingly, you should administer a liquid complete fertilizer in half the concentration with the irrigation water about once a month during growth.

Repot plants in tubs

Sedum acre is a robust bedding plant that also feels at home in a pot or tub. Here, too, she prefers ambient temperatures between 18 and 28 degrees. Due to its strong growth, it is advisable to repot the stonecrop into a slightly larger but rather flat and wide container every year or at least every two years.

The best time for this is spring. Carefully remove the plant in question from the pot and shake off the loose soil. Then you put enough drainage material in the pot to prevent waterlogging and place the stonecrop on top. Then you water the plant and put it in a bright spot with several hours of sun per day.

Hibernation and pruning

• The sedum plant rests between November and February.
• Sedum acre is hardy down to -20 degrees in well drained soil.
• Then they usually do not need any protection.
• There are also varieties that should overwinter frost-free at 10 degrees.
• These cool temperatures are important for flowering next year.
• Watering should be almost stopped in winter.
• The substrate must be kept almost dry.
• It is not until March that you water a little more again.
• When sprouting begins, fertilizer is applied again.
• A pruning of the sedum is not absolutely necessary.
• Nevertheless, one should cut off withered flowers and stems after flowering.

multiply

sowing

For the propagation of this succulent you can buy ready-made young plants in the garden trade or sow them, whereby they also self-sow very well. Sowing should preferably be done in spring. The seeds are spread over the area in question and as soon as the young seedlings are about 5-10 cm tall, they can be isolated and transplanted about 20cm apart from each other or other plants so they have enough room to spread can.

cuttings

Garden shops offer young shoots a few centimeters long for propagation by cuttings then only has to spread to the bed in question, where they usually do in a relatively short time root. But you can also pull cuttings yourself, which you can cut in spring or summer, because this is when they root best.

You cut approx. 4-5 cm long shoots and let the interfaces dry for about a day. Then you can put them in a moderately moist substrate, for example made of sharp sand and peat in equal parts, or directly in the bed. Freshly set cuttings in the pot are placed in a bright place and only watered so much that the substrate remains slightly moist. After about 3-4 weeks the first roots have formed. After another 2-3 weeks, the young seedlings can be transplanted if necessary.

Split

Division is the simplest form of propagation and also serves to rejuvenate older plants. First, carefully lift the plant out of the ground and remove the loose soil from the root ball. Then you divide them with a sharp knife or simply pull them apart with your hands so that you get several pieces. If necessary, dead plant and root parts are now removed and the individual sections are planted in their final place in the garden or pot with the appropriate planting distances.

diseases and pests

root rot

Root rot is usually the result of too much moisture, be it from too frequent watering or a site that envies waterlogging. If root rot is detected, it is usually too late. The affected plants can often no longer be saved and can only be removed.

Mealybugs and mealybugs

An infestation with mealybugs or mealybugs mainly occurs during the winter in the house. They can be recognized by the white cotton-like webs on the leaves and leaf axils. This can be remedied by natural predators such as ladybird larvae or suitable insecticides from specialist shops in the form of sprays, sticks, sticks or granules.

snails

Planted specimens of the stonecrop can be damaged by slugs. Animals attached to the plant should be read again and again. Commercially available slug pellets can be spread around the endangered plants to ward off the slimy pests. Sawdust should also deter snails, provided they are distributed in a wide strip around the plants and the whole thing is renewed every now and then. The layer of sawdust should not be applied too thinly.

particularities

The hot stonecrop contains various alkaloids in all parts of the plant, but only in small amounts. These alkaloids are responsible for the pungent taste here and chewing the leaves can cause irritation of the mucous membranes and nausea or dizziness. cause nausea. It becomes dangerous with higher doses, in the worst case it can lead to respiratory paralysis. However, fatal poisoning from this plant is rather rare.

Conclusion

Over the years, the hot stonecrop forms dense, bright yellow carpets of flowers, which are not only a real eye-catcher in the cottage garden. And all this without much effort, because Sedum acre is very robust and easy to care for. Even when it comes to wintering, this plant does not make any special demands. It self-propagates from seed, but can also be easily propagated from cuttings or division, rooting and growing relatively quickly.

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