Cultivate rosette succulent, Aeonium arboreum

If you want floral variety on the creative windowsill, you can’t get past the rosette thick leaf. The distinctively branched semi-shrub impresses with succulent, terminal rosettes in beautiful shades of purple to dark red-brown and dainty yellow flowers. Equipped with the potential for stem formation, the Mediterranean plants contrast impressively with the classic potted plants on the domestic flower bench. Since thick-leaf plants are generally considered undemanding and undemanding, they easily rank among the indoor plants suitable for beginners. Read here how Aeonium arboreum is to be cared for professionally.

Characteristics

  • Plant family: Crassulaceae
  • Name of the species: Rosette thickleaf (Aeonium arboreum)
  • Moderately branching subshrub
  • Native to the Mediterranean region
  • Growth height in cultivation up to 100 cm
  • Succulent leaves in rosette form with a diameter of 10 to 25 cm
  • Green or purple leaves with a smooth surface
  • Yellow inflorescences of oval shape, 10-15 cm in diameter
  • Flowering time from March to June or in late winter
  • Other names: rosette tree

Only at an advanced age can the rosette thick leaf be persuaded to flower. Where this appears, you can look forward to flower spikes up to 20 cm long in various shades of yellow.

location

When choosing a location, you encounter the first attribute that contributes to the popularity of the rosette tree. The majority of classic indoor plants insist on a window seat that is protected from the blazing midday sun. Not so the Aeonium arboreum. In order to unfold its beauty to perfection, it depends on these conditions:

  • Full sun to sunny position, preferably during the midday hours
  • Ideally a place at the south window without any shade
  • At least 4 hours of sunlight a day
  • From May to September preferably on the sun-drenched balcony

The rosette thick leaf achieves its optimum at temperatures of 18 to 25 degrees Celsius. The mercury column for the Mediterranean plant must not fall below 10 degrees Celsius.

Tip: If the rosette tree moves to the terrace or balcony in spring, a phase of acclimatization takes place beforehand. In the first two weeks, the plant stays in the semi-shady to shady location. A little sun in the morning or in the evening gradually prepares the decorative leaves for the blazing sunlight.

pour

To properly care for Aeonium arboreum, the plant is watered moderately. Although the succulent subshrub is tolerant of water quality, we recommend using collected rainwater or decalcified tap water. How to do it right:

  • allow the top layer of soil to dry to a depth of about 2 cm
  • water when thumb test shows a dry surface
  • Give enough water to evenly moisten the inside of the bale
  • Waterlogging must be avoided at all costs

When the first drops of water run out of the bottom opening, stop watering. The water that then accumulates in the coaster is poured off after 15-20 minutes. Optionally, water from below by repeatedly filling the coaster with soft water until nothing is soaked up. With this procedure, it is also important to avoid permanently standing water in the trivet.

humidity

Unlike the vast majority of other houseplants, the rosette succulent tolerates normal to dry indoor air. This means that no special precautions need to be taken to prevent increased humidity, even during the heating period. However, spraying it occasionally with a fine mist of soft water adds to the vitality and beauty of the rosette tree.

Fertilize

The demands on the nutrient supply underpin the undemanding reputation of the rosette tree. To ensure that the Mediterranean shrub does not lack anything, give a commercial liquid fertilizer for succulents every month from March to August. Alternatively, you can use fertilizer granules or sticks for cacti with a long-term effect, which you apply according to the dosage instructions.

To cut

Since an Aeonium arboreum grows very slowly, every new centimeter in height is welcomed with joy. A pruning is therefore unnecessary. Difficult or diseased leaves are plucked out and not cut off, as any leftovers could cause rot. If the exotic houseplant surprises you with one of its rare flowers in spring, cut off the withered inflorescences at the end with sharp, disinfected scissors.

Note : If a shoot breaks off under the rosette load, smooth the break point with a sharp, disinfected knife or razor blade and seal with pure charcoal powder. Place the broken branch in moist succulent soil, where it will take root within a few weeks.

hibernate

In order for the rosette succulent to retain its ornamental stature for many years, it is given a winter break. After the end of the summer outdoor season, the plant enters its well-deserved rest period. This is how maintenance works properly:

  • Set up in a sunny, bright window seat
  • The temperatures oscillate between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius
  • Water only enough to keep the root ball from drying out
  • Don’t fertilize

Avoid a location that is too dark, because that is where the leaves turn green and the shoots wither. If in doubt, a plant lamp compensates for the lack of light during the cold season. Resourceful hobby gardeners place a mirror or another reflective surface behind the rosette tree in order to maximize the yield of sunlight.

From the beginning of March, the amount of irrigation water is gradually increased and the plant moves to a sunny location with warmer temperatures. If a fresh shoot appears, the gift of fertilizer starts again. Initially in a diluted concentration, until the full ration is applied from May.

Tip: The ultimate location for the winter for Aeonium arboreum is in the unheated, light-flooded conservatory. Here the chances are good that the sun-loving plant will keep its dark red leaf color and the shoots will not wither.

repot

In view of the leisurely growth, it takes 2 years and more until the pot is fully rooted. At the latest when the roots look out of the ground opening, it is time to repot the rosette thick leaf. Choose a low-nutrient, well-drained mix for the substrate that is tailored to the needs of succulents. A mix of 60 percent cactus soil and 40 percent lava granules or pumice gravel meets the requirements perfectly. This is how the maintenance measure works:

  • Repot the rosette thick leaf in February/March
  • Peel off withered leaves and cut out rotten roots
  • Spread some potsherds over the opening in the bottom of the new pot for drainage
  • Fill in the recommended substrate half way up
  • Make a depression with your fist to insert the plant in the middle
  • Fill up with substrate while maintaining the previous planting depth and press down firmly

After you have watered the rosette tree moderately, it spends the first 2-3 weeks in a semi-shady place to recover from the stress of moving. Only then does the regenerated houseplant move into its traditional, sunny location. If you have used pre-fertilized substrate, the administration of additional nutrients will start after 6-8 weeks at the earliest.

multiply

In order to grow more specimens of these eye-catching houseplants, the uncomplicated propagation of cuttings comes into focus. To do this, at the beginning of the growing season, cut off top cuttings 3-4 cm long. The interface on the mother plant is immediately sealed with pure charcoal powder so that it does not bleed out there. Proceed as follows with the cuttings:

  • Fill small pots with pricking soil, peat sand or a mix of cactus soil and quartz sand
  • Insert two-thirds of a cutting into each and water from below
  • Provide each growing pot with a transparent hood
  • Place in a partially shaded window seat and keep slightly moist

Within the next 6 to 8 weeks, a vital root system thrives at the interfaces. A first budding signals the successful course. If the growing pot is rooted, repot your youngsters in succulent substrate for an adult rosette thick leaf.

Tip: The rooting of succulent cuttings goes more smoothly if they dry in an airy place for 3 days after cutting.

diseases and pests

While diseases on the rosette tree are extremely rare, some pests do not spare the exotic subshrub. It is primarily the following two genera that can affect a thick sheet:

aphids

If the succulent rosette plant lingers on the balcony in summer, cunning aphids lurk to suck out the leaves and shoots. Therefore, check the leaves daily for the tiny lice that begin their nefarious activities in green, brown, black or creamy white on the upper and lower sides. At the first sign, fight the plague with a tried and tested home remedy. How to do it:

  • Add 15 ml of pure soft soap or curd soap to 1 liter of boiled water and a dash of spirit
  • Apply in a hand-held sprayer to the affected plant and repeat every 2 to 3 days

Since it is easy to overlook the tiny lice, keep an eye out for ants during your rounds. You will always find these insects in the wake of aphids because they are very keen on the honeydew they excrete.

Lubrication and wool lice

Unfortunately, the end of summer and the beginning of winter dormancy does not mean the all-clear for pests on Aeonium arboreum. Aphids are now being replaced by mealybugs and mealybugs , especially under the influence of dry heating air. If you have discovered the white, pink or light brown pests or spotted the typical webs, take the following action:

  • Rinse the plant infested with lice upside down
  • Wipe off the pests with an alcohol-soaked cloth
  • Pour lemon balm spirit into an atomizer to spray the infected plant

If the use of high-proof alcohol for pest control seems too tricky for you, the paraffin oil mixture can be considered as a happy medium. Add 1 tablespoon of paraffin oil and 1 tablespoon of spirit to one liter of soft water. Apply this mix at intervals of 2 days until no more mealybugs and mealybugs can be found.

Note: Fresh substrate is often infected with pest larvae and eggs. Therefore, before use, the succulent soil is sterilized in the oven. Filled into a fireproof bowl, all dangers are eliminated after 30 minutes at 150 degrees top and bottom heat.

Conclusion
With leaf rosettes reminiscent of rose blossoms, Aeonium arboreum creates delightful eye-catchers on the sunny windowsill. The distinctive, Mediterranean rosette tree is considered the ideal houseplant for hobby gardeners who occasionally miss watering. As a succulent, the plant stores water in its fleshy leaves, which also shine beautifully in rich purple to dark reddish brown. The sunnier the location, the more magnificent the color intensity. In addition, the undemanding plant is content with a monthly dose of liquid fertilizer. If the hibernation takes place at a cool 10 to 12 degrees Celsius on the bright window seat, the bizarre spectacle on the window sill and the balcony is repeated for several years.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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