How to Care for a Plant Called Sedum
Sedums, commonly called stonecrops, are succulent flowering plants that come in many different varieties. Depending on the variety, sedums bloom in white, yellow, gold, pink or red, and grow either low to the ground and less than 2 inches tall or grow 2 feet tall or larger. Commonly used in perennial flower beds or borders, sedums are easy to grow and care for. Most sedums can grow outdoors in nearly any climate, from hotter regions to areas where winter temperatures can dip down to -45 degrees F. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden hose or watering can
- Organic compost
- Bark or wood chip mulch
- Pruning shears
- Shovel or garden trowel
Instructions
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Water your sedums deeply once per week during the summer months when rainfall is less than 1 inch. Soak the soil around the sedums, ensuring that the water is draining freely throughout the soil.
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Spread a 1/2-inch thick layer of organic compost on the ground around the base of the sedum once each year in the spring. On top, spread a 2-inch thick layer of bark or wood chip mulch to retain soil moisture and prevent weeds.
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Cut the sedums' stems back to 1 to 2 inches above the ground level each year after the first hard, killing frost in fall or early winter.
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Divide the sedums once every three to four years in the spring. Dig up the sedums from the ground and separate them into clumps, replanting each clump separately.
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Tips & Warnings
Plant your sedums in well-draining soil that never becomes soggy or waterlogged. Choose a planting site that receives full, direct sunlight to partial sun. Plant your sedums in spring, mixing into the soil some organic compost at the time of planting.
Don't overwater your sedums or plant them where soil doesn't drain well. Sedums are susceptible to fungal diseases, the main cause of sedums' death.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sedum image by Kimberly Wickerink from Fotolia.com
