Help!!

One of my semps that is a single rosette has decided it wants to bloom. And it has zero offsets.

I know we talked about this before. Where should I whack it off and what kind of exposure and treatment should I give it after said whacking?

Per Lynn's request, here are photos of said plant.

Before Whacking!


After Whacking!


After Whacking from Above!

Hi Melissa,

I tried this with my only 2 plants of 'Tristesse' a couple of weeks ago (as you know). I had a look yesterday and there is 'something' happening. As I have two identical plants, I have one outside in full sun with all my others. And the other I have keep slightly shaded and it has had 2 good liquid feeds of high nitrogen to try to stimulate growth.

Too early to tell yet but something is growing. I cut mine as low as I dared - about 3 rings of leaves above the base? I believe if you don't cut low enough it will just cause new flower buds to form.

Good luck!

Thanks Pic! I am going to give it a shot. What do I have to lose? The darn thing is gonna bloom and croak no matter what I do to it. I just wanna make it pup first!

Pictish, on which 'Tristesse' is something happening, the one in the sun or the one in the shade? I did surgery on my giant 'Raspberry Ice, guessed at leaving 3 rings of leaves, and put it in part shade as has been recommended (my instinct tells me to leave it in sun), so far no signs of anything "happening" yet, although it hasn't been long since the surgery. Do let us know if you have some confirmed results

I split this into a new thread just for photos and information on the surgical procedure for a blooming rosette.
Melissa, can you take before surgery and after surgery photos and add them to your first post?

MelissaHopper said:... Where should I whack it off and what kind of exposure and treatment should I give it after said whacking?

I forgot to photograph the point at which I cut off the stalk. And I can't tell you anything too general regarding how and what kind of exposure and treatment but here's my experience:

webesemps said:Hiya Tim, here's a semp that obviously is blooming but I wanted to show you where I cut which was right where the bloom stem starts after a good set of regular leaves. I left a smidgen of stem where I thought the offsets would form but there are exceptions....


Here's when I caught the bloom stalk in an earlier stage than the above and you can see after cutting the stalk the progression of the offsets to come:

Sept:


Oct


Nov

Great photos Bev.

Very informative thread, and Bev, excellent progress photos, I took note that you left a smidgen of stem, that might be advisable. Returning to my example with 'Raspberry Ice', wish that I had left a stub of stem at the top.

Regardless, I took a close look at my surgical patient today, hasn't been all that long since surgery (merely 10 days ago), and lo and behold, there are the tiniest growth points showing up at the incision level, and under the top low of leaves. Only the size of pin-pricks at the moment, but I'm very happy to see them nonetheless. That gives me courage to try the procedure on two other large single rosettes that I'm apt to lose otherwise.

'Raspberry Ice' growth points at the incision point of stem, close-up view on right.


'Raspberry Ice', lifting up top leaves I find each has tiny growth points showing, here's one. Lifting up a leaf I broke one leaf off, oh well, at least I know they're starting.

There is still hope. Watch the new growth for any signs of coning on the offsets and remove them.

I have added photos to my original post and will be keeping a sharp eye on this one to see if anything happens.

I also noticed that my Aglow is going to totally bloom out without producing a baby. I got this one last summer from a local nursery and it was a very mature plant. Let that be a lesson to me. The nice, big, pretty ones are the ones that bloom out on you. I am going to go ahead and let it bloom and enter it in our local county fair. It should make a nice display.

Melissa, I looked at your update, and I can see the label in the third photo that it is Semp 'Happy'. Good surgery done there, but I suspect your plant is not 'Happy'...hmm, let me phrase that another way, I believe it is a NOID. My 'Happy' from Perennial Obsessions looks very different.
Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum 'Happy')

The first photo looks like a somewhat etiolated 'Happy'.

I just looked at PO site and theirs looks correct also. https://perennialobsessions.co...

We need JoAnn (Ricos) to chime in on this one. I got my Happy from her at Kevin's clinic back in April.

Some of my work from today.

Before

After


Before

After


Before

After
----

Chad, you had a tough day in surgery! If I had 'Aymon Correvon' flowering, I'd eagerly use it for hybridization What cultivar is the first one? Very neat looking amputation, may your semp hospital patients be fruitful and make chicks.

For those who post here, let's show follow ups with any positive results.

@AntMan01, I'm not sure what that first one is. I seemed to have lost the label over time. I could probably go back and check my notes to see because I'm almost 100% sure it's one I got from Greg.
I'm also glad I got 2 more Aymon because it's one I was excited to purchase from Youngs when they listed it.
I haven't had much luck in the past when I tried to stop mine from flowering and trying to get some new offsets but I'm glad to say I haven't had a whole lot flower since I've been doing this. Probably somewhere between 5 and 10 total.

Nice work Chad.

@AntMan01, I believe that one in the picture you asked about is Strider. When I looked at my old orders, that's what it needs to be marked but for some reason, I didn't keep the label with it or I got sidetracked in the process.

Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum 'Strider')

Here is my update of my severed 'Tristesse'



Not much to see (it's better if you click on the photo) but there are signs of growth at about 2 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. Here is what it looked like just after cutting.



The plant is obviously doing 'something' - maybe the leaves have covered over the cut stem to protect the new rosettes? Nature has a way of looking after things.

Antman - both plants look the same (remember I have two identical plants), both have tiny buds, no sign of the sun/shade/high N differences making any errr.... difference!

Those are all looking good! I have gotten to the point where I let the plant get a bit of stalk, then use my fingers and twist the top off, it seems to work fine...I've had so many about to bloom it is a bit surprising!! Anyway I'll post updates as they occur!
Chad your Strider looks like a correct plant - which means you didn't get it from me! It looks nice though and your surgery will probably work!