Pacific Knight



I planted this about a week ago, using the method I saw on here that said take a handful of fast draining soil and plop it on the roots and place them it down into the prepared soil bed. It seemed to set up a bit proud at that time but it has sense seemed to stretch up a bit more. I see some wrinkled leaves around the bottom but the crown looks healthy.

I am trying to figure out if it is under or over watered or just right. like baby bear

I have others that are also sitting up like this as well: Suggestions would be appreciated.

Hey there Marilyn!
The semp are arching in response to our heat and extreme sun. Almost every single trade that I get from out of state arches up. They will eventually flatten out. Sometimes it can take up to a year! It appears as if they are just right. Lightly water every other day or so and check the leaves periodically for firmness.

I have moved them all to partial shade as they were frying. now they are just baking in the high temps.
(out of the frying pan into the oven, as it were.)

I have not been watering every day, as I did not want to over water.

Thanks for the info, good to hear from a Colorado perspective as well as the other regions.

They actually don't look bad at all Sis. Sandi's advice is the best for where you are. Like she said, just keep a watch for the leaves getting soft and mushy. If any do that you can gently remove the rotting ones.

Jumping in as well...

Up until about a week or so ago, every semp I've ever seen with leaves pushing the plant up like that were from over watering, but last week I received some plants that I know were very dry. They also showed the same arching, so I think its fair to say that the condition can occur from either situation. It's definitely a sign of stress. Getting the plants out of the sun was a great move. I would advocate misting during the coolest part of the day - be very careful with the watering. I've been getting very good results with misting daily until the soil surface turns dark from dampness, then stopping.

If there is a substantial root on the rosette, be sure it stays in contact with the ground or in the ground. Your planting technique sounds "right on".

I agree with Sandi. It can take a very long time for the leaves to straighten out. Be gentle with the plant and don't try to force the shape back to normal. Wait for the offsets if you need to.

Thanks, patience is not my best subject However I do want to save all my best plants.

Because the bottom leaves looked a bit wrinkled, I was thinking - root rot? I am like a mama with a first baby about these plants.

I really appreciate the advice. I have a mister setting on my hose. Do you suppose that is OK or should I use a spray bottle?

I use a spray bottle myself, but then mine are in pots. It would depend on how much mist you need.

Leaves wrinkle when they die. I've always assumed that a plant too dry will sacrifice older leaves at the bottom/outside of the rosette to keep the inner growing core alive.

Wrinkled could mean rot or dying leaves from too dry. That's why I advocate misting. Misting will usually allow some water to run down the leaves to the base of the plant and wet the top of the soil. However, the medium will dry out rapidly because the deeper soil never gets wet. You are getting some small amount of water to a plant but not a whole lot, so you get to adjust the water/moisture content quickly in case you see rot. A tiny amount of water will keep the plants going, especially if out of the sun.

If out of the sun, and relatively cool, the plants can survive many months without any water.

Can you take another pic on Monday and post it? Watch closely. Rot can spread rapidly but too dry takes a lot longer to kill them. A little time should tell the story.

Will wait until tonight to take the picture. but yes, I will take it. A bit of milder weather is expected today.

The clouds rolled in so I took a couple of shots in partially cloudy ----



Used a spray bottle to wet the ground earlier.

Looking good Sis.

Keep them out of direct sun until next spring.

Thanks, I will keep them in shade and will mist them when it does not rain and will do as all of you experts suggest., and wait until next year....

Thank you all for or the encouragement.

Next spring seems a long time coming and then spring even more so..

and I will have times of worry as the months pass and we look again into winter and all the challenges that will bring in keeping them alive.

I know I will have more questions. Thank you for helping me to become a good caretaker of these lovely little gifts of nature.

They bring joy into our lives. (a bit melodramatic but sincere none the less)

I do not see much change between the pics, so I think they will be OK for you. It does not look like active rot. Winter should not be much of a problem for them in Z6 unless you get no snow cover and lots of drying winds. They like the cold, as long as its not really, really cold.

Thanks, of course we do sometimes get those winter winds and extreme cold but not always. I did pick up a small standing greenhouse of about 19 x 27 x 63 inches tall and will put my most vulnerable plants in there if the deep freeze threatens.

Thanks to you all..

I had some browning & die-back on the lowest leaves on several new semps, and I finally realized it was mostly happening in a couple of containers where I hadn't mulched with sand. I think the lower leaves were just getting too wet (we were having rain that week) from contact with the potting mix, even though it was a fast-draining mix (half builder's sand, half pro-mix). So, you might try a quarter inch of builder's sand (not play sand, you want coarse brown sand or tiny gravel) and see if that helps. I also water mine very lightly any time I pass with the hose, and they're rooted in well now.

I also put the most stressed plants out of direct sun, and they're doing better.

See? :-)