Greetings, everyone!
I recently purchased three semps from MCG ('Neptune', 'Quintessence', 'Pinkerine') to add to my collection of succulents and I'm pretty excited to finally try my hand at growing them!
I've had much success with my other plants so I'm hoping it will be the same with semps, that's why I'm reading and learning as much as I can before they arrive. I've already done a fair share of reading on this forum as well as a myriad of other sites and have learned quite a bit thanks to all you fine folks in the semp community but I was hoping I could still pick y'alls brains for any tips and tricks - tried and true or more personalized - you may have to encourage optimal growth here in Austin, Tx, zone 8b?
I mostly grow indoor but I've a small collection of outdoor plants, mainly Sedum and Senecio.. My semps will be with them, growing in my south facing backyard. I have a 70% shade cloth geared up for when the summer comes... It's a little more muggy this year but we still get our days of low humidity (20-30%). Weather can be pretty wacky here at any given time of the year.
Any advice for providing them with the utmost care given my zone will be greatly appreciated!

Hi Cor. Nice to meet you.
As you may have already read, semps can be difficult in most parts of Texas during the heat of summer.
I would recommend some containers that breath, no glaze or plastic. Use a fast draining mix that contains pumice, use chicken grit/pumice or 1/4" minus to top dress, keeping the underside of the rosettes from sitting on the soil.
I would plant each variety in several different containers so you can place them in different places to test out where you semps will be happiest (filtered sun, morning sun, full sun in winter months, etc.) The containers will be easy to move around until you find the perfect spot for them. Each variety may react different to the different conditions.
I hope this was helpful.

Very helpful, thank you kindly! I'm hoping for the best and plan on doing everything in my power to make sure they live well. Our summers can be rough; last year we only got a handful of triple digits days though. Hoping for another fairly mild summer this year but it being Texas, you can never be so sure. Thanks again for the tips

What is your humidity like during the really hot weather?

On average it hovers around 20-25%. Of course if it has rained that's a different story.
Typically the summers here are on the dryer side with abundant sunshine but it's not unheard of that we get a monsoon summer.
I keep my outdoor plants under cover on our back patio and how they're positioned they never actually get rained on. At most a fine mist. Should I anticipate watering more frequently in the summer if it's our usual dry and sunny?

Cor, you will have to experiment and see how often you would need to water. In the heat you don't want your semps wet. That is why I suggested containers that breath. When you water do it in the cool of the early morning, or when things cool down in the evening. We get quite cool in the evenings here.
Fast draining mix with, coarse sand and pumice added (can be Miracle Grow potting mix, not the one with moisture beads/control). That way they should be able to take up water during the cool mornings and dry out before the heat comes on. The combination of high temps and moisture is what seems to kill them.
I don't think it will take you long to figure out what works.
Let us know what works for you.

Okay, noted about when to water. And about the heat and wet soil I wouldn't have thought of that being an issue so also good to know! Am I understanding correctly that I should not saturate the soil when watering as I do with my other succulents or are there any exceptions to that rule?

I think if your soil is fast draining, and they are planted in a breathable container it wouldn't be a problem. But like your tender types of succulents, they don't need water every day. Lift the pot when the plant is dry, it should feel relatively lite. Then lift the pot after you have watered it. That will give you a way to know when they might need water again. Don't water again until the pot is feeling lite.
In your summer sun they probably won't do well in full sun.

Yeah, I figured about the sun. I've got my shade cloth ready and waiting to help combat it! Last year was the first that I had any of my plants outdoors and minus some minor sunburn because of my own negligence when introducing them to the outdoors, they all fared well because I ended up placing them in a nice partial shade spot with ample airflow. They're now all doing quite well thankfully! This year I invested in a shade cloth so I could extend the area I have my plants in because lo and behold, my collection has grown a bit.
I really appreciate all of the sound advice, I'll be sure to bear all of it in mind when caring for my new babies.
And I'll be sure to update when I have them all set up

Would love to see photos of what you are doing, and your much loved plants.
It is always a challenge when we move and have to learn all over again how to grow things we love.

Lynn, just thinking reading this thread.
Would semps do ok in a screen house , it would be cooler get fitered sun for about 5 hours.
About same as @corber, maybe 25 + miles north of Austin

Ed

Ed that is an interesting thought. And a screened house would also supply a very good air flow.
Have you tried anything like that?

Is that a 32 roadster in your avatar?

Follow up question, @herrwood, did you ever take your car to the lone star roundup or go around the arboretum? I may have seen you at one of those if so either way, great car!

@lynn no have not tried but it gets good sun in the am so I may try a few and see what happens.
Its a 31 Sport coupe.

@corber I purchased the car last year locally so the po may have had the car there.

I had the 32 full fendered roadster when I was in my teens. Cook's Kiddy Car.

Cool car. and nice to see more Texans on here. I chickened out and brought my semps inside last summer, going to try to learn to keep them out this year. Will be following the thread

@Gypse, thanks for car comment, I recently moved to Texas and have learned semps do not look the real hot summer here. I will have to get more creative this summer.

I put mine in the AC in the house this summer and bought super lights to keep them and my succulents going. I think this might be known as cheating. I'm in North Texas

I think that's more resourceful than anything. Nothing wrong with finding ways to make it work and helping our plants live their best lives

I had already killed off about half of my semps and succulents before I got either desperate or determined. They aren't houseplants, I left them in all winter up until a couple of weeks ago. Then I put them outside with a squirrel cover and wished them luck. My succulents are still inside, they don't tolerate freezing, at least most of mine don't