Doctor Houseleeks, can you tell me if it is okay to just pull heuffelii apart instead of cutting through the root? Most of mine are easily separated by tugging them apart which leaves each rosette with a part of the root. I do have a few that I can see I will have to cut apart though.

Lynn, You got me with that one.

I would think it would not matter too much how you separate them, as long as you give the divisions some time to callous over the wound before planting. As I see it, however, there are likely some pros and cons to how you divide them, which might apply to individual situations.

By pulling apart:

Pro: Should tend to follow natural growth patterns in the plant.
Pro: No risk of cutting oneself with the knife.
Con: Expect that the irregular tear would expose more of the plant and root's divided surface to possible infection because of the increased surface area of the division (due to it being an irregular tear)
Con: Possible risk of greater damage to plant and divisions, due to forces being applied to more of the plant structure during the tearing. The knife wound would be more focused on a smaller part of the plant.

By cutting:

Pro: Better control of lines of division, assuring more equal allocation of roots to rosettes.
Con: Leaves get cut by the knife, sometimes not anticipated. Typically not a problem unless the rosette is very small.
Con: If dividing multiple plants, greater possibility of disease or genetic material transfer between plants if knife is not properly sanitize between plants (because of the physical contact with the knife).

That's how I see it, but remember that I have not tried the tearing method. A lot might depend on the size and health of the cluster, as well as the size of the rosettes involved.

-t

Thank you Dr. Houseleeks. I still have some to separate. Maybe I will do a photo session of the process so we can better understand what is going on. I will try to do that tomorrow. Maybe it was just a fluke that they came apart so easily.

Eventually you are going to kill some, whether you tear or cut with a knife. Not to worry, as long as you make sure you have backups and the rosettes are not too small.

Got it. I will keep all of this in mind when separating them.

Sure glad I found this again...needed the info.

How long do I let the cuts dry before planting?

I would say until the cut area is completely dry. Then water sparingly. Kind of like what you do when you cut a potato into pieces for planting. : ) Just don't eat the heuffelii.

I'll try not to eat it... Thanks Lynn and I also checked out Jacki site for information, so maybe I'll not kill too many.
She has some great info on her site!

Jacki is very knowledgeable on the subject. I love reading through her web site.
Come to think of it I haven't seen her here for awhile. Hope she is okay.

I was thinking about her this morning too. Jackie, yoohoo, where are you?

I hope she is okay. Maybe she is just really busy with all the projects she has going.

I am really excited about the contest she has going over on her web site. Hope you all are using this winter weather to plan your entry for her Container Contest. She has some awesome prizes. http://www.drought-smart-plant...
While there check out all the great information on her site.

I enjoy her site too! I haven't had time to think about containers yet.....I'm just waiting to see my semps again!

We got about 5" of wet, heavy snow this morning. Couldn't drive over 30 MPH on my way to work. Had 2 different vehicles spin out in front of me. Nerve wracking drive. Now it's supposed to turn to rain/freezing rain. Will be a long drive home tonight too.

Just be careful Chris. May your trip home be uneventful.

Looks like I will be able to separate some of my heuffelii later this spring. Most are doing very well. The only ones struggling are the ones planted late in the growing season, and ones that were very tiny singles last year.
Please excuse the dirt and mud, we have had some pretty hard rains that have splashed dirt up onto the plants. Now that is some kind of rain.
---Beaver 3/6/2011---Bronze Ingot 3 6 2011-Goldrand 3/6/2011

Beaver looks very nice. Save one for me when we trade >*<Please>*<

It's yours John. Here's a link for you to add things to. http://cubits.org/sedumandsemp...

Linda, I just found this on the internet, about dividing heuffelii.

When you have separated the pieces, place them somewhere in a bright and ventilated area to dry. If they are not placed in a dry and ventilated area, there is a good possibility that they will begin to rot. I prefer leaving them for several days until the cut area is quite dry. If you are not sure whether they are dry enough, it is probably best to wait a few more days. At this point you can repot into containers, however, water should be withheld until you can see that the plants have begun to produce new roots.

Seems to me twit gave similar information somewhere here in one of the threads. Good sound advice. : )

I hope Jacki's okay too! I noticed she hadn't posted and then I thought maybe she was starting to get busy with her plants. She probably still has snow, so now I'm concerned.

Your plants are looking great Lynn. I received my order from SMG and I split them up. Thank you for the info. Is it normal for them to feel spongy? I just planted them because they looked swiveled up and like an old person's skin (that be my skin... ). I hope they make it. Honestly, some of them didn't look so well when they arrived.

Be safe Chris...I would hate to drive in what you do every day.

Linda, I would write or call SMG and ask them about the condition of them. Is it heuffs or semps? I don't think they should feel spongy, or be shriveled. They may be just fine but it would be better to question them about it. That way if they don't make it they will replace them. Can you take some photos Linda so we can see what their condition looks like?

Has anyone heard from Jacki lately? I know she has been busy with her website, doing lots of great new things over there.

I've already planted all of them, so you won't be able to see the condition under the plant. They did send me a lot of each one. I was very surprised. They sent clumps of heuf's and I split them up and let them dry before planting. I did find some mold on a couple of the plants. I cleaned them up, so we'll see how they do. They looked like they had been out of the ground longer than I would expect. The heuff's can be rough...those points on the leaf ends hurt.