valleylynn said:Hi PhoenixFire, and welcome. What are your growing conditions for 'Ruby Heart'? Can you give us some background on where you live?
I see what looks like offsets starting between the leaves.

This plant has been growing in an urn-shaped pot since I got it a year ago. Last summer I pulled 5 chicks off it, and they are all growing nicely in their own pots. I live in Pennsylvania (6b). The plant overwintered in my unheated, south-facing, enclosed porch. There does seem to be a couple chicks forming towards the bottom leaves, but what you see in the photo looks like very small leaves forming. I suspect this plant may bloom, but time will tell. Here is a picture of it last October, right before I took it in for the winter.

Bobbie Jo, can you take a close up, down low photo of the short leaves that are forming? And a shot straight down into the center of the rosette? The large size and odd placement of new leaf growth probably is pointing to blooming.

valleylynn said:Bobbie Jo, can you take a close up, down low photo of the short leaves that are forming? And a shot straight down into the center of the rosette? The large size and odd placement of new leaf growth probably is pointing to blooming.

I was thinking the same thing. And those "chicks" might be additional bloom stalks as well. No worries though! I still have 4 nice sized chicks from last summer, and one has quite a few chicks of its own on it (last pic). I gave the 5th one to a friend who is absolutely thrilled with hers.

Bobbie Jo, from your new photos it is difficult to tell if the rosette will bloom this year. Maybe it won't bloom until later in this growing season?
I see it is still wanting to put out what looks to be a normal offset.
Enjoy the bloom when it comes. Hope you share a photo of it.

Bobbie Jo,
Normally if they are setting fresh chicks they won't bloom the same season. I agree with Lynn that there is a possibility towards the end of the summer, but generally it's either chicks or blooms. Though it's not common, occasionally one will try to do both. That always looks a-mess because the little chicks will sometimes try to bloom also, producing a single flower and/or a few mutated ones and elongating in all directions. I doubt that will happen to your plant though.
-Sol

Thank you, Lynn and Sol! I'll be sure to keep you updated. What a lovely place this forum is, and I'm happy I found it.

GeologicalForms said:Bobbie Jo,
Normally if they are setting fresh chicks they won't bloom the same season. I agree with Lynn that there is a possibility towards the end of the summer, but generally it's either chicks or blooms. Though it's not common, occasionally one will try to do both. That always looks a-mess because the little chicks will sometimes try to bloom also, producing a single flower and/or a few mutated ones and elongating in all directions. I doubt that will happen to your plant though.
-Sol

I have noticed that if a chick decides to bloom for the start of the season that will generally not put any chick.
Using that I kind of figured out those that are going to bloom.

There is the situation in which a hen produced 5 chicks towards the fall? Next summer the hen bloomed and the next year all the 5 chicks bloomed without putting any offsets.
I wonder if the stolons still being connected to the hen makes a difference for those cultivars.

Bobbie Jo, I am happy you found us. It is such a wonderful environment in which to learn and share.

Paleo, I cut stolons from the blooming rosette as soon as I see signs that it is going to bloom. When I don't do that, in most cases the offsets also tend to bloom the same year, or following spring. It happened with 'Persephone' and 'Generaal'.

valleylynn said:Bobbie Jo, I am happy you found us. It is such a wonderful environment in which to learn and share.

Paleo, I cut stolons from the blooming rosette as soon as I see signs that it is going to bloom. When I don't do that, in most cases the offsets also tend to bloom the same year, or following spring. It happened with 'Persephone' and 'Generaal'.

Good, I am going to do the same, I have only done it on a couple of times.

Just a moment ago I cut the stolons on Gele Komeet, this year's chicks on the hen transformed into blooms, last year's haven't.

Paleo,
I do the same thing Lynn does if I have a rare/low quantity of a variety and it begins to flower I lop the stolons as soon as I see the rosette begin to cone. My theory is that the bloom hormone transfers through the active stolon causing those little blooms, where an older stolon which is hard or dead is far less likely to do this.
-Sol

Beautiful! Do you happen to know the variety of this semp?

Rido said: Sorry. I am cheating. I took this picture at a local nursery other day. Semp. was in 6" nursery pot and outgrown its own pot a couple inches from each side. It was the largest sempervivum I have ever seen in flesh.



Ridvan

Can someone please tell me what variety of semp this is? I've been trying to figure it out what this big beauty is for MONTHS and it's kinda driving me batty!! Thanks in advance!

Kjjrmom, welcome.
Sorry to say I can't give you a name for that lovely semps. There are thousands of named cultivars, most changing colors with the seasons and growing conditions. They best thing to do is look through the database and find one that looks similar and buy it if that is the look you want.
Hope this was helpful.