Hey all,
As my semps grow I noticed different behaviors that I was curious about.
Are there any specific causes as to why leaves on a semp rosette open wide or close tightly? I've got some that are the same varieties, the same size, in the same soil, light, water etc. yet some are open and some are closed.
I've noticed it mainly on Silverine and Ruby Heart.

Also, how tenacious of diggers are the roots of semp chicks? I use pea pebbles and Alabama sunset (larger rocks) for mulch. What would be a safe maximum thickness of mulch that they could still burrow through?

Thanks for any help,
J.C.

I use about 1inch as the top dressing - to start with, but as things settle I reapply as needed and then stop paying attention to depth, and it can get several inches deep, but I'm using the smallest chicken grit (size1)
I think they will just push it out of the way!

Not sure about why some semps behave differently from others. But have noticed that...also JC if you have semps in full sun - I've noticed for the first summer, I did have to protect the young or newly planted semps.
I just use anything that creates some shade for the specific plant, like larger rocks or pieces of slate, rather than covering the whole bed...since all your semps are new, you may want to figure something out to provide them some coverage from the hottest sunshine of the day. I know it says semps are full sun, I feel that mine do better in mixed, with afternoon shade.

Thanks, I really should come up with a way to shade some of the tiny ones. The sun will be totally brutal soon...

I just started to put the plastic planter pots upside down over the individual new plants that aren't settled into the bed yet and need extra protection. The pots already have drainage holes on the bottom for ventilation and I always have a bunch of them from buying plants from the nursery. When sun moves away from the bed, I uncover and when bed is exposed I put them back over the new plants.

Bev that's a great idea! Never thought of doing that!!
JC the reason I brought up about the sun is that it could be one of the factors in why the plants aren't opening up. I have noticed it can be pretty individual as to how each specific clone reacts to things! Also if its warming up, don't forget to water, if your plants are growing then they would like regular watering, just not too much at a time! (my 2 cents!)

JC, forgot to mention that the black empty pots may retain too much heat so I try to use the green or brown pots...

yeah, ya probably don't wanna steam bath the poor things!

That's a great idea Bev, thanks!

J. C., can you take a couple of photos for us, that way we might come up with more answers to your question.
I am such a visual person, so not sure I am picturing what you see in your semps.

After help from Greg and doing additional research, I believe the constricted rosettes are caused by too much brutal sun. Although I still can't explain why some are affected and others aren't when they are the same in every other way.

It could be that the closed ones are not developing roots as quickly.

I noticed if you put something over them to restrict light they grow abnormal and fast to try to get to the sun ,like rhubarb..

I kinda feel sorry for them...

'Silverine' and 'Ruby Heart' have some wulfenii blood in them which tends to make them more "lotus formed" than many others. This might be accentuated in a bit of shade as well.

Kevin

Thanks, that's a great point that I had overlooked as well!
And I guess you would know, wouldn't you...