Just observing closely my summer dormant succulents. Now that I am more informed and more aware which ones they are, I try to leave them alone, and not get too antsy seeing them get that withered look.

Aeoniums - semi-dormant keeping its tighter rosettes, as it drops off the longer leaves it had during the cold season..and neck getting longer as it goes.




Coreopsis gigantea


Senecio articulatus


Senecio anteuphorbium


Augrabie Hills - Albuca species - well, this one am not really sure what it likes yet, but it seems it is dormant right now.

Some of the dormant succulents are slowly waking up now. Having a few days of warm low 80's temps seems to wake them up:

Aeonium


Senecio anteuphorbium


Faucaria

Very cool, TY for sharing!

Summer time over...Fall season in full swing! And more succulents on wake up mode.

Senecio articulatus, leaves now sprouting:



Senecio anteuphorbium, just this particular stem is decking itself as well with leaves:


Oscularia caulescens cutting taken early this year, awake and has new growth at the tips:


Mommy plant is doing the same, new growth at the tips:


Euphorbia tithymaloides, well, not really dormant during summer, but more leaves now showing as well up and down the crooked stem: Some leaves though have reverted to green..while others stayed variegated.

Finally getting around to chopping off overgrown Aeoniums. I was advised at my favorite succulent nursery to wait till Fall, when the Aeoniums are actively growing again.

So a final photo before chopping the rosettes: my first time to chop off that big Aeonium head.



the long goose neck...seems right area to chop from there..


the deed is done now! I do not know if the segmented lower stems will try to root or grow new rosettes....more experimenting later:
That big Aeonium head took several whacks before it finally got cut off, very stiff and hard neck that is, and quite heavy too. Makes me admire how much balance and support this plant gave to keep it from totally toppling over from its container. I have applied some cinnamon on all the cut off ends.


I still have to redo this container, I will do it tomorrow. Will give the lower half of the plant some adjusting, before I go yanking them out again. Anyways, the upper rosettes still have to dry a bit and heal, before I can stick them back to soil.

Have moved the aeonium rosette cuttings into another area..keeping them upright while drying off


Thankfully our forecast is just a-okay!

The cut stems still rooted in the soil and pot will have multiple rosettes forming near where the cut was made. I have had as many as 12 new baby "heads" appear. But not sure how weather will affect the speed at which these rosettes will appear. I think I had brought them inside when I had done the cutting a few years back. Congrats on taking those steps to "cut" or what I call "lopping off the head"

That's good to know Bev!

It felt nerve-wracking cutting off those heads...especially the big one..that stem was really stiff, like bamboo! The smaller ones are easy enough to cut. Tomorrow will be another gardening day for me! Have to put that Big Aeonium with another type , my Aeonium hierrense - this one branches out easily. The big one is a little more reticent.

Senecio articulatus improves with more growth and leaves. Really loves this Fall cool down.
I have unfortunately accidentally knocked off one of the new growths when I moved it to shelter before the Halloween rains, so I have stuck the cutting on the lower right side (first photo)..not sure if it will try to make roots from those..have never tried it that way. So that is another thing to observe later on.

Photos of Aeonium as it wakes up..this was the part that got naturally cut off and fell early this Spring, and I just stuck in soil while waiting for more active growth this Fall: too bad, it was the stem with potential blooms.
Got broken due to its heavy and elongated top last April 2014


temporary repot into separate container:


Status in Oct of same cuttings: as it slowly wakes up



This November: no more burgundy color..just all green rosettes and longer leaves: the unopened blooms stalk just fizzled out. Other stem parts still like sticks..no new growth..will just wait a little more if it will try to make any new growth.

Woohoo! The bare stick cuttings of my Aeonium arboreum last April 2014 is now showing some new growth

How neat is that!

Guess you just have to BELIEVE in life after .......... I would have tossed it as a lost cause.
Good Job Tarev. So they were dormant for summer?

Thanks Bev and Marilyn!

Yes, aeoniums go semi-dormant during summer here and I was really not sure if these bare cut off stems will really make it. The other time I chopped off a stem nothing grew afterwards. So glad these ones are true fighters. My hope is rekindled, I still have some newly chopped stems from another repot a couple days ago waiting to be planted as well.

Looks good Tarev!!

I've been misting and watering my aeoniums more than last year, and so far they are maintaining their leaves - its so exciting!!

That is true, the aeoniums keep their leaves but they go in cycles, dropping their winter to spring outer leaves as the long hot summers come, keeping only what it needs to endure the hot season, so the rosettes are smaller and more compact. I still water them sparingly in summer, just enough for it to have something to drink.

But I like the arrival of cooler Fall temps as it wakes up and some color transitions from burgundy to yellow green then back to burgundy, depending which cultivar it is, as the cold season continues to head on. And Mother Nature takes over watering

Pretty much succulents with rosettes does it..so I have learned not to get worried when there is some leaf drop, they are just shedding older outer leaves. But I still have to feel more confident chopping off the rosettes as needed to maintain a shorter stem, but I am slowly doing it now..baby steps...and learning the right timing to do it.

Still waiting for Coreopsis gigantea to wake up from its summer slumber:

I feel like yelling at it to WAAAKE UUUPPPP! sick of looking at this barren stick for over three months!


Hopefully it is not dead yet

Just taking more photos of my aeonium cuttings..fared well after our three days of on and off rains..loves it!


And apparently the portion that used to have the unsuccessful flower heads, which I thought fizzled out..lower part is still alive and has some new growth popping out too:


Even mommy plant enjoyed the rains a lot!


Also took some photos of this Echeveria elegans a couple of days ago..my tags got blurred..so forgot which one this is blue or red..anyways..it is growing quite tall, leggy, so tempting to cut that rosette and do like what I did to the Aeonium...however..I saw a tiny rosette has already formed at the lower portion of the stem. So I will leave it be for now.

Love that echeveria!!