Is it normal for the momma plant to die while the. Little chicks re tiny?



I don't see this plant too often in our area. So I kept this on a part shade area but I checked this morning, momma plant is turning brown and mushy. Not sure the chicks will survive but they look healthy.

The hen usually dies only after flowering. They like full sun with some shade during the hottest part of the day. Usually when they get mushy its a sign of rot. They prefer to be on the dry side. Lots of humidity can be hard on them. That's probably why you don't see them often in Florida.

You can try to remove it from the soil, remove the mushy leaves and let it dry out a few days before replanting. You might be able to save it.

Thanks Chris! I will try to do that.

Good luck!

I have heard that if you plant them outside, ideally they should be on a mound so water can run off and not keep them wet. Mine do pretty good doing it that way, but i did have some die-off over the winter. I guess I didn't realize that the "parent" plant croaked after it bloomed. I had several that bloomed. Ugly flowers, if you ask me.

Agree with Chris..I would pull that plant, allow to dry and make the media grittier, more pumice. It is a balancing act at times..in my area we are too dry and too hot, so I have to shelter it and put it in part shade.

Thanks Anna and Tarev, looks like I will not be able to save the momma plant but the babies still look good.

I had it in part shade but we had a couple days of rain so it got wet.

Yes, the combination of heat and high humidity will do them in. I would follow both Chris and Tarev's advice, but also place where the only moisture they receive is given by you. And only in the cool of the evening/or very early morning, before the temperature starts rising. Also water sparingly and not on the leaves, they end up steam cooking in your type of summer weather.

Lynn, was that supposed to be "steam cooking" ? or, what is "stem cooking" ?

So sorry, it is suppose to be steam cooking.

Gigi, we got the extremes of problems with semps..you got too much humidity..while I have here too much dryness..
In my area, since it is just too bone dry, my semps appreciate misting but I do it as Lynn said early in the morning. Otherwise I end up with fried semps..although..I have two types that seems to handle our hot, dry temps very well. Semp rubellum 'Mahogany' and Semp Kalinda. All the others, they just seem to go dormant to preserve themselves when too much heat is here already.

LOL, Lynn -- I very rarely comment on typos, just thought "stem cooking" might be a real thing that I didn't know about! (The other day there was a post where someone mentioned a "homer bucket," which I was assuming was some kind of typo or autocorrect thing, and it turned out to actually mean a bucket from Home Depot )

I did not know that one. There is humor to be found just about everywhere is we only look.

Even here in the Pacific Northwest, during our 90+ summer weather, I only water my semps beds in the cool of the evening. By morning the moisture is gone from the rosettes.

Thank you everyone for your help. Well, I got so worried that I will kill the momma plant and the babies (tons of babies) on my semp. I brought it back to HD, the lady gave me a full refund. The lady said the vendor takes the plants back and they will give HD a full refund. My other semp is doing fine (the one with no babies), so hopefully that one will survive.

If they continue to carry this plant towards colder season, I will pick up another one. HD has green semps with no babies and all are sopping wet!

That is very good news Gigi. They probably water them like they do all the other plants.

Gigi, just my opinion but if I were growing semps here in FL I think I'd bring them indoors for the summer months. Too much trouble to keep them dry enough outside. They're pretty small too, so maybe very nice on a windowsill?

Yes Lynn, I feel better that they will not just be tossed away. I figure the vendor can hopefully nurse the momma plant back to life and there were plenty of babies too!

Elaine that is an excellent idea! I do have this unique indoor planter that is begging for me to plant something in it. I can even bring the planter to my office so I have a little garden to look at

Ok next time I go to HD I will pick up the 2 types of hen and chicks that they are selling and repot them on my indoor planter.

Let us know how they do for you Gigi.

Will do Lynn! I now think the one that I planted with the combo planter is doing good because the Amaryllis, paddle plant (or flap jack) , cordeline and Fireball Lily are all shading and protecting it from the brutal Fl sun

I keep forgetting you live in FL.