Aeonium is a fleshy succulent native to North America and the Canary Islands. Aeoniums have circular arranged glossy, waxy leaves that vary in height from a centimeter to a meter.
They may bloom in early spring or late winter with tiny flowers; however, people love them because of their distinctive foliage, which comes in hues of purple-black, green, or variegated in red, yellow, or white.
Are you wondering how you should water your Aeonium? Well, this is a low-maintenance plant that may thrive on neglect. Letting the soil dry out between watering will make it strong and its colors more vibrant.
But, you should note that watering this plant depends on many factors such as the environment, soil type, plant age, and many more we are going to discuss in detail. Master these golden rules to water your Aeonium and let your plant grow in good health, making your home beautiful.
How Often To Water Aeonium
Aeonium can go for long without water; however, too much water is dangerous to its growth. When watering the plant, ensure you don’t overwater it. Apply the soak and dry method for watering.
Before watering the plant, dip your finger two inches into the soil to determine whether it is dry. Only after this, you may proceed and water it. Usually, you will find yourself watering it once a week. Too much water will result to root rot and killing your plant!
On an outdoor Aeonium, also dip your finger into the ground to determine the moisture content of the soil.
The plant grows in coastal environments; hence it prefers more moisture content than other succulents. It can stay for a while without water, but it will not thrive.
But how do you know how often you should water your Aeonium?
Watering During Summer
During the summer months, Aeonium tends to go into its dormancy period. This period reduces watering the plant as they rarely thrive and tend to shade off more leaves.
In the summer, watering them once a month will be okay. If you grow it outside and it receives occasional rain in this period, then you will less frequently water it or not at all.
Watering During Winter
In the winter, you can water your Aeonium once a week. But before this, always check whether the soil is dry before watering again unless they suffer root rot.
Choose a Well Draining Soil
Aeonium is native to the Canary Islands; as such, they like more moisture. To offer almost similar conditions, plant them in a less porous soil blend than the usual soil mix for other succulents.
Blend less succulent soil with some bit of potting soil to have that perfect blend of less porous soil that holds just a little more moisture.
To get the right soil type, add one part of potting soil to two parts of succulent soil. After soaking the soil, it will drain a little slower, keeping Aeonium moist, unlike the regular succulent soil.
Use a Pot With Draining Hole
Watering the Aeonium plant in a pot without drainage holes will retain water and keep the soil damp. The result, root rot, killing your beautiful succulent after some time. Drainage holes help let water sip out after soaking the soil.
Furthermore, the drainage holes let you know if you have properly watered your plant. After watering, if you spot water draining out, then the soil is well soaked.
Using the drainage holes, you will know whether to add more water or stop watering.
Water the Plant Base and Not Leaves
If you are growing your Aeonium plant indoors when watering, aim for the base of the plant. There is reduced airflow indoors, unlike outside. If you notice brown spots on the plant, this is usually because of watering the leaves.
Moisture accumulation on the leaves leads to a fungal attack that later brings about brown spots on the plant. The coloration may impact the appearance of your Aeonium when left unattended.
The problem is treatable, but you should avoid it and let your plant remain healthy.
The brown spots are more like rust in appearance and may affect plant growth if not treated earlier. But the best way is to avoid watering the leaves or bottom water your Aeonium.
For outdoor Aeoniums, there is more airflow, and even after rains, the moisture content on the leaves will dry out fast.
Ensure that water only goes to the roots and doesn’t spill on the leaves when watering.
Pot Size
The pot size will affect how many times you water your Aeonium plants. A small pot will hold less soil; therefore, the moisture content will evaporate faster, leading to frequent watering.
If you have a grown Aeonium plant is in a small pot, water it twice a week during winter and twice a month in the summer.
In contrast, a bigger pot will hold more soil capable of retaining much of its moisture content. In addition, there is less evaporation from a big pot.
Water a grown Aeonium plant in a big pot once a week in winter and spring. During summer, you may water it once a month.
Use a Spray Bottle When Propagating Aeonium
Aeonium plants have fragile stems and leaves which can easily fall off when exposed to strong external forces. You can easily break the plant when you accidentally drop something on it.
When propagating Aeonium offshoots, use a spray bottle to water them gently. Remember, their stems are very fragile, and you don’t want to use a watering can; you can damage them.
Furthermore, during this time, keep the soil moist almost all the time. If you let the soil dry, your Aeonium offshoots will die.
Be Keen On the Plant’s Indicators
Aeoniums, like other plants, have their indicators, and you should not ignore them. The plant will start to change when underwatering it and when overwatering. Here are the potential indicators to look out for from your plant.
Underwatering
Your Aeonium may survive with water, but underwatering may have adverse effects on it and finally lead to death. Here are some signs you might be underwatering your Aeonium plant:
- Fast drying and falling off of lower leaves on the rosette. Lower leaves dropping might also happen during the dormancy period but water your plant when it occurs during its thriving season.
- Shriveled leaves. When the water storage on the leaves and stem runs low, the leaves will start shriveling.
- Flat and soft leaves. Your Aeonium plant’s leaves will lose their plumpness and firmness. The leaves will feel more like they have been deflated.
Overwatering
Overwatering Aeonium damages its stem and root system. Here are some notable indicators you will note:
- The leaves will start being squishy and limb. Over time they will form dark spots around the edges to signify rotting and, lastly, falling off.
- Leaves discoloring to yellow and have a mushy feeling.
- All leaves dropping once the stem starts rotting
- Rotting roots. The soil will be overly damp, causing the roots to start rotting.
When in doubt of your plant’s indicators, stop watering them. It is easy to save an Aeonium plant from underwatering than from overwatering.
Always be keen on your plant and if you note any changes, act to it depending on the above signs.
Growing Environment
Aeonimium prefers a high humid environment as this also affects how much you should water it. If the surrounding is less humid, the plant will take in more water. If in a high humid area, it will take less water.
Also, high humid environments make the plant more susceptible to infections like the previously mentioned brown spotting on leaves. To avoid this, plant your Aeonium with other plants or grow plenty of them together to create their microclimate.
Season
Watering Aeonium is dependant on the season. The best time to grow these plants are in spring or autumn. During this time, the plants thrive well, making it the best time to water them. They will need more water at this point in their growth, unlike during winter and summer.
The plant will start growing dormant in summer, needing less water. As the owner, you react well to these times of the year when watering.
Also, note that Aeonium blooms start forming on mature rosettes in late winter to spring. At this point, the plant will need more water. Ensure you don’t starve it of water and let it flourish. After the plant blooms, it dies.
Take Away
Aeonium plants do not need much water. It is a low-maintenance houseplant, but you should not starve it of moisture. Following a good watering routine will help your plant thrive and avoid complications.
If you find it hard to keep track or check the soil’s dryness to water it, you can create a record always to follow to prevent overwatering. As a bonus, you already have all the vital indicators to look out for before watering.
Water properly your Aeonium and see it thrive to bloom. The secret lies in watering.
Last update on 2023-06-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
