Aeonium SOS

KeenOnGreen

My Aeoniums are in our unheated greenhouse, as there is no space in the house for them. They always look at death's door at this point in Winter, and I will lose a few. It's not just the cold and damp, but the whitefly. 

Does anybody have any tips on how to prevent them getting into this state? Do you water yours at all at this point in Winter? Do you wrap them in fleece, etc? Do yours looks as bad as mine (they look even worse since I took this photo a week ago).

wild edges

Mine have been getting a little bit of water over the winter, especially since it's been so mild recently. A few sedum dasyphyllum plants found their way into the pot so technically I'm watering the sedums as they're a winter growing variety but the aeoniums seem to appreciate it too. I'm probably just wetting the top of the soil though and only on sunny days. The sedums will help suck up excess moisture in the soil and there's plenty of ventilation in there. The greenhouse has been down to -2c at times but was up in the high teens in the sun.

If I were you I'd remove all the dead leaves and soap spray the heads to reduce the aphids. If we get any more mild weather you could give them just a tiny bit of water

KeenOnGreen

Thanks @wild edges  I had a feeling I should have been giving them a bit of water, as the droopy leaves are usually a sign that they need it. I admit I have not tackled the aphids and dead leaves out of sheer laziness. I'll give them some TLC. Yours is looking much healthier.

wild edges

I'm keeping a very close eye on mine after a caterpillar ate the middle out of it last winter. Luckily it survived and branched out into 3 heads.

Plantminded

I've been reading about aeoniums after your post @KeenOnGreen.  Apparently they start their growing phase in winter and spring and then go dormant in summer, hence the need for light watering over winter.  They are shallow rooted so should quickly revive after some water.  I'm intrigued and have added this to my plant list!

Hostafan1

my aeoniums are all growing ,and being watered now ( unheated polytunnel )

KeenOnGreen

I initially thought that was the case @Plantminded , but I believe it's the Winter in their native habitat where they grow during the Winter (Madeira, Canary Islands, etc). It's much milder in those places than the UK, and I assume that they don't grow during our Winter. They are not that cheap to buy, but very easy to propagate.

Interesting that your water yours and they are growing @Hostafan1 I'll definitely start watering mine, as our unheated greenhouse regularly gets quite warm during our increasingly unpredictable Winters.

Plantminded

That makes sense, @KeenOnGreen, thank you.  I hope you succeed in reviving your plants!

coccinella

I think they will perk up @KeenOnGreen. After tackling the aphids you could try to place them in a more aeriated spot preferably south facing but watch out for sudden frosts.
I am lucky that I have space inside for winter otherwise they would not have a chance here. I water mine only once a month between October and March. In April and May I water them with a liquid feed every 2 weeks called cactus love (Compo brand)  it is around 11 euros a small bottle but it lasts a long time. Come June/July I stop feeding them and water according to the weather. They certainly don't like rainy summers but they survive them. Aeonium means "resilient" in Greek, you just tell them 😊

 

KeenOnGreen

Thanks @coccinella  They are currently looking very sorry for themselves, as I removed all of the dead leaves, and so there are only little stumps on the ends of the branches of most of the plants.

The weather over the next month is crucial. If it's really cold and damp and grey, then I'll definitely lose a few plants. If we get sun and warmth on at least some days, then I can save a few more.

I don't use a specialist feed in Summer, but I'll look into this, as it will give them a better start in Spring.

wild edges

Have these recovered now? I've just put my smaller one back into the greenhouse to enjoy the sun. You can see how much colour it lost indoors compared to the big one.