The succulent plant Sedum morganianum ‘Burrito’ is ideal for your indoor or outdoor succulent garden. It prefers moderate heat but needs enough of sunlight.
Watering
‘Burrito’ requires regular watering like a conventional succulent. The “soak and dry approach” is recommended; this calls for letting the soil air dry entirely in between waterings.
Keep an eye out not to overwater! This succulent is fairly hardy, so skipping one or two waterings won’t harm it.
Additionally, make sure to get our FREE watering cheat sheet to learn how to determine whether your succulents are receiving too much water (and how to save them if needed).
Where to Plant
It is possible to grow Sedum morganianum ‘Burrito’ indoors in a bright spot like a sunny window or sunroom.
Plant it outdoors in a container or section of your garden that gets a lot of morning and afternoon light.
Plant on soil that drains well, if possible. “Burrito” will trail along the ground if not positioned in a hanging basket.
Leaves
Gently twist the leaf away from the stem while removing it for propagation. Make certain the leaf you receive is a “a clean pull is one in which the entire leaf is removed from the stem. Your chances of a successful propagation will increase as a result.
Sedum morganianum ‘Burrito’ commonly grows in “Fallen leaves. You can also collect the fallen leaves and spread them out (although this should not be mistaken with indicators of overwatering)!
Before planting the leaf on drained soil, give it a day or two to callus over.
Cuttings
Make use of a sterile, sharp knife or pair of scissors to cultivate “Burrito” from cuttings. Take a stem from the main plant and place it on well-draining soil after letting it callus for a few days. When the soil is fully dry, add water.
How often should a Sedum burrito be watered?
A Sedum burrito might be the best option if you’re looking for a succulent, low-maintenance plant that is guaranteed to get noticed. This plant, also known by the common names Sedum burrito, baby burro tail, and donkey tail, grows swelling stems that trail or cascade down, making them ideal for a hanging basket. In zones 10 and higher according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it can also be grown outside in a garden. Sedum burritos demand a little bit more watering than typical sedums, but the extra work is well worth it.
Carefully press your finger 1 to 3 inches deep into the earth. It’s time to water your plant if it seems dry. A potted Sedum burrito typically needs watering every one or two weeks. If there is enough rain to meet the plant’s needs, the garden may require less waterings. After a week or two of dry weather, feel the soil to see if it is dry.
For smaller plants, water a Sedum burrito thoroughly and gradually until you notice the water dripping out of the drainage hole in the pot. Use a garden hose or watering can to slowly water the plant outside in the garden, covering the entire base with 1 inch of water. Stick your finger into the soil 2 or 3 inches deep five minutes after watering to be sure the water permeated the soil rather than just running through it. If the soil on your sedum feels dry, water it once more.
If necessary, empty any extra water from the drainage dish. If you don’t, you risk overwatering your plant because the soil won’t be able to naturally dry out because it will absorb the extra water from the bottom up.
Throughout the year, continue to monitor the soil for moisture and water a Sedum burrito in the same way. Watering your sedum once a month during the winter may be adequate because the plant may be dormant and slow to use up the water in the soil.
What is the growth rate of Sedum burrito?
When handling the plant, exercise caution because the leaves are highly sensitive and will quickly separate from the stem.
In the event that they do break, allow them to callus over at the end before planting in a seed starting solution. A fresh plant will grow easily and develop roots in a few days.
Re-potting Burros Tail Sedum
Your plant will slow down the growth of its tails if it becomes pot-bound. By removing the plant from the pot, you may examine the roots. It’s time to re-pot the plant if you notice a dense collection of roots.
The greatest times to repot burro’s tail are during the warm months. Before you begin, make sure the soil is dry. Knock off part of the old soil as you gently remove the replant.
Place the plant in a new, one-third-larger pot, and backfill with more succulent soil. (Referral link) After the first week, stop watering the plant and start it again.
Cold Hardiness for Donkey’s Tail Sedum
The succulent Sedum morganianum is regarded as being delicate. Minimum temperatures of between 41 and 45 degrees can be tolerated. typically spends the winter in zones 10a to 11b.
The plant does best when cultivated inside if the local temperature is below these levels. Check out my list of succulents that can withstand the cold here.
Growth habit for Sedum Morganianum
When you look at the succulent’s development pattern, it is simple to understand how the common names were given to the plant. When the succulent is young, its hefty leaves resemble those of many other sedums.
Sedum morganianum and sedum burrito, however, both have a drooping tendency that is ideal for hanging baskets when the plant is healthy and mature. This explains why the plant resembles the tail of a donkey or burro so strongly.
Size of Burro’s Tail Sedum
These trailing stems from this succulent perennial plant can grow to be up to 24 inches long or even longer. It features thick, meaty, blue-green, leaves.
It can take a mature plant roughly 6 years to reach a length of 4 feet. This can be difficult because the leaves are delicate and easily break off when they come into contact with nearby objects (or your hands! ), leaving bald places in your planter.
To take use of the plant’s drooping propensity for the greatest results, place several of the stems in a planter.
It is a succulent perennial with fleshy blue-green leaves and terminal pink to red blooms in the summer that has trailing stems up to 60 cm (24 in) long.
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Sedum Morganianum Flowers
Donkey’s tail sedum has flowers at the end of a thick, full stem. Although it is fantastic to view them on an established plant, even a smaller specimen has blossoms that are worth the wait.
The flowers bloom throughout the summer and come in a variety of colors, from pink and red to yellow and white.
My tortilla plant is withering; why?
Irrigate using the bottom-up approach by setting the pot on a saucer of water (25 percent submerged) and letting it sit there until complete absorption. If you scroll down to “Common Issues” for additional information, wetting the foliage each time the plant is hydrated can gradually let excess moisture to collect, causing the leaves to yellow and die away. Deflated leaves, little to no growth, and a progressive loss in leaf quality are all signs of under-watering. Be sure to consider the surroundings; a location with excessive sunlight may quickly dry up the soil and eventually sear the plant’s leaves. Rapid leaf yellowing, withering, mushy leaves or stems, and plant mortality are all signs of overwatering. Study its location once more in your house. To get your specimen back on track, a relocation is required if it doesn’t get bright or overhead light.
Size & Growth
A soft succulent is known as Sedum burrito. The thick, globular green leaves resemble beads. The larger, rounder leaves are tightly coiled on stems that can reach a length of two feet.
The stems might reach a maximum length of 4 feet if grown for more than 5 years.
A burro’s tail needs to be inserted into a strong container. Because the leaves retain such a large amount of moisture, these plants can become rather hefty.
The thick, cylinder-like stems resemble braided stems. The plant extends out to approximately 20 inches and reaches a height of around 8 inches.
Flowering and Fragrance
The blue-green leaves of the sedum burrito are stunning on their own. You can rub off the waxy layer that covers them with your fingers. The leaves don’t smell at all.
However, these plants do bloom in the spring. The likelihood of the succulent blooming as the temperature warms up increases when the winter months are cool.
Early in the summer, Sedum morganianum burrito may develop magenta, star-shaped flowers. On slender stalks, the flowers bloom in clusters of one to six.
They feature light pink sepals and vivid yellow stamens. Flying insects are drawn to their nectar.
Until they have fully grown and have stems that are at least nine inches long, these succulents do not bloom.
Light & Temperature
Burrito-shaped Sedum plants prefer a lot of bright light. If they receive at least six hours of direct sunlight, they can withstand some afternoon shadow.
Make sure the plants receive enough of indirect light if you are growing them indoors.
The plant might not grow in as fully or as tightly without intense light. The leaves of some plants may seem yellow rather than bluish-green if they receive too much sunshine.
USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b are permissible for burrito growth.
You can cultivate these succulents outside.
They can withstand drops in temperature of 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you cultivate this plant outside as opposed to indoors, it will likely flower more frequently.
If possible, avoid exposing it to temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Watering and Feeding
Sedum burrito is a type of succulent that doesn’t require a lot of water. Plant this species in a soil that drains well. Use the soak-and-dry approach when watering it.
Give the soil a good watering after it has totally dried out. Before watering again, give it time to completely dry out, which could take a few weeks.
Neglect is what sedum burrito thrives on. To take care of it, not much is required of you. During the growing season, you can fertilize the plant lightly once or twice.
In the colder months, Sedum burrito goes dormant. During that period, it cannot stand being overwatered. The roots may be receiving too much water if the leaves start to turn soft.
Porous Soil & Transplanting
Put this succulent in a loose, well-draining potting soil. To prevent the soil from retaining too much water, you can amend it with sand or pebbles.
Transplant plants in the spring before the growing season if they start to outgrow their existing container.
How should a Sedum burrito be pruned?
- To decide where to make the cut, look at the stem’s leaves. Cut slightly above a leaf or leaf knot that points in the direction that you wish the stem to grow. In the course of the leaf node, the new growth at the pruning point will branch out.
- Half an inch away from the target leaf or node, cut through the stem. Use a clean, sharp knife to cut at a 45° angle.
- Each stem that needs to be pruned should have a third of its length removed. The length of each stem that is clipped varies depending on the kind of succulents to improve the plant’s aesthetic appeal.
Recommendations
- Early in the spring, before the new growth starts, prune the succulents. If the plant is one of their flowering variety, prune it after flowering or in the winter when it is dormant.
- Pruning succulents can establish roots and thrive on new plants. Plant the cuttings in a pot of damp soil and maintain the moisture there until the sources of the bark begin to show symptoms of new growth.
How are Sedum burritos propagated?
A Burro’s Tail requires no special maintenance. That and propagation, which you should learn how to do because everyone of your pals will want a cutting or two, will be covered further down. At the conclusion of this list, I’ll also tell you what it needs if you want to grow it indoors since mine grows outside.
Light
Bright shade or moderate sun are preferred by Sedum morganianum. In the blazing sun, it will burn. It enjoys the morning sun, which mine receives. It now receives some afternoon sun as well because my neighbor took down two of his pine trees last year.
The stems that are receiving too much sun are a pale green, as you can see if you watch the movie at the very end. Ideal color for this plant would be a gorgeous blue-green. I’ll keep an eye on it and decide whether I need to transfer it to a less sunny area.
Watering
Don’t overwater it because all those leaves are storing water. If you do, it will waste away. I give my Burro’s Tail a thorough drink every 10–14 days because it is well-established (it is about 5 years old). This method of watering also aids in the flushing out of some salts from the water and fertilizers. That is aided by the wintertime rainwater that the mine receives. Don’t splash and pee every other day, in other words.
I water it more frequently every 9 to 11 days throughout the growing season, when the days are longer and warmer. Plants in clay pots typically dry out more quickly than larger plants in smaller pots. Adapt your actions in accordance with the weather.
Soil
This succulent requires proper drainage, just like any other. Use a combination made specifically for cactus and succulents as the water needs to drain out of it quickly. If you reside nearby Pasadena, I get mine at California Cactus Center. Alternately, you can lighten any existing potting soil by adding horticultural grade sand and perlite (or fine lava rock, gravel, or pumice).
Worm castings are my go-to planting tool. That would be wonderful for your burro’s tail as well. By the way, every spring I top dress all of my garden’s pots with compost and worm castings.
It’s uncommon to find your Burro’s Tail flower. Despite the fact that there were only 3 clusters on that massive plant, mine blossomed for the first time ever this year.
Temperature
Here in Santa Barbara, the wintertime low temperature is typically in the mid-40s. Occasionally, but rarely for longer than a few days, we plunge into the thirties. Mine is next to the house and doesn’t seem to be under any strain during those brief cold spells. Our summertime temperatures, which are often in the mid to upper 70s, are perfect for the Burro’s Tail.
Insects
I simply spray them off once a month because the only pests my garden ever encounters are aphids. Burro’s Tail isn’t particularly sensitive to a wide variety of insects. If hosing it off doesn’t work, you can spray it with a solution of 1/5 rubbing alcohol to 4/5 water. Neem Oil is a natural insect control solution that is quick and easy to use on a variety of insects.
Propagation
Similar to most succulents, Sedum morganianum is simple to grow from seed. Simply trim the stems to the desired length, remove the bottom third of the leaves, and then wait 2 to 3 months before planting them to heal (the cut end of the stem will callus over).
Your cuttings may need to be staked down in the pot when you plant them since the weight of the stems will pull them out. Additionally, you can grow it from individual leaf cuttings, as shown in the image below. Please be aware that this plant’s leaves break and fall off quite quickly. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I wrote a lengthy blog entry about sedum propagation.
It can also be multiplied using the individual leaves. Where the leaf joins the stem, little plants are beginning to appear. Simply place the leaves on top of your mixture of succulents and cacti, and they will take root. Keep it relatively dry.
It is frequently offered as a hanging plant for indoors. You can purchase a burros tail right here. Place it away from any windows that receive direct sunlight and in a location with nice, bright light. In the winter, you might need to reposition it because the sun moves to a location with more light.
It’s crucial to avoid overwatering this plant. Do not water those leaves every week because they store a lot of water. A thorough watering once a month should be sufficient, depending on the temperature and lighting in your home.
In the video below, I demonstrate my burro’s tail plant in my front yard.