Several folks have gotten in touch with me in the last week to ask about raising hens and chicks. I suppose it is simply that time of year once more. Sempervivum plants start to produce new offspring as the weather warms from winter into April. By the time summer arrives, the tiny chicks have significantly grown, and people start to consider whether to remove them right away or leave them on the stem.
The baby plants that the mother plant produces are called offsets, and they start off as little nubs inside the leaves of their mother. Then, on stems known as stolons, these tiny offsets that resemble buds are forced away from the parent plant. One of the nice things about sempervivum succulents is how many offsets one plant can produce.
In an effort to expand, the plant may grow unusually long stems for its offsets, depending on the hen and chick variety and the available space. As seen in the images below, the offset will develop from a bud shape into the usual rosette. The stolon that connects the mother and offset, however, has leaves and is still in excellent health. This indicates that the hen is still feeding the chick and that it is not yet appropriate to separate them.
Not always, the chick plant resembles the mother plant exactly. Colors could differ. Different shapes may exist. Varieties frequently develop into their color or plant morphology.
The plants should be allowed to coexist until the chick sprouts its own roots and the stolon starts to wilt. When they reach this point, you know they are prepared for transplantation. Hens and chicks don’t always live in a perfect world, though. If you accidentally break off some chicks before they should, plant them, and they should thrive without any issues.
How to Split It is quite simple to separate the offsets from the mother plant. Simply snap the stem that connects the two plants, pry the chick plant free, and move it to a new location.
Let’s not divide and space out. It’s common practice to let hens and chicks grow up unattended. After all, they are low-maintenance plants. In this instance, the chicks end up squashing the hen plant, and the chicks get crushed by their chicks, and so on, until all the available growing area is occupied.
However, when plants are not spaced out, they grow in one way—straight up. There is nothing wrong with this, and it can even result in a rather distinctive environment. When crowded, hens and chicks lose their rosette shape and expand into tall, vertical plants. You will periodically need to divide or thin your chicks if you do not want this to occur.
How are hens and chicks succulents repotted?
Hens and chicks are easy-to-care-for plants that don’t require much attention. They are ideal for busy or forgetful gardeners who don’t have time to fuss after their plants.
As we go into care instructions below, you’ll see that most Sempervivum problems result from over-caring for plants rather than under-caring for them.
Watering Hens and Chicks Plants
Sempervivums are plants that can withstand drought. They don’t need to be watered frequently, like succulents. You shouldn’t have to bother about watering them at all if you live in a region with consistent rainfall.
If it hasn’t rained in a few weeks, water your Sempervivums until the soil is completely moist.
Water these succulents only when the soil is fully dry if you’re keeping them indoors. Fill the soil to the point where water starts to leak out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.
Since hens and chicks are dormant during the fall and winter, irrigation should be minimized as much as possible.
Fertilizing Hens and Chicks
Hens and chicks thrive in dirt with very few nutrients in their natural habitat. They won’t require fertilizer frequently, if ever.
The only exception is if you have plants that haven’t had any top-ups or repotting for years and are still in the same pot. In this situation, fertilizing can be done once a year in the spring.
Repotting Hens and Chicks Plants
Repotting is not frequently necessary for hens and chicks. Choose a pot that is one size larger or an inch or two broader than your plant’s present container if it has outgrown its current one or has become root-bound.
You don’t want hens and chicks to be in a container that is too big since they are prone to overwatering. Extra soil slows down the drying process and promotes root rot.
Repotting is best done in the spring or summer, when the plant is actively growing.
Overwintering Hens and Chicks
Sempervivum prefer to remain outdoors throughout the winter, when they go through a dry, cold dormant period, so don’t bring them indoors.
Cover the soil with something like mulch or autumn leaves and pile it up several inches high to protect them from the chilly temperatures. Although mine only had a thin coating, as you can see from the photo above, they survived our winter season without incident.
Does a hen or a chick need shade or sunlight?
Hens and chicks are very resilient, despite the fact that succulents are known for being low-maintenance. Hens and chicks are common options for people who live in temperate areas because they go dormant in frigid temperatures. These small plants are tough, explains Hugo. They are one of the few succulents that can withstand both frost and snow. Hens and chicks are a popular choice for rock gardens since they require little soil. However, they also do well in pots and flowerbeds. Hens and chicks will tolerate little shade, but they prefer full sun. And while they do like some room to spread out, they can usually handle denser crowds. What is the only real danger to hens and chicks? a surplus of water. Their delicate roots, like those of many succulents, can perish from excessive moisture. Use a potting soil that is lightweight, quick-draining, and designed specifically for succulents for this purpose.
Which type of soil do you use for raising chickens and chicks?
Chicken & Hen Known as Sempervivum Sempervivum, which literally means “live forever,” derives from how quickly they develop and spread. Whatever you choose to call them—semps, hens and chicks, or houseleeks—these succulents are beautiful plants.
There is enough diversity in Hens and Chicks to keep you engaged for a lifetime. They are enjoyable and simple to grow. These succulents come in a wide variety of colors, forms, textures, and sizes thanks to the over 3,000 recognized sempervivum varieties.
Extremely Cold Hardy throughout the US
Hens and chicks can be grown all across the USA since they are hardy. Sempervivum prefer cool evenings and require a cold, dormant season to thrive. Zones 4–8 are best for cultivating them. Moving the plants inside a greenhouse or covering them during harsh winter weather may be advantageous in colder climates. Hairy cultivars and Jovibarba species also benefit from a piece of glass or transparent, hard plastic to protect them from winter rain.
Full Sun to Part Sun
Sempervivums exhibit vivid colors when exposed to sunlight. Many types tend to fade to a basic green tint when planted in full shade. However, afternoon shadow can actually help plant colors stay longer in hotter summer climates including in the southern United States.
Sandy, Outstanding Drainage
The most crucial condition for Sempervivum is good drainage. Plant them in sandy soil, or improve the soil’s drainage by adding compost, potting soil, gravel, or vermiculite. Where other plants can’t grow, Hens and Chicks can. They thrive in areas with minimal soil, including gravel and gaps in rock walls, but if water builds up, the plants will perish. The ideal pH range for soil is between 6.6 to 7.5, which is considered neutral.
Low, Tolerant of Drought
Water well right away after transplanting. After that, wait a while before wetting the soil again. Although the leaves of these succulent plants retain water, they still require water to survive droughts. They will need to be watered more regularly in the summer heat. Avoid overwatering. Check the soil drainage and reduce watering if you notice your plants are having trouble.
Growing Hen & Chick Plants Hens and chicks can “live forever” because they produce a large number of progeny. Depending on the kind, babies are produced in varying quantities and rates. Anytime throughout the spring/summer growing season, sempervivums can be divided. The young chicks may be relocated or allowed to develop close to the mother hen.
Hens and chicks can be divided into three main categories: Sempervivum, Jovibarba heuffelii, and Jovibarba Rollers. Although they are all frequently referred to as Sempervivum, the ways in which they produce children vary.
Sempervivum These bear children on runners. Simply remove the chicks and place them somewhere else. When the runner starts to wither is the ideal time to remove the pups. Offsets take root fast and only need to come into contact with the soil to begin growing.
Heuffelii Jovibarba On stolons, this species does not produce “chicks.” Instead, this plant produces its children within the mother plant. It must be divided with a knife in order to reproduce.
Rollers Jovibarba The “chicks” produced by these hens and chicks are loosely attached, readily pop off, and roll away from the mother plant.
By using offsets to propagate, each cultivar’s traits are preserved. Sempervivum blooms yield seeds that typically result in plants that aren’t true to type.
A chick born from a hen plant will start having babies of its own after just one season. Sempervivum plants typically only live for three years, giving them two productive years before passing away. A Sempervivum has a tall center stalk that blooms before the plant dies after three years and after it has generated several baby plants. The plant will not survive if the center stalk is removed.
It is a lot of joy to raise hens and chicks, watch them develop, and watch them lay eggs. As they mature, as the weather changes, as they are exposed to the sun more, and other variables, their colors shift dramatically over the season. Give your plants adequate room to stretch out. For tiny plants, they should have four, and for large variety, six to eight. Rosettes with good form are produced in sufficient space.
What sort of cage do you keep the hens and chicks in?
Hens and chicks look good in just about any container, so look hard. They grow beautifully when planted in strawberry jars, clamshells, teacups, or even as a top dressing for larger plants. Even the smallest container can be used due to their extreme drought tolerance. You may easily create your own succulent planter.
Red and purple slow-release are two popular colors. Additionally, you can combine them with various succulents. Common sempervivum cultivars are sometimes employed as fillers in a mixed succulent pot to balance out the more expensive plants because they are typically one of the least expensive propagates.
Even from the start, you can jam them together to create a gorgeous pot. If things start to get too wild and woolly, you might want to remove the chicks and place them in other pots, but when they start to hang over the edge of a cup or pot, it can look fantastic.
How come my chickens and chicks are becoming so tall?
The mature core of a hens and chicks plant will start to grow tall and extend when it starts to bloom (commonly referred to as a “rooster”). These normally little plants have the ability to suddenly reach heights of one foot. The mature center of the plant is going to flower, generate seeds, and then die off. This process, known as the monocarpic process, indicates that this is about to happen. But don’t worry; the plant should have produced a number of tiny rosettes before to beginning this procedure, assuring that the plants would not only survive but also spread and expand to become bigger than previously.
The plant cannot be saved by cutting off the stem. So why not let the rosette grow and take in the distinctive and lovely flowers it produces?
Hens and chicks may occasionally grow tall or become “leggy” because they are not getting enough light and the plant is reaching for it. Leggy plants that don’t get enough light will have stems that appear fairly flimsy and barren. With upward-facing bud clusters, a flower stem will appear rounder and lusher.
Here is an illustration of a “leggy,” dormant hens and chicks plant.
Are hen and chicks contagious?
A succulent that mats up, hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) is a native of Europe and Africa. Its growth pattern includes rosettes of succulent, pointy leaves. The larger rosettes that develop from the parent rosette are known as “chicks,” while the smaller ones are known as “hens.” This root-clinging plant likes sandy, gravelly soil and will eventually grow to form colonies that are at least 2 feet wide. Hens and chicks are frequently grown for their unique form and succulent leaves (generally red, green, blue, gold, or copper), but they occasionally have tall stalks with flowers.
If you want to produce new plants from seed, you may want to start them in pots in the fall so the young plants are prepared to go into the garden in the spring. Hens and chicks has a moderately quick growth rate and is best planted in the spring. They are excellent houseplants as well.
Hens and chicks are allowed inside.
Both indoors and outdoors can be used to grow hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum or S. arachnoideum). They make excellent container plants, in fact. Why not have some both inside and outside then? You should cultivate some of these entertaining plants indoors in colder climates so you can enjoy them all winter long. Succulents in containers can be moved about for the best light exposure or temperature in the winter and taken outside for some summer sun. These are entertaining indoor plants that require little care and can thrive when ignored. Here are some advice on how to handle hens and chicks raised inside.
Where should hens and chicks be planted?
What to plant there for hens and chicks. For the healthiest and fastest growth, plant hens and chicks in broad sun. In rock gardens, where heat is reflected off the rocks, succulents thrive. Place the main rosette’s crown, center, or both so that it is level with the soil, just like it was in the container it came in.
How frequently should chickens and chicks be watered?
Without other details, such as the type of soil it grows in and its surroundings, it is challenging to determine how frequently and how much water to give sempervivum. Hens and chicks need typically be watered once each week.
Watering chickens and chicks shouldn’t be done while the ground is wet, especially after a rain. Wait a few days before checking once more. It won’t die off in a few days. Irrigation drippers outside shouldn’t be placed too close to hens or chicks. If your succulent is situated next to other plants that require more water, adjust your system or emitter.
Hens and chicks in pots often require more frequent watering than those in the ground. Containers made of terra cotta, in particular, can dry up quickly.
Best Time To Water Hens and Chicks
It is preferable to water outdoor succulents like hens and chicks in the morning in the summer so that the roots may take up some moisture before the heat of the day arrives. In the winter, watering succulents is also best done in the morning. Before the cool evenings arrive, the plants need some time to dry off. Roots that are too moist and cold are vulnerable to fungus and bacteria. For indoor sempervivums, the time of day doesn’t really matter unless the plant is getting more heat and direct sun than it usually does if the house is chilly at night.