Burro’s tail requires a lot more water than many other varieties of succulents in order to maintain nice, lush leaves. Particularly when kept inside because it thrives in the well-drained container, properly soak its soil and do not water it again until the dirt dries up entirely. Stick your finger in the water to get a more precise reading, and make sure the area around your burro’s tail is at least an inch deep.
Do not overwater this drought-tolerant plant because doing so will cause it to decay. However, keep in mind that older plants require more frequent watering; make sure to check the soil frequently. Once every 14 days, you should water your burro’s tail.
To ensure that the collected salts from fertilizers and water flow out of your plant pot, make sure to give it a thorough drink. Water your donkey’s tail more frequently, or every nine days, during the growing season when the days are warmer. Succulents in clay containers typically dry out more quickly. As a result, during the warmer season, you should make sure your plant gets enough water.
Does donkey tail enjoy the sun’s rays?
Like many succulents, donkey’s tail does best in a place with a lot of warm sunshine, though it will tolerate some shade. If you decide to keep your plant indoors, choose a sunny windowsill with enough of everyday light.
How should a burro tail plant be cared for?
- The burro’s tail can withstand drought (those pillow leaves retain water). Limit your watering to once per month. (Be sure to fully soak the soil, then wait until the topsoil is completely dry before watering again.)
- Use potting soil made for cacti and a pot with a drainage hole for your container plant.
- Burro’s tail is a perennial in USDA growth zones 9 to 11, and as it is a native of eastern Mexico and Honduras, it anticipates warm weather all year long in the garden.
Burro’s tail was found by American botanist Eric Walther in Mexico in the 1930s, and he brought it back to California where it has been grown ever since.
Why is the tail of my donkey losing leaves?
You should try to determine the cause of any leaf loss on your burro’s tail. Is it just because the plant is delicate, or may there be something more serious going on?
A plant that can withstand drought is burro’s tail. Additionally, throughout the winter, when it is dormant, it requires no water at all. Check to see if the soil is completely dry before you water your plant.
You are overwatering the plant and causing its leaves to drop off if you water a burro’s tail when the soil is still damp from the last watering. Reduce watering and check that the draining hole is not clogged to fix the problem.
Root rot is another issue that requires caution. Overwatering frequently results in root rot because too much moisture encourages the growth of dangerous bacteria that cause rot in the plant’s roots and leaves.
After you water the soil, see if it takes too long to dry. The soil is not draining adequately, therefore this indicates. You need to dig a little and manually inspect the roots to be certain.
The burro’s tail has root rot if the roots are turning brown. You must remove the plant and carefully trim away all of the decaying components in order to save the plant.
Allow the roots to dry over a few days so that calluses can develop over them. Repot the plant in a suitable, quick-draining soil mixture to finish.
How frequently should a burro’s tail plant be watered?
Both inexperienced and experienced gardeners like burro’s tail: It is aesthetically pleasing, grows quickly, needs little maintenance or space, and is very simple to propagate—that is, to create new plants from stem or leaf cuttings. Here are some suggestions for maintaining succulents:
- 1. Put in a sunny spot. Burro tails require bright light or some sun for at least four hours each day. If your burro’s tail is an indoor plant, make sure it’s close to strong light but away from windowsills with full, intense sun. Full sun will turn the leaves pale green or yellow. If you live in a chilly climate, bring your burro’s tail inside because they prefer temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2.Use water prudently. Since burro’s tails are succulent plants, the leaves can hold water. Your burro’s tail plant will decay if you overwater it. Although experts advise watering the plant roughly every 10 days throughout the growing season when temperatures are typically above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor plants only require water every 10 to 14 days. Use the “soak and dry” procedure when it’s time to water, which specifies that the soil must be entirely dry before additional irrigation. Depending on the temperature and amount of light in your home, indoor burro’s tails only require thorough watering once a month. Discover more about succulent plant maintenance.
- 3. Use soil that drains effectively. Burro’s tails need well-draining soil, much like all succulents do. A mixed soil is best for succulents because pure garden soil would encourage root rot. Additionally, you can create your own well-draining soil by combining potting soil with equal parts horticultural grade sand, perlite, or pumice. Compost and worm castings can be fed to your burro once a month during the warm months and not at all during the winter to add extra nutrients to its tails.
- Pest surveillance. Fortunately, burro’s tails appear to be resistant to the majority of insect pests, however your plant may still have aphids or mealybugs. A burst of water from the hose or a solution of water and rubbing alcohol can be used to spritz them. Burro’s tails can be safely be treated with neem oil, a naturally occurring insecticide derived from the seeds of the neem tree.
- 5. Repot as required. Although mature plants are frequently too fragile to repot, repotting a burro’s tail is simple to perform if the plant becomes too large or outgrows its pot. The best container is a terra-cotta pot with draining holes since it will let the plant breathe and store water. Remove the plant once the dirt is completely dry, look for and remove any rotten roots, and then repot it in a fresh pot with well-draining soil. After a week of keeping the burro’s tail dry, lightly irrigate the soil to promote root growth and prevent root rot.
How frequently do succulents need to be watered?
During the months that are not winter, when the temperature is above 40 degrees, you should water your succulents every other week. You should only water your succulent once a month in the winter (when the temperature falls below 40 degrees), as it goes dormant at this period.
A few situations constitute an exception to this rule. Because their tiny leaves can’t hold as much water as other varieties with larger leaves, some varieties of succulents need to be watered more frequently. In the non-winter months, feel free to give these small leaf succulents a water if they appear to be thirsty. When they are thirsty, succulents generally exhibit a wrinkled appearance. But always keep in mind that being underwater is preferable to being overwater.
How is a donkey tail plant maintained indoors?
The care of a burro’s tail is perfect for the frequent traveler or the gardener with a weak green thumb. When growing the tail of the burro, water carefully. Make sure the plant is uniformly and fairly moist. Overwatering a succulent can make its stems rot and perhaps kill it.
A mixed cactus and succulent container can be adorned with burro’s tail, and it works great in a hanging basket. It creates a distinctive ground cover and thrives in rockery crevices. Consider putting the bushy stems in a bed of colorful perennials or assorted seasonal flowers. It works well in a xeriscape garden and is the ideal choice for large-leaved plants.
Why is the yellowing of my donkey tail?
Sedum morganianum, also referred to as donkey tail plant, is a resilient plant that needs little upkeep. It only requires consistent watering and quick-draining soil, like do all succulents.
It requires relatively little maintenance, making it the perfect plant for beginning gardeners. It is a very delicate plant, and if you look at its leaves the wrong way, they will often fall off, yet it is quite durable and unaffected by harsh surroundings.
Overwatering is likely to be the cause of your donkey tail plant’s yellowing leaves, if you see them. Succulents with donkey tails take in water through their roots and store it in their leaves. The thick and full leaves are a result of this.
The water is absorbed more quickly than it is used when the donkey tail is overwatered. As a result, the leaves start to yellow and finally turn mushy. The leaves could even lose all of their green hue and become transparent.
Additionally, overwatering will cause your donkey tail’s leaves to drop off more frequently than usual. The situation needs to be fixed right away or it will be deadly for the facility.
How can a donkey tail that is too wet be saved?
The more quickly you act, the more likely you are to be able to save your plant. The likelihood that a plant may succumb to rot increases with the amount of overwatering. As you can see from the examples above, there are times when a plant is simply too damaged to be saved.
The plant is essentially drowning from too much water and needs to dry out as quickly as possible if it is exhibiting early signs of overwatering, such as mushy, soft, and pale bottom leaves.
Steps on How To Save an Overwatered Succulent:
- It is preferable to remove the plant from its current location and thoroughly clean the roots of any moist soil.
- For at least three days and up to a week, let the plant to completely dry out.
- The plant should be placed somewhere dry and sunny, but out of direct sunlight to prevent burning of the leaves and roots.
- Replant in an appropriate, fast-draining potting mix once it has dried up; do not water right away. Before watering again, wait about a week and take care not to overwater.
You might get away with leaving the plant alone and not repotting it if you believe it is already in the proper potting mix but you were just excessively watering your plants.
Prior to watering again, wait at least a week and feel the top inch of the soil for moisture. You can water it once more if it feels dry. Your plant needs a new pot if the soil is still moist because the soil it is now in is not drying out quickly enough.
Will The Leaves Grow Back?
Yes. As long as the plant is not decaying, even if you lose a lot of leaves due to overwatering, it will eventually recover. You may soon see fresh growth or tiny leaves along the stems if you allow it time to dry out.
Additionally, you’ll see new growth coming from the plant’s sides, top, or even bottom. When you start to see new growth, your plant is typically out of danger and has fully healed.
Steps on How to Save a Rotting Succulent From Overwatering:
- Check the plant to see how bad the rot is. You may be able to salvage some of the plant if the rot is not too bad.
- Keep any leaf that seems to be reusable. As many leaves as you can preserve for propagation. Leaf propagation can be challenging, so you’ll need as much leaf as you can obtain to give some of them a fighting chance. Ensure you collect the leaf in its entirety, including the base. A broken leaf won’t survive.
- Allow the leaves to dry for a few days by placing them somewhere dry and out of the sun.
- When the leaves are completely dry, either lay them flat on the soil or bury the ends in well-draining potting mix. You can dip the leaves in rooting hormone as an optional step. I tend to skip over this step, but other people prefer to add rooting hormones to boost success rates and expedite the propagation process.
- Avoid direct sunshine and water the soil every few days or if it seems dry. Await the development of new plants and their roots.
Other than leaves, you can also save parts of the stem
- Examine the stem, including the roots, and remove any rotten spots. Save any stem pieces that are still green or healthy. When you cut the stem, you will be able to tell if it is viable or not. If the stem’s inside reveals green, fragile sections that aren’t brown or black, they may have a chance of surviving and can be multiplied to start a new plant.
- Saved stems should be stored in a dry, shaded area. All cuts should calluses and seal after a few days to a week of drying. Dip the stems in rooting hormone, if desired. I tend to skip over this step, but other people prefer to add rooting hormones to boost success rates and expedite the propagation process.
- When the stems are dry, make a well-draining potting mix and place them in it.
- Every couple of days or whenever the soil gets dry, mist. To prevent sun damage, stay out of the sun until your roots are completely established.
You can see that the stem still has a lot of green, healthy sections after removing the decaying portion, indicating that it can be preserved. I placed this stem in soil to root and grow after letting it dry out for a few days.
Overwatered echeveria that has withered. I kept a few of the leaves for future growth.