Answering your questions about Sempervivum

[@pudner698]

Love t this video thanks

[@riotcity12]

Omg that has been our summer this year!! It's crazy as we live in Northern Michigan!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Ours is turning out very similar again this year riotcity12, I guess this is going to be our new normal weatherwise xx Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it :) xx

[@littlebeebs1]

Ooh ! Have you grown them from seed before? Do you start them outside or indoors? Will they grow in that tray of gritty soil you laid them in ?or do the seeds need more moisture? Thank you ! Good to see you again 🥰

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for your question :) I've never bought seed, but when my Semps have finished flowering, I leave the stalk on and when they seem ripe (they start to drop out of the seed head) I make sure to scatter any seed back into the planters. It would be interesting to buy some seed and try...hmm, I feel a video coming on :) xx

[@Royaliize]

New sempervivum video soon? Id love to see your whole collection/planters. ☺️

[@PumpkinBecki]

I haven't forgotten you royalize, there will be an update soon xx

[@janebernard8764]

I am trying to see if I can grow hens and chicks in concrete blocks. Put a couple of inches of gravel in the bottom, then a cactus succulant mix with added sand. I'm wondering if the bricks will hold too much moisture.

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Jane, I'd add grit rather than sand because the sand will tend to hold moisture. I think so long as you have enough drainage so water can flow freely out of the planter you won't need to worry about the brick retaining too much xx Let me know how you got on :) xx

[@KurisuBonsai]

As a complete plant addict I'm surprised I don't actually have any Sempervivum! Thanks for the care guide for when they inevitably arrive! :)

[@PumpkinBecki]

You are very welcome Chris, once you've started with these little sweethearts you'll find it very hard to stop 😁xx

[@KurisuBonsai]

@@PumpkinBecki :) Bonsai winning the limited shelf space currently hehe!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Of course the make beautiful subjects for kusamono ;) xx

[@KurisuBonsai]

@@PumpkinBecki Really not helping!!! Lol they so would too hehe!

[@nikishedgehogcottage1]

@PumpkinBecki Can you transplant pups in Autumn winter inside please? Mine aren't growing roots 😢. Thank you! Xx

[@Royaliize]

I bought too many different kinds, now i dont even know if i got the space for Them. Cheap plants, easy to care for. Whats not to love. The flowers Are fine but the stucture of the plants Are amazing!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Yeah, I'm obsessed :D xx

[@susannestorm9705]

❤❤❤❤

[@mikecipriani7792]

Where have you been?

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Mike, good to see you 😊 There's a few reasons I've been quiet for a few weeks: 1) The weather has been too hot to do any gardening and the garden is not happy about the lack of rain. 2) I started a 2nd channel around Christmas, so I've been doing some videos over there while I couldn't face the garden. 3) I've got involved with a Tudor reenactment group. I did my first proper event at the end of August at Hever Castle - it was officially epic! I'll get some more videos up here soon I promise xx

[@waterforestcosplay2195]

A month ago a friend of mine gave me there sempervivum to revive and keep. They where water logged since May(according to her). I put them in proper compost and drainage but but they don't seem to be improving. Help!?!?!

[@PumpkinBecki]

Oh dear, are you able to send me any photos? It would be useful to see where they are being kept as well as close ups, and a bit of detail on how look after them and what you repotted them into. You can DM me on Instagram or Facebook, or email me. All the links are in the description box below the video xx

[@samanthameep]

Should I be removing the dead leaves in winter?

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Samantha, you can do, and it can help prevent excess water collecting around the crown, while refreshing the planting for the growing season ahead xx

[@emelineklick8824]

Why wouldn’t you water them knowing it hadn’t rained and it’s been very hot. The reason they look that way is because they haven’t been watered.

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Emeline, thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it. There are several reasons, one being that I am environmentally conscious and our area was in a very difficult water situation. This is probably only going to get worse as the years go on, and I feel it's important that we adjust our gardening to our environment and weather situation rather than trying to grow plants that wouldn't enjoy our situation naturally and therefore need lots of support from supplements, water, heat etc etc. Also bear in mind that these are a type of succulent from the Crassulaceae family, they have a tuberous root and stolon which store water. The dried leaves you can see are the oldest leaves of the plant, and are shedding naturally. Dryness is the least likely way to lose Sempervivum, wetness is the most likely. As I say at 14:00 the worst thing you can do is apply lots of feed (and water), causing lots of fresh, lush growth that the plant cannot support on it's own and would require a lot of intervention. This little bowl is actually pretty awesome, it's in full sun, really free draining "soil" and it is really happy and cycling naturally through the seasons. To keep my Sempervivum bowls looking "tidy" I strip out, clean and replant almost all the plants every year, and at 19:30 I say that I'll be watering them in after this clean up, and that will be all they need, natural rainfall will be enough. I could have moved the pot to a cooler area in the garden, indeed most of my other Semps are down between my greenhouse and bench (roughly East facing), but actually they suffer more from being too damp than this little one does from being on the dryer side. I hope that explains my thinking. Take care xx

[@mariannebudziszewski3434]

What to do with long stems with leaves coming from my sempervivum? I don’t see any chicks

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

My Dad bought me a selection of Sempervivum back in August and they've been sitting on my bedside table ever since as I didn't know what to do with them! I live in South West England where winters can be quite wet, so I'm not sure where to put them. We do have a patch of pebbles that is south facing and it's quite sheltered and the back of the house gets a lot of sun so I'm thinking maybe keep them in their current pots and just sit them in the existing raised beds in that back wall until I can figure out a more permanent arrangement? 🤔

[@PumpkinBecki]

That sounds like a great plan Gaina ❤ If you can protect from prolonged rain and stand the pots on a layer of gravel they should come through winter just fine 😊 I'm excited for you xx

[@samanthameep]

New sub here ❤

[@PumpkinBecki]

Hi Samantha 😊 Thank you so much, I'm so glad you've found me xx

[@samanthameep]

@@PumpkinBecki I love the videos with your hens and chicks! This is the only channel where someone is really showing us what hens and chicks are all about!! I hope you make more!! Question: will you be making a update video on the seeds you planted (hens and chicks seeds) I really enjoy your videos!!