They are most typically grown as potted plants, often suspended as hanging specimens. Inside, the succulent can be planted and propagated year-round, while outdoors it does finest planted in early spring.
Common Name: Donkey’s tail, burro’s tail, lamb’s tail
Botanical Name: Sedum morganianum
Family: Crassulaceae
Plant Type: Perennial, succulent
Mature Size: 1–4 ft. long, 1–2 ft. wide
Sun Exposure: Full, partial
Soil Type: Loamy, sandy
Soil pH: Neutral, alkaline 1
Bloom Time: Summer
Flower Color: Red, white, yellow
Hardiness Zones: 10–11 (USDA)
Native Area: Mexico, Honduras
How To Take Care Donkey’s Tail
All things considered, donkey’s tail succulents grow quickly if you follow a couple of easy guidelines. Like a lot of succulents, they succeed if left a little ignored– if you forget to water them one or two times, they’ll still be just great.
The worst thing to do upon a donkey’s tail is overwatering. Where you actually need to treat your donkey’s tail with care is while managing it. Its appealing pointed leaves covering draping stems are actually exceptionally fragile and can break off with even the tiniest touch. Because of that, it’s finest to pick a warm area to a location or hang your donkey’s tail succulent and then, quite actually, forget about it.
Light
Similar to lots of succulents, donkey’s tail grows best with great deals of warm sunshine, though it will tolerate a partial shade area. Decide for a sunny windowsill that boasts several hours of daily light if you’re selecting to house your plant inside your home. If you’re growing your succulent outdoors, put it in a pot or spot in your garden that gets a lot of morning sunshine however is partly shaded throughout the more aggressive afternoon hours to avoid blistering its leaves.
Soil
In order for your donkey’s tail succulent to grow effectively, it needs to be housed in well-draining, sandy soil. If you prepare to plant your succulent in a container (either to keep outdoors or to live inside), choose a gritty soil mix matched specifically for succulents or cacti. Select a container with a drain hole to guarantee the roots don’t sit in water.
If you’re including it as part of a larger garden, be sure to pick an area among other plants that choose well-drained soil, as too much kept water will cause it to pass away (you can even think about blending sand into your ground soil to assist in drainage). In addition, donkey’s tail thrives in soil with a neutral to alkaline pH but isn’t too picky in this regard.
Water
Less is more when it comes to watering your donkey’s tail succulent. Like many succulents, donkey’s tail is dry spell resistant once developed, so you’ll wish to water it more frequently throughout its spring and summer season growing season, then reduce throughout the fall and cold weather.
Usually, opt for a single heavy watering each month if your plant is inside, increasing to once every two or three weeks if you’re real estate your succulent outdoors. A great guideline: The soil of your succulent should dry entirely in-between waterings. Examine the soil with your finger to ensure the soil is dry a minimum of an inch down prior to watering the plant.
To assist in drainage, select a pot with holes at its base; a terracotta or clay material can also assist wick water from the soil. When in doubt, err on the side of less watering instead of more– donkey’s tail holds moisture in its plump leaves and can tolerate durations of dry spell however is not at all tolerant of over-watering. The leaves will also start to pucker like a raisin, suggesting that it’s time to water.
Temperature And Humidity
Donkey’s tail chooses warm weather, though it stands up much better to cooler temperatures than some other succulents. Typically, an attempt to preserve an environment of 65 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit whether you keep your plant inside your home or outdoors.
It can make it through when exposed to temperature levels as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but only briefly, so be sure to bring it inside prior to the first frost or move it far from drafty windows in the winter months.
When it pertains to humidity, donkey’s tail has no unique needs. It chooses typical levels of humidity and can rot if attempts are made to increase the humidity of its environment (so no need to mist its leaves or keep it somewhere more damp, like a restroom).
Fertilizer
While fertilizing donkey’s tail succulent isn’t totally required to its successful growth, it also will not injure and can be a great way to provide the plant included nutrients. Focus on feeding your plant at the start of its development season in spring, utilizing a regulated release, balanced 20-20-20 fertilizers, which contains equivalent parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fully grown succulents may prefer the fertilizer at one-quarter strength, while more youthful plants might choose fertilizer with less nitrogen.
Donkey’s Tail Species
There are 2 closely related forms of this plants.
Sedum morganianum, the species form, is generally known as “donkey’s tail”, and it can be determined by its significantly pointed leaves.
S. morganianum ‘Burrito’ is the only named cultivar offered, generally marketed as “burro’s tail.” It is identified by its more rounded leaves. Other than this, the plants are identical.
Pruning
Must stems grow sparse from leaves that drop off, you can clip off the stem near the plant crown. Otherwise, no pruning is needed– unless to collect leaves for propagating brand-new plants.
Getting rid of leaves from a part of the stem can in some cases promote side-branching at this point.
How To Propagate Donkey’s Tail
Considering that donkey’s tail seldom flowers inside your home, propagating by seed isn’t a viable choice. Like the majority of succulents, donkey’s tail is simple to propagate through its leaves, which is excellent news, as they appear to fall off at the tiniest touch.
If you discover your plant has actually shed some of its leaves just recently, simply put them aside until the skin has callused over, about 2 to 3 days.
From there, fill a pot with cacti or succulent soil mix. Lay the leaves on top of the soil, making sure they make contact with the medium.
Mist regularly (about as soon as a week), making certain the soil remains not soaked however moist, until you see new growth start to emerge. Lower watering and deal with the brand-new plant as you would a recognized plant. Young plants do need more water than fully grown plants till they’re established, however beware not to overwater.
How To Pot And Repot Donkey’s Tail
Due to the fact that of their vulnerable nature, excellent care must be taken when repotting a donkey’s tail succulent. Make sure the soil is totally dry before beginning, then gently remove the succulent from its present vessel, knocking away any old soil from the roots of the plant. Place it in a brand-new pot (a shallow clay pot works best) and backfill with soil, making sure to spread out the roots in the new, larger pot.
How To Take Care Of Donkey’s Tail During Winter
Whether you are growing donkey’s tail inside as a houseplant or outdoors in an environment where it is hardy, lower watering to every other month in the winter season and omit feeding throughout this period of low growth.
Don’t Let Pests And Diseases Ruin Your Flapjack Succulent!
Aphids can usually be hosed off a plant, that’s not the best solution for donkey’s tail succulents offered their vulnerable nature. Rather, choose to mist them every few days with diluted natural neem oil up until the aphids vanish (typically around 2 to 3 weeks).
When planted outdoors, snails and slugs can be an issue, finest handled by selecting them off by hand or setting out baits for them.
The only significant disease issue is root rot, which can occur if the plant is overwatered or grown in dense, poorly draining pipes soil.
Tips For Getting Donkey’s Tail To Bloom
This plant flowers infrequently, specifically when growing inside your home, and they are not likely to bloom at all up until they are quite mature. The small yellow, white, or red flowers, when they do appear, bloom in late spring or early summertime.
The flowers are not especially flashy, but growers have actually observed that somewhat worrying the plant with cooler outside temperatures (though not to such excess that it endangers the plant) often stimulates them to bloom.3.
These plants also need a lot of sunlight to bloom, however feeding need to be kept at a minimum.
How To Take Care Of Donkey’s Tail
Donkey’s tail is a largely issue complimentary plant that flourishes on overlook, however there are numerous cultural issues that might raise questions:
Greying Leaves
If you discover your plant turning grey or a really dull green (rather than its typical rich blue-green), that’s probably an indication that it’s getting excessive harsh light. You may also see a milky white, waxy appearance on the beaded leaves of your donkey’s tail succulent. Do not stress– it’s an entirely normal event called epicuticular wax, which the plant produces to safeguard itself from too much harsh sun exposure.
Shrivelled Leaves
When the leaves of donkey’s tail huddle and shrink, it is normally because the plant requires water. This is not such a huge problem, as they will quickly swell up once again as soon as you provide it with a comprehensive watering. Many growers discover that it’s much better to await for this sign before watering than to water too regularly.
Soft Stems
It’s likely since the plant has actually been overwatered and rot is setting in if the stems on your donkey’s tail collapse and turn soft. If you right away to allow the plant to dry, it sometimes can be saved, however with advanced cases of rot, you’ll require to dispose of the plant.
Falling Wilted Leaves
If you observe leaves drooping and beginning to fall off, do not mistake this as a sign the plant needs water– with donkey’s tail, this is actually a sign that the plant is overwatered.
