Hi all. I'm new to Sempervivums and have learned a lot from this page… I do have a question. I received Gold Nuggets and they were not as ettoliated as they are now. It can't be lack of sun as they are outside all day in direct sun. I'm thinking the soil was holding too much water so I replanted them this morning and added more pumice to the cactus mix. It's about 50/50 with lava rocks on the bottom. Would moist soil cause downward leaves as well? They are firm not soft leaves.

Hi Nikki,
A big welcome to our Sempervivum forum.
Your photos are wonderful, they show basically healthy plants. When did you get them?
Where did they come from?
Lots of things can cause the bottom leaves of the plant to bend down like yours.
Shipping, or not enough sun are the most common problems.
They don't look like they are getting too much water/rain. If the leaves start to show wrinkling, they are not getting enough water.
Can you show us a photo looking down on the tops of the semps?

Hi Thank you for the reply! Here is a photo looking down. I received them 10/16/22. I am also including a photo of when they arrived. They were purchased from Winter Greenhouse in WI.

Another good photo, thank you Nikki.
They look really good from the top. The soil looks very dry? If you stick your finger in the soil, how far down is it before you find moisture?
I can see in your last photo, in the nursery pots, the beginning of becoming etiolated.

It isn't bone dry, just very slightly damp. Mornings and night are misty and cold so the little moisture I feel is probably from that. We are supposed to get .85" on Tuesday.

Hey Nikki, and to the site and to the forum!
My advice won't be nearly as good as others', but the bottom leaves of your semps will begin to rot much faster if you don't put something under them to protect them. When I got my first sempervivums three years ago, it was recommended to me (on this site) to put chicken grit underneath the plants so that they wouldn't rot. I didn't have chicken grit on hand, so I used perlite instead, and it really did help a lot.

Your semps are beautiful, though, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that they stay that way!

@johannian I originally had small white rocks but read it retains the moisture so I removed them all. I do have pumice i can put on top under the plants and I also have the small white rocks. Will either of this work an not retain water?

Hey Nikki,
I believe @FPF uses pumice for some of her semps, and it works. Either way, you need something to prevent the delicate skin of the sempervivums from touching the soil, and perlite, pumice, chicken grit, etc. are all good options.

Ok I went out and dressed the top with pumice. Let's hope that helps!

Good advice Johannian, on the top dressing.

Nikki, that looks good. Eventually those bottom leaves will either flatten out, or die as the new leaves come.

The "etiolating" is just a trunk. Note that the inter-nodal length (vertical distance between nodes (where the leaves are growing from the stem) ar the same. So, this is mainly a trunk. You could behead the gold nuggets if you wanted. But, it has enugh sun, as others have said They are beautiful

If they are etiolating, the internodal length will get longer and longer

@sedumzz thank you. I will let them do their thing. Hoping to keep them alive and thriving through our hot summers.

Johannian said: Hey Nikki,
I believe @FPF uses pumice for some of her semps, and it works. Either way, you need something to prevent the delicate skin of the sempervivums from touching the soil, and perlite, pumice, chicken grit, etc. are all good options.

Hi, and welcome!
I actually don't use pumice because it's not readily available here since the closest volcano, Yellowstone, is quite a drive from Kentucky and isn't really known for its pumice, anyway.

I'm still experimenting with my growing medium, and have used LECA clay, most recently, in hopes that it's an acceptable substitute.

FPF said: Hi, and welcome!
I actually don't use pumice because it's not readily available here since the closest volcano, Yellowstone, is quite a drive from Kentucky and isn't really known for its pumice, anyway.

I'm still experimenting with my growing medium, and have used LECA clay, most recently, in hopes that it's an acceptable substitute.

Hi and thank you for the welcome! Yes pumice is hard to find here in Southern California as well. I buy it on Amazon. Been meaning to try chicken grit but don't have many feed store near us. So far my Semps are thriving but will see when the summer heat arrives.

I really love the color on these (Gold Nugget). I'm on a list to be informed when they are ready-- So I'm just waiting to see if I get them before they sell out (again).

Hi Katy. Have you been growing semps in NM?
Gold Nugget certainly is a pretty semp with unusual coloring.

valleylynn said: Hi Katy. Have you been growing semps in NM?
Gold Nugget certainly is a pretty semp with unusual coloring.

So far so good. I really started later in the year last year. I have grown orchids outside in NM. It does require some shade cloth, and making sure the plants are more in partial shade-- also watered much more than in cooler climates-- which risks rot more so better drainage is needed. We also have the monsoon, so that would be a rot factor. Some of the other sedums often have some trouble with the monsoon.

Oops! Right after this post, I found Gold Nugget, and Gold Mine (a larger sport of Gold Nugget) and got one each. I'm putting one of them with Chocolate Kiss.

Katy, I look forward to seeing how they do for you.

SoCalLakeLife said: @johannian I originally had small white rocks but read it retains the moisture so I removed them all. I do have pumice i can put on top under the plants and I also have the small white rocks. Will either of this work an not retain water?

Well it depends on where you live, as far as moisture retention. Local conditions are going to be different when you ask for advice from anyone. In my location (the Dust Belt, New Mexico, in a years long drought), I actually want some retention, as well as some shading from direct sun during parts of the year. That is why I have them in pots-- so I can push pull or wheel them around as needed. (Light media like perlite is great for this). Actually last winter (first year I had them) I lost more than I care to admit because the combination of cold and dryness was also a killer. I am thinking of putting them in some kind of cold frame in the winter. However, the other sedums which are not evergreen all lived through it. So how do your conditions vary from the conditions they are genetically inclined to live in (Europe) is the better thought path to go on.