I have different succulents and my few semps are teaching me slowly what they need and prefer:
My semp arachnoideum looked good in Spring, I have had this batch of Semps since last year: it may have been dry here but temps are still comfortably cool:
March 2014
And then temps eventually went up and higher..so bolting occurred fast:April and May 2014
As summer set in, as expected, the bolters faded away leaving an empty patch in some portions, and with no rain here it has been too dry and too hot. Semps suffering a lot from the heat even if they get shaded by the shadow of our house early in the day and some dappled shade in the afternoon. Still too hot for this particular semp. It has become patches of dry looking semps..worried I might lose them all, gave them some more shade and stepped up watering done early in the day:
Finally seeing some improvement after putting up the shade, the dried looking clusters are coming back, new growth peeking from the center of each rosette, so it seems as dry and crunchy they look, it can come back:
On the other hand..Sempervivum Kalinda, Semp Oddity and Semp rubellum Mahogany are enduring our heat wave spells nicely. They get similar heat conditions but I have watched how the seller where I got them generously water these ones. The sellers location is about 10 degrees cooler from us, so I figured maybe I should do same way and really be generous watering these ones as well. Glad I did that, these ones growing much better than my arachs.
Photo in early May 2014, with some early morning cooler temps before it goes warms, the rosettes of each semps seems wide open taking in all the warmth it loves.
Photo today, 14July 2014, this batch of semps are still doing good, because I have been more generous in watering it. Though it can also be seen how the plants are trying to fend off excess heat by having a tighter rosette cluster, or some leaves growing higher on one side as if creating its own heat barrier. Semp Kalinda enjoys the weather, busy making lots of babies.
Just sharing what I am learning...my location being more inland, dry as rock, temps hitting 100++ in summer.
Semps enjoys the warmth, but not too much direct sun, give them shade, good draining media and stepped up watering and more shade when temps start to rise higher than 95F.
