Are you looking for the ultimate guide to Aeonium arboreum plants? Below, you’ll find out what makes these plants so special and how to take proper care of them in order to ensure they thrive.
Aeonium arboreums are flowering succulents that crave warm weather and bright sunlight. These succulents survive well with moderate care, bursting in beautiful blossoms during their active growing phase.
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or new to the world of succulents, this guide is here to provide you with all the information you need to care for Aeonium arboreum plants. We’ll cover everything from soil requirements and light needs to watering and fertilizing. Let’s get started.
Aeonium Arboreum 101: Description and Varieties
Aeonium arboreum is a succulent indigenous to the Canary Islands and northern Africa. These plants thrive in coastal environments or other locations that are similar to the plant’s native habitat.
Aeonium arboreums grow in the winter and hibernate through the summer. The succulents don’t require watering during their dormant period unless they grow in highly arid conditions.
Outdoor Aeonium arboreums grow in isolated areas, far from other plants, often on craggy hillsides. They’re drought-resistant plants that grow thick, bare stems with leaves resembling spoons. The foliage is fleshy and light green, almost yellow. A fully blossomed Aeonium arboreum is shrub-like.
The root systems of Aeonium arboreum differ greatly from other succulents. The roots are shallow, causing the plant to require greater watering than other similar plants.
The Basics
Before diving into Aeonium arboreum’s care and treatment, let’s establish a few quick basics about this succulent variety:
- Size: Aeonium arboreum is a larger succulent variety. The plants grow to be, on average, between 3–5 feet (1–1.5 meters) tall, with a 3-foot (1-meter) spread. Grown in a pot, the Aeonium arboreum is like a goldfish; it reaches whatever size the container facilitates.
- Family: The succulent is a member of the Crassulaceae family.
- Clade: The Aeonium arboreum has a rich lineage, fitting into three clades: Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, and Eudicots.
- Order: The succulent belongs to the order Saxifragales, a vast collection of flowering plants.
- Genus: The Aeonium genus contains 35 sub-tropical succulent species.
- Common names: The Aeonium arboreum goes by several more easily pronounced names, including Pinwheel desert rose, Thickleaf aeonium, Houseleek tree, Tree anemone, Tree aeonium, Irish rose, Fisiulera
- Varieties: Aeonium arboreum grows in four varieties: atropurpureum, zwartkop, luteovariegatum, and velour.
Appearance
The Aeonium arboreum is a flowering succulent that grows rosettes in a variety of colors, from green to yellow to maroon. Leaves grown in direct sunlight often feature red borders.
The flowers blossom between late winter and early spring. Color is the primary difference between varieties. Each species of Aeonium arboreum features similar rounded leaves, bursting in thick clusters.
Aeonium arboreums are monocarpic. This means the rosettes only bloom once and then die. However, the succulent has multiple rosettes, all of which blossom at different times, so don’t write the plant off after one bloom.
Ideal Growing Conditions
Aeonium arboreum grows best in sandy soils. The plants thrive in dry to medium moisture. They require soil with superior drainage and direct sunlight.
Because the Aeonium arboreum has different soil needs from other succulents, avoid succulent soil. Opt instead for perlite mixed into a regular potting mix.
The succulents can survive in the shade and with bad soil if necessity dictates it; however, the circumstances should be avoided if possible.
Actively growing Aeonium arboreum requires moderate watering. Provide the plant with liquid food every two or three weeks. In the winter, Aeonium arboreums need just enough watering to maintain the foliage.
Aeonium arboreum differs from other succulents by preferring moist soil instead of dry dirt.
Ideal Temperatures
Craving their indigenous conditions, Aeonium arboreums enjoy warm weather. They can tolerate brief, sharp snaps of cold.
While your succulent will survive short periods where the temperature goes as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-3.8 degrees Celsius), prolonged exposure to extreme cold will kill the plants.
Potted plants must be kept at sub-104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) temperatures. Outdoor plants use the soil to remain cool even during the most intense heat, so high temperatures pose no threat.
If you live in an area that experiences cold winters, bring outdoor Aeonium arboreum indoors throughout the coldest months.
The plants are winter hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9B through 11B.
Caring for Aeonium Arboreum
Aeonium arboreums are easy succulents to tend to. Given the appropriate care, the plants thrive and blossom. Keeping your tree aeonium happy requires attention to water, light, and temperature.
Provide a Moderate Amount of Water
Aeonium arboreums require a bit more water than other succulents. However, the plants still require restraint. Too much water leads to root rot, one of the great succulent killers.
Only water the plant once the top layer (about one inch or 2.5 centimeters worth) of soil is dry. Generally speaking, this breaks down to about one watering a week. However, gauge each succulent individually.
Feel the soil, and when it’s dry about an inch deep, the plant is ready to be watered.
Aeonium arboreums go dormant in the summer, and you must modify your water accordingly. You should only water the succulents once a month during the inactive period.
The water required by outdoor plants differs. If you’re in an area that receives regular rainfall, always test the soil before watering.
Once the soil is dry, soak the plants. For potted succulents, add until the water streams from drainage holes. For outdoor succulents, moisten until the soil is wet about an inch deep.
Expose the Plant to Bright, Indirect Sunlight
Aeonium arboreum needs a lot of bright, indirect light. Place the indoor succulents in windows facing the south or the west.
Outdoor plants want either full sun or partial shade. Aeonium arboreum exposed to too much direct sunlight risk sunburn—those given insufficient light experience etiolation.
Succulents without sufficient sunlight reach toward a light source, stretching and elongating their stems. The process, called etiolation, impacts a plant’s appearance and health.
Use Water-Soluble Fertilizers
Never fertilize your Aeonium arboreum during the dormant months. Once the summer has passed, and your succulent is active again, stick to water-soluble fertilizers.
Dilute a house plant fertilizer formula to half its original strength and apply it once a month.
Provide Well-Draining Soil
Like most succulents, the Aeonium arboreum requires soil that drains well to avoid root rot. Root rot is one of the great killers of succulents. The condition damages the entire plant, potentially leading to the death of the Aeonium arboreum.
Standard soil works well to prevent root rot. Sandy mixes are equally effective. Traditional succulent soil mixes aren’t ideally suited to this type of plant.
Replanting Aeonium Arboreum
You’ll only need to replant your Aeonium arboreum once every two to three years. The plant will deplete the soil’s nutrients, requiring repotting to ensure continued growth.
Additionally, despite the succulent’s shallow root system, it will eventually outgrow its vessel, requiring the next pot size up. If kept in too small a container, the Aeonium arboreum may become rootbound. Rootbound plants can’t absorb nutrients and water properly, which slows or halts growth. Rootbound plants often lose leaves.
Repotting Aeonium arboreum is best completed in autumn, during the plant’s active growth phase.
After transplanting, avoid watering for a couple of days, then thoroughly soak the plant.
Aeonium arboreum growths and stems are fragile, so handle them with care. Some may break off in the repotting process. Don’t panic; simply dry out the branches for a few days. Once the broken limbs are dried, they can be potted in fresh soil to grow fresh succulents.
The best method of propagation is cuttings, following these simple steps:
- Make the cuttings in early spring; because Aeonium arboreums hibernate through the summer, any cuttings won’t grow during that season.
- Using a sharp knife, make a clean cut 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) below a rosette.
- Allow the cutting plenty of time to heal. The cut needs to scab over entirely before you plant the cutting.
- Keep the cuttings in a dry, shady spot until the cutting heals, which takes about 24 hours.
- Once planted, keep them in indirect but bright sunshine and water them regularly. The roots should develop in between three and four weeks.
Threats To Aeonium Arboreum
The Aeonium arboreum is a hearty plant well-suited for survival. However, even this warrior-succulent has its threats.
Pests
Potted Aeonium arboreums draw the attention of pests, particularly:
- Aphids: Aphids are warm-weather pests that typically attack the succulent’s rosettes.
- Spider mites: Spider mite infestations can cause damage by sucking the moisture from your Aeonium arboreum’s leaves.
- Mealybugs: Mealybugs present a lot like mold. Many plant parents mistake the pests for fungus, owing to its white, fuzzy appearance.
Excessive moisture draws these critters. An appropriate watering schedule helps deter their presence.
All of these unwelcome guests pose real threats to your plant. They damage leaves and hinder growth. Left unchecked, the pests may eventually kill your Aeonium arboreum.
Should your Aeonium Arboreum suffer an infestation, isolate it immediately. You don’t want the bugs spreading to your other plants. If caught early enough, you can repel these intruders.
Neem oil proves particularly effective against invasive pest species. Additionally, diluted rubbing alcohol helps remove mealybugs.
Root Rot
Root Rot is the greatest threat to most succulents, and Aeonium arboreums are no exception.
Plant parents over-water in excess of enthusiasm. However, excessive moisture leads to root rot, which damages and often kills the plants.
Preventing this affliction is simple enough. Adhere to a standard watering schedule, allowing the roots to absorb only the water the plant needs.
Final Thoughts
Aeonium arboreums require very little care. These succulents share many of the water, light, and care requirements universal to the plants.
Following a few particular maintenance steps ensures your plant thrives and blossoms beautifully. By following all the information from this ultimate guide, your Aeonium Arboreum will grow healthy and happy.
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