Baby Sun Rose care and propagation shouldn’t discourage you from surrounding your house with these beautiful blossoms. Baby sun rose is a special plant. It’s more aesthetic and easy to care for and propagate than most people think.
Baby Sun Rose care involves exposing it to sunlight, regular watering, and pruning while propagating it involves taking stems from healthy plants and planting them in rich, loose soil.
Baby Sun Rose plants will surely look nice in your house. Read on to learn how to propagate and take care of the plant.
How To Care for Baby Sun Rose
Here are the most important things to consider to ensure your Baby Sun Rose thrives over the long term.
Sun Exposure and Light Requirements
Like a typical succulent, Baby Sun Rose (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) needs a good amount of sun. However, you shouldn’t expose it to the sun all day. Six to eight hours of daily sunlight is sufficient for your Baby Sun Rose.
Baby Sun Rose is both an indoor and outdoor plant, but you should still avoid exposure to the harsh midday sunlight. If growing it outdoors, position your pot to receive indirect sunlight all day.
Water Requirements
You might think watering every day is essential for most plants, but watering Baby Sun rose daily is a bad idea. Too much water and damp soil causes root rot and will eventually kill your plant.
The best watering strategy is to allow the soil time to completely dry out before rewatering. You can test this by pushing your finger into the top couple of inches of soil. Your Baby Sun Rose may need more water in hot weather and less water in cool weather.
You’ll need to water pretty regularly in the summer, so ensure you water deeply about once every seven days. You can try once every two to three weeks during winter since your Baby Sun Rose will need less water during this period.
Soil Requirements
Growing Baby Sun Rose in the right soil is essential to its well-being. It will need a soil that has good drainage capacities since waterlogging poses a threat to your plant. You can buy special succulent soil mixes at any local nursery, and these will have adequate drainage capacities for your Baby Sun Rose.
The ideal soil mix is sandy, loamy, and light, and perlite is a great additive to promote drainage.
Temperature Requirements
Generally, Baby Sun Rose doesn’t do well in high-heat environments. It loses its leaves in such environments. The ideal temperature for this plant is around 5°C (41°F).
Placing your plant in the right humidity levels also contributes to its well-being. You’ll need a balanced, midrange humidity of around 40-50% for the best results.
A mature Baby Sun Rose adapts well to temperature changes and humidity levels. A younger one needs the appropriate temperature at every season to survive. However, if you keep your home humid in winter and give your plant a good light source, it will flourish.
Fertilizing
Mesembryanthemum cordifolium isn’t a heavy feeder. However, it will appreciate some fertilizer, especially during the growing and flowering seasons.
It’s best to use liquid or granular fertilizer on your succulent. Lower the fertilizer’s concentration by diluting it with water. Over-fertilizing your plants will potentially do damage, so be careful with the amount you use and try not to use a fertilizer with harsh chemicals.
Spread fertilizer mix around your plant’s soil and water thoroughly after fertilizing. I recommend fertilizing once or thrice a year in spring and late summer. Don’t fertilize during winter.
Potting and Repotting
The most important factor to consider when potting your plant is if the pot has enough drainage holes. If the pot you purchased doesn’t have holes, you can easily drill some in yourself. Porous pots are also a good choice since they promote better drainage.
Repotting frequently isn’t necessary, but when it’s time to repot, you’ll know it because:
- The soil has become too loose
- The plant stops growing
- If the soil is contaminated with disease or insects.
If you need to repot your Baby Sun Rose, here’s how to do it:
- Remove it gently from the current pot.
- Detangle the roots and trim off dead parts. Don’t be too rough with the root bundle since it can be relatively delicate.
- Give the new soil a good mix and spread it evenly, ensuring the roots are covered. You’ll need to make sure the top of the roots sits just above the top of the soil. Don’t pack the soil too tightly, either.
Baby Sun Rose can be delicate, so exercise some caution when transferring to another pot. It can suffocate if covered too deep with soil. Don’t water it for at least a week after repotting; the roots need to settle.
Pruning
Baby Sun Rose care and propagation includes regular pruning to keep it in good shape. The ideal time to prune your plant is during the Spring since this is when most of its growth occurs. Pruning it in springtime will also help it recover quickly.
Using a sterilized pruning shear eliminates dead, diseased, or aged stems and leaves for the best pruning results. Prune your plant with care.
Pest and Disease
Baby Sun Rose is a strong plant. However, it’s not immune to pest attacks. Attacks mostly come from mealybugs and scale insects.
You can easily deal with mealy bugs by washing your plants with dish soap or applying alcohol in the attacked area. You can repeat the treatment every three days until your plant is pest free.
You can use a similar treatment against scale insect attacks; pour alcohol over the attacked area. Keep your environment clean and check your Baby Sun Rose regularly for signs of infestation.
How To Help Your Baby Sun Rose Survive the Winter
Many houseplants owners lose their plants to the harsh weather of winter. However, with little effort, you can help your baby Sun Rose overcome the winter weather.
Here are a few tips to help your Baby Sun Rose combat harsh weather:
- Bring your plants inside if your region experiences harsh snow and wind.
- Keep them in an unheated greenhouse.
- Leave them outside in cool and sunny weather if your area experiences mild winters.
- Water the plant only when the soil is very dry.
- Increase watering again when spring comes.
Baby Sun Rose Propagation
Baby Sun Rose is very easy to grow and propagate. There are two major ways to propagate the heart-shaped plant: cutting and seeding.
Cuttings
The most important thing is to cut a stem from a healthy succulent. Here are some guidelines to help you through the process:
- Cut or gather stems from a healthy Baby Sun Rose. Remove them with a sterilized blade and ensure you cut them cleanly.
- Make sure the cuttings are completely dry before planting.
- Fill a pot or container with your soil mix, and leave a two inches (5.08 cm) space from the top of the pot.
- Plant the cuttings into the soil and cover it up well with more soil mix (ensure that the soil is a bit moist).
That’s all! It should take a few weeks for any signs of growth to show.
Seeds
Propagating Baby Sun Roses with seeds follows a similar process to stem propagating techniques. Follow these guidelines:
- Gather mature seeds
- Dry them until they turn gray
- Plant them in your pot filled with soil mix
- Keep the soil moist until new Baby Sun Roses sprout up
- Once you can see signs of sprouting, gently remove the seedling and place it into a new pot. You’ll need to ensure it’s at least 4 inches (10 cm) deep.
Final Thoughts
Baby Sun Rose is easy to care for and will brighten up any home. It’s beautiful and will give any home awesome aesthetics. It’s not just the beauty that makes it the perfect houseplant. Anyone can take care of and propagate it without much hassle.
Baby Sun Rose Care and Propagation involves basic things like watering it well and exposing it to the appropriate intensity of sunlight. You can propagate it in two ways; through stems or seeds.