How to Grow and Care for Hens and Chicks (House Leek)

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Watch Now: How to Grow and Care for a Hens and Chicks Plant

Hens and Chicks Care

Hens and chicks will do well when planted in just about any well-drained soil in full sun to light shade, but its enthusiasm for flaxen, gravelly territory makes it a favored option for rock gardens, wall crevices, and other places where other plants struggle. Its worry needs are minimal ; the worst thing you can do is over-tend it with excessively much water and fertilizer .

ripe plants may send up flower stalks in summer, but the central rosette ( the hen ) will die after flowering, at which time you will need to remove it, allowing the beginning chicks to continue the colony.

The Spruce / Kara Riley 

The Spruce / Kara Riley

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

light

Grow your hens and chicks plants in fully sun ( at least six hours daily ), which will lead to both optimum coloration in the foliation, ampere well as bountiful offsets. That being said, the plants can grow in partial shade arsenic well, particularly if being cared for in an specially hot, dry climate .

dirty

Hens and chicks plants are specially casual about their dirt and will grow well in a shuffle that is arenaceous or gravelly. The main soil requirement for the establish is that it be well-draining. If your dirt is heavy and does n’t drain well, work some peat and sand into the assortment to increase the aeration and drain. These plants prefer a soil that approaches impersonal, slenderly acidic to slenderly alkaline .

If you ‘re growing your plants in a container, the best pot medium is a mix formulated for succulents and cactus .

water

Hens and chicks are drought-tolerant perennials, so they can withstand going weeks at a time without proper lacrimation. Give newly transplanted plants sufficient water to help them get established, but once they are, be careful not to over-water them. Check the land and make sure it is dry before watering .

temperature and Humidity

Hens and chicks can be successfully grown in a compass of temperatures, but prefer an average climate between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If temperatures drop besides first gear, they will not necessarily die off but will decidedly stop growing and go into a semi-dormant state. additionally, hens and chicks tolerate a wide range of humidity levels and are quite democratic in dry climates .

fertilizer

This ground report will thrive in poor soils, so there is no need to fertilize hens and chicks plants. In fact, feeding these plants can reduce their energy or prompt flowering that leads to early demise of rosettes .

Types of Hens and Chicks

You may find this plant sold in two species variations : Sempervivum tectorum volt-ampere. arvernense, which features leaves that are covered with velvet-like hairs ; and Sempervivum tectorum volt-ampere. tectorum, with politic leaves edged with hairs.

commercially, there are several cultivars of S. tectorum offered, bred for unlike leaf colors and shapes :

• ‘Bernstein’ has copper and gold leaves.
• ‘Big Blue’ is an eye-catching version with bluish-green leaves.
• ‘Black’ is a stunning version with green leaves that have purple tips.
• ‘Terracotta Baby’ is a variety with vibrant orangey-red foliage.
• ‘Claudia’ has large rosettes with bright red leaves.
• ‘Herringer Rose’ has 5-inch rosettes with red leaves, tinged with brown.
• ‘Launcelot’ has brownish-red leaves.
• ‘Morgenrote’ is a gorgeous cultivar featuring plumb-red leaves edges with green.
• ‘Pelora’ is an unusual mutant variety with bright green, bullet-shaped leaves.

other species of this genus are besides sold, normally as houseplants. You may find them lumped together as Sempervivum, with no species designation .

John Lawson, Belhaven / Getty Images

Rudolf Vlcek / Getty Images

Propagating Hens and Chicks

To propagate a hens and chicks plant, simply split the offsets ( the “ chicks ” ) from the parent plant ( the “ hen ” ), preserving the roots of each, if possible .

1. Using a small trowel, transplant the offsets into well-drained soil, creating a shallow hole where you can spread out the roots.
2. Replace the soil to the crown of the plant and gently compact around the roots.
3. You can give the offset a light watering, but let the new plant dry out between waterings. Plants will spread on their own under ideal conditions.

The Spruce / Kara Riley 

The Spruce / Kara Riley 

How to Grow Hens and Chicks From Seed

In addition to propagate by digging up the counterbalance chicks, you can besides grow hens and chicks from the seeds that are produced if a suppurate plant produces flowers. Collect the seeds from the pods left behind after the flowers fade, and sprinkle them on top of pots filled with cactus/succulent potting mix. lightly moisten the mix and place the pot in a brilliantly placement ; the seeds should sprout within three weeks. At that detail, you can add some finely gravel and mulch .

Potting and Repotting Hens and Chicks

This plant makes a good potted specimen when planted in a shallow, well-drained container filled with a cactus/succulent potting mix. Us a clay toilet, which will wick moisture to prevent overwatering. Hens and chicks can be grown alone as a little bunch colony, or in a large container as one plant in a shuffle group of succulents or miniature rock ‘n’ roll garden.

Overwintering

Hens and chicks do n’t require winter cold protection, but they resent wet winter conditions, so it ‘s best to clean away labor debris to keep collected moisture from introducing waste. Outdoor potted plants are subject to temperature extremes in cold winter zones, sol place them in a sheltered placement, or bring them indoors for the winter .

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Hens and chicks that are turn indoors, in a greenhouse, or in overly-moist conditions tend to have the biggest consequence with pests, most often in the imprint of mealy bugs and aphids. If you notice signs of an infestation, try to remove the bugs using a cotton trade or cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. You can besides treat the plants with neem oil or insecticidal soap .

damp conditions or poor drain can encourage a variety of fungal flick spots or ancestor decompose. Keeping these plants in dry conditions is the best way to forestall these issues .

How to Get Hens and Chicks to Bloom

These plants are grown for their leaf and geometric growth substance abuse, so flowering is not inevitably desirable. These are plants that normally propagate themselves vegetatively, not through seeds, so unfolding can even be be a sign of poor people conditions. Should you want the plant to flower ( such as if you want to experiment with seed propagation ), you can intentionally stress the plant by shading it .

common Problems With Hens and Chicks

In ideal conditions, hens and chicks is a pretty carefree plant. When problems occur, it ‘s much because the plant is getting excessively much water .

plant Turns Mushy

When the leaves turn easy and begin to wilt, it is normally because excessively wet conditions are causing the plant to rot. The roots may already be rotting, so the best solution is to dig up the plant, split off any of the “ dame ” rosettes that are still intact, and discard the badly sections. If this is a regular happening, it indicates your soil needs to have improved drain by amending it with backbone or gravel .

Rosettes Die Back

It is natural for a “ hen ” rosette to die back after it produces flowers and sets seed. paradoxically, this plant is more likely to flower and subsequently die if it is getting besides much water or excessively much fertilizer .

faq

• How can I use hens and chicks in the landsdcape?

  As a drought-tolerant lush, hens and chicks is one of the better perennials for rock-gardens —they besides grow well in cracks, whether in stone walls or between garden stepping stones.
  If you ‘re looking for a labor cover, you can replace your lawn with a combination of hens and chicks plus creeping sedum. Hens and chicks besides makes a good potted plant, both outdoors and indoors .

• How long does this plant live?

  These plants are known as monocarpic plants. The person rosettes die out soon after they send up flower shoots. But flowering does n’t always occur, and even when some rosettes die out, the outgrowth “ chicks ” will continue the colony. An established colony will live for decades with this constant replacement of rosettes .

• Are there other Sempervivum species I should consider?

  There are more than 40 species in the Sempervivum genus, and respective are popular garden and houseplant species. In addition to S. tectorum, you can look for Sempervivum arachnoideum ( cobweb house leek ), Sempervivum calcareum, and Sempervivum ciliosum ( Teneriffe houseleek ). All species have the characteristic rosette shape .

• Where did the name “house leek” come from?

  The coarse name “ houseleek ” comes from an Anglo Saxon word “ leac ”, think of plant. These plants are literally known to grow on houses, specially those with slate or stone shingles. In fact, they were sometimes intentionally planted on roof in regulate to hold roof shingles in place .

• Is this plant edible?

  The leaves of hens and chicks are wholly edible and can be used in salads and other dishes. The taste is slightly sour, like an unripe apple .