Aeonium crested sunburst rotted!

Hello. I am new to this site and happy to read I am not the only one with an aeonium crested that began rotting within weeks of my getting it. It came from California, but because I live in a cold climate, I re-potted it in sandy soil with good drainage. I cut away the rot and have barely watered it at all. But whenever I did, more rot. So today I took it out of the pot, took cutting from it (many many!) and will let them callous and air root, then plant them back in the pot. Anyone know why this happened?? Anyone have any comments about whether I am doing this last step right?

Read more: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1381118/#ixzz3KuDXeY6X

Sounds as if you are covering your bases right- do you use any rooting hormones? Just curious is my reason...

Some rooting hormone includes fungicide. Might be a good idea.
Sterile soil, or pure sand would be a good thing, too. It won't stay sterile, of course, but it is a good way to get them rooted.

Crests are prone to rot. The more crested, the more iffy they can be. Regardless, it's going to be hard to keep a struggling Aeonium going indoors through the winter in Montana. They like a lot of light in the winter and tend to do a whole lot better outdoors (here, where they can do that).

Aeoniums in pots are also not great at dealing with very dry soil for extended periods, unlike many succulents. Better to water well and then wait until the soil starts to dry out before watering again. Before you can get into this cycle you have to be sure the wound has healed and there is a callus. The more light the plant receives, the easier water management should be.

In my experience sand does not improve drainage unless it's really coarse grit. Better to stick with perlite or pumice (or equivalent) if that's your goal. Smaller grain sand can actually worsen drainage and hold on to more water. My usual mix for Aeoniums is about a quarter pumice, maybe a little more. With a crest you might want to go to 50%.

The only reason to use rooting hormone is because it might contain fungicide. Otherwise it will make little or no difference in how fast the cutting roots.

This message was edited Dec 4, 2014 7:43 AM

As a protector use yes, wasnt so worried abt rooting assist here...

I can grow these under cover (conservatory here in cold, wet UK over winter.
I use as small a pot as possible, the soil mix used is Multi purpose a handful, a pinch of horticultural sand (NOT BUILDERS SAND) and half handful of small grit, again from small bag bought at garden store.
Mix this and pot up your plants, gently lift up the lower leaves of the plant and place some small gravel UNDER the leaves, this slightly lifts the foliage off the foliage and makes a barrier between the soil and foliage, it prevents any moisture settling onto the foliage causing rot and prevents the crown sitting wet.
For watering, only water from below, half hour in saucer should be enough or when the soil turns darkr, drain and set plant on empty saucer, and keep eye out fro bugs, rot or lack of water.

Too large a pot and too much soil causes cold roots and causes them to rot over winter.
Hope this gives you food for thought and you can save your lovely plants for a long time to come.

Best of luck. WeeNel.

Yes, you really need to put a layer of gravel between the soil and the leaves. The only part of the plant you want touching the soil is the stem.

The way I usually do this when I pot a cutting up is to create a slight mound of soil in the center of the pot for the stem, then work in coarse pumice around the sides so that everything ends up level. Over time the soil tends to level out on its own, but the rock creates a necessary barrier between the leaves and the wet soil.