“哦,我的!”当我和一位朋友站在一起欣赏她新添的花园时,我惊呼道。她比我更有创造力,喜欢尝试独特的新事物。
“What did you say it was called?”
“It’s a donkey tail succulent,” she said — once again happy that she had impressed me with a new addition. “Sedum burrito也叫毛驴尾巴或羊尾巴。真是美味多汁,你说呢?我的意思是,长长的、拖长的茎看起来肯定像尾巴。”
“Like a thicker, trailing hen and chicks — will it survive the winter?”
We live in a 4-season climate. Plants have to be hardy to survive the cold months.
“No. I’ll have to bring it inside. It’ll make a lovely indoor plant, trailing over my sunroom menagerie.”
“花吗?”我问。
“Hopefully,” my friend beamed. “Outdoors, the donkey tail succulent might give me red, yellow, or white flowers in late summer. Unfortunately, the plant rarely blooms indoors.”
“So … enjoy the colorful display when it’s outside?”
“Exactly.”
I couldn’t wait to do more research on the donkey tail succulent. What I learned from my reading was the donkey tail makes a great plant for wannabe gardeners who believe they want plants, and then conveniently (or inconveniently) forget about them.
I didn’t think I fell in this category, but there have been times when life got in the way of watering. This donkey tail succulent does well when neglected. Another bonus: The donkey’s tail is not particularly susceptible to pests. Although (like any other plant) it can attract aphids.
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While you can hose off the aphids, it’s not advisable. This succulent — with its long, dangling tails — is rather fragile. An option is to gently mist the plant every few days with organic neem oil. This care will gradually eliminate the aphid problem (usually in a couple of weeks).
Donkey Tail Succulent Water and Sun Requirements
The plant is native toHonduras and Mexico. It’s a slow-grower but over the course of time, the dangling tails can be as long as 4 feet. As mentioned, the long tails make the donkey tail succulent rather fragile, so it’s best to find a sunny spot and leave it as opposed to moving it around and risking damage.
它的最佳生长环境是在早晨有充足温暖阳光的地方,同时避免午后刺眼的阳光。无论是盆栽还是在地下,在排水良好的沙土中,最好是pH为6.0的中性至酸性土壤中。
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Drought resistant likemost succulents, the donkey tail prefers to be watered less often, rather than frequently. However, it’s usually a good idea to water it more frequently during the spring/summer growing season, and reduce the watering in the fall and winter months. The best way to manage the watering is to allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again.
Repotting and Propagating the Donkey Tail Succulent
The donkey tail succulent’s fragility makes it difficult to repot, but it can be done with care. Avoid repotting unless absolutely necessary. Should the plant lose some of its beaded leaves while attempting to repot it, place the broken off leaf in a new pot filled with its preferred soil mixture, and leave half of the leaf exposed. Water at least once a week until new growth appears, then revert to the watering routine of the parent plant.
Now, you may wonder, is the plant poisonous or edible? Well, the good news is that it’s nontoxic and not one of the poisonous succulents. It’s safe to have this plant indoors where young children and pets may consume its leaves — as children and pets sometimes do.
Some say that the leaves are edible and can be used as food, but it’s not something I would care to try. For me, the donkey tail succulent would be a conversation piece to add to my indoor and outdoor gardens.
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