How to Grow Sempervivum From Seed
Plants
of the genus Sempervivum go by many common names, including hen and
chicks, stonecrop and liveforever, which is a direct translation of the
Latin name. All species of sempervivum are small, low-growing succulent
plants with a rosette form and spreading growth habit. Although most
sempervivums are commonly cultivated using vegetative propagation
methods such as division, they also grow reliably from seeds if they are
exposed to very warm, bright conditions and kept moderately moist.
Sempervivum seedlings are very susceptible to a fungal infection called
damping-off, but this is easily avoided by not overwatering.
Instructions
1.Fill
a seedling tray with a well-draining growing mixture comprised of 2
parts coarse sand and 1 part perlite. Leave the top 1/4 inch of the
seedling tray empty.
2.Sprinkle
sempervivum seeds across the surface of the soil. Distribute the seeds
so that only one or two land on each square inch of the growing medium.
3.Spread
a very scant layer of fine sand over the sempervivum seeds to help hold
in moisture while still allowing light to reach them.
4.Mist
the sempervivum seeds heavily after sowing them. Spritz the surface of
the soil until the top 1/2 inch feels moderately moist. Maintain this
level of moisture during the germination process.
5.Cover
the seedling tray with plastic wrap to hold in heat and moisture. Apply
bottom heat to the seedling tray using a propagation heat mat set to 90
degrees Fahrenheit.
6.Expose
the sempervivum seeds to very bright light either by placing them near a
large, south-facing window or by suspending a fluorescent lamp above
them. Keep bright light on the seeds for six to eight hours every day.
7.Watch
for germination in two to five weeks. Remove the plastic wrap as soon
as the seedlings unfurl. Improve air circulation around the sempervivum
seedlings by thinning them to one plant every two inches.
8.Decrease
watering as soon as the seedlings emerge. Water with a spray bottle
only when the top 1/4 inch of growing mixture dries out.
9.Transplant
the sempervivum seedlings into 3.5-inch starter pots filled with
succulent formula potting mix as soon as they reach 1/2 inch in height.
10.Keep
the individually potted sempervivum seedlings in a warm, sheltered spot
until they mature and take on their characteristic rosette shape, and
then transplant them into permanent pots or directly into the garden.