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Sempervivum calcareum Care (houseleek)

For those who are beginners, there are some ideal succulents for them, this succulent is one of them, although it seems delicate for its beauty, it is a plant that does not require much care and is perfect for you to start your garden, we refer to the Sempervivum calcareum commonly known as houseleek. Learn all about Sempervivum calcareum care.

All succulents are beautiful, there are thousands of species and varieties, maybe that is one of the reasons why we love them so much, those of us who are immersed in this world find it impossible to pass by a nursery or a place where they sell succulents and not take a look to bring a “new love” home.

Characteristics Of the Sempervivum calcareum

There are many varieties of Sempervivum calcareum, most of them originating from the Canary Islands, Turkey, Armenia, etc.

In this case, the Sempervivum calcareum is known as “houseleek” is relatively easy to find, so you will have no problem acquiring it in the nursery of your confidence.

It belongs to the Crassulaceae family, it is a succulent in the form of a rosette, its leaves end in a point, these points have an intense pink color reaching a cherry tone.

It is a monocarpic succulent, that is to say, once it flowers the mother plant dies, but do not worry, it can take years for your Sempervivum calcareum to reach that stage and if we have taken good care of it, for sure it will have left you, several children, with which you will be able to continue enjoying this plant in your garden.

Sempervivum Calcareum 2 inch - Healthy Succulent Sempervivum Live Easy Care Indoor House Plant, Fully Rooted in 2/4/6 inch Sizes
  • Native to Southwest Alps, Sempervivum Calcareum is an incredibly pretty, mat-forming succulent that can reach up to 4-inches wide and 6-inches tall. It has some lovely, pointed, grey-green leaves tipped in burgundy, which changes to purple in Winter.
  • In Summer, it blooms a bunch of yellow-eyed, light pink flowers with scale-like leaves.
  • Each package contains one healthy 2/4-inches Sempervivum Calcareum that will be meticulously bubble-wrapped and shipped in a sturdy box to guarantee its safe arrival.

Care of Sempervivum calcareum:

Light:

Sempervivum calcareum is a succulent that we can place in a place where it has good sun exposure, it tolerates very well the direct sun in the mornings, in fact, an indicator that it lacks illumination is when we see that the rosette begins to lean to one side, at that moment it is warning us that it lacks illumination and it is necessary to relocate it. We can have it in the interior as long as we place it in an area with very good natural light.

houseleek succulent care

Sempervivum calcareum Care – Watering:

Its need for water is the general one, it should be watered once a week or only until the substrate is completely dry. Remember that in winter watering should be minimized.

Temperature:

They are succulents that withstand low temperatures well, in the case of intense heat (depending on the region where you live) it can get to suffer burns on its leaves, in this case, we recommend relocating to a place where it gets only the morning sun.

Sempervivum calcareum Care – Substrate:

Being a very hardy succulent it does not need a very enriched substrate, you can use a basic substrate, just make sure it drains well.

We use this substrate (Order it here) for the correct care of our Sempervivum calcareum, you should also use it for all your succulents.

Fertilization:

For Sempervivum calcareum it is not necessary to add fertilizer to its substrate, if you apply once a year some banana peel tea or worm humus it will be perfect.

If you want to apply fertilizer for correct care of Sempervivum calcareum we recommend this one we use on our succulents (Order it here).

How to Propagate Sempervivum calcareum

As we already told you, this succulent gives many offspring, so propagating it will be no problem, just separate them carefully from the mother plant to avoid damaging its roots and ready, you can transplant them immediately to their respective pots.

As a suggestion, if you place it in an extended pot and leave its offspring you will have a beautiful arrangement that will beautify your home.

Flowering Sempervivum calcareum:

This variety of Sempervivum calcareum bears small pink flowers and once it does this the mother plant dies.

flowering sempervivum calcareum

Frequent Problems with Sempervivum calcareum:

It is a succulent that presents no problems for its development, just be careful with overwatering as this can attract pests such as mealybugs on its leaves or roots.

We hope you found this article on how to care for Sempervivum calcareum useful. We recommend our article about Cotyledon tomentosa care guide.

frequent problems sempervivum calcareum

About Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan is an agronomist horticulture founder of The Garden Style Company and The Garden Style Website. He previously worked for Mondelēz International as an Agronomist Engineer specializing in agricultural products management in highly populated areas. In 2000, Henry started working with farmer-producers in agricultural businesses selling wholesale fresh produce and retail plants in Van Buren, Arkansas. Nowadays, Henry lives in California, where he offers expert consulting services for organic vegetable gardening. As a science writer working with his wife, Julia, Henry shares his passion for gardening and farming, trying to reach and teach as many folks as possible.

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