When you purchase through links on our site , we may earn an affiliate charge . Here ’s how it works .

succulent are my all - time favorite motley of plant life , and sedum institute top that leaning . The expectant sedum varieties , such as Autumn Joy , produce huge flower heads . By the end of the time of year you may find sedums falling over from the weight . Other causes of bowed sedum heads may be rich soil or overwatering .

The Sedum house encompasses plants that trail , spread like ground cover , tower 2 or more feet ( 0 . 6 + m. ) , and those that just barely graze your ankles . For dwelling nurseryman , the radical ’s kind make it potential to use these hardy succulents in their landscape gardening . The thick leaves are treat with a waxy substance that helps the flora keep pee in , so they can mature in dry conditions . Sedum plants come back in bound and begin as land hug stem canker . presently stems form and then starry clusters of flowers . In the larger sedums , these deal into a globe of purple , pink , Salmon River or white-hot color .

how to keep sedum from flopping

Some sedum plants can get a efflorescence cluster the size of a man fist or even large . Most of the time , the heavy sedum on top of the thick stock can hold up the immense blossom . But sometimes the peak falls to the ground or the stalk breaks . debile stems are the result of overly deep territory . Sedum plant are tolerant of poor maturate conditions and even expand in sandy or grainy metier . Rich and soggy soils will cause the stems to bend and you will see your sedum come over . To prevent this , you should mix in some gumption to the site ground prior to planting the succulent . Sedums planted in down light areas may also get spindly staunch as the plant stretches for the sun . insure that these succulent get full Sunday pic .

Sedum industrial plant are pop succulents that are do it for their attractive foliage and beautiful blossom . However , many nurseryman sputter with sedum that flop over and look unkempt afterward in the time of year . The good news is that with right care and pruning , it ’s easy to keep sedum plant seem great all season long . In this clause , we ’ll share backsheesh on how to prevent sedum from flopping over .

Why Sedums Flop Over

There are a few fundamental reasons why sedum plants incline to flop over and lose their shape :

Fast , plush growth due to rich soil or overwatering Sedums favor thin , well - drain grime Wet stain causes weak , floppy development .

Insufficient sunshine . Sedums require at least 6 hours of unmediated Sunday per day . Too much shade leads to weak stretch stem .

tumid heavy flower heads late in the time of year . Some sedum varieties grow very large bloom that get too heavy for the stem to support .

Age . Old sedum plant incline to get woody and produce weaker stem .

Variety . Some sedum variety show are simply more prone to flopping than others . ‘ Autumn Joy ’ is notorious for getting floppy .

How to Prevent Floppy Sedum Growth

Luckily , with the right growing condition and pruning pattern , it ’s easy to produce sturdy , upright sedum plants that will keep back their human body all season . Here are some hint :

Provide the Right Soil

Sedums want tight - draining , lean dirt . Before planting , meliorate gravid garden grunge with moxie or grit to improve drainage .

Avoid over - fertilizing , which leads to decrepit growth . employ a balanced organic fertilizer at planting prison term and slenderly after .

Let the grease dry out between waterings . Overwatering boost weak theme .

Give them Sun

sedum ask a lower limit of 6 hour of unmediated sunlight per day . dawn sun is idealistic .

If plant in too much shade , sedum get leggy as they strain for light . Move plant to a sunnier position .

Prune for Shape

In early summer , prune back the stems by 1/3 to 1/2 their height . This encourages bushier , sturdier ontogeny .

twitch off the grow lead of halt in give and former summer . Pinching back redirects growth lower on the works .

trim back back any floppy stems in midsummer to improve appearing .

Stake If Needed

Insert interest around sedum plants and generally splice floppy stems to provide support .

expend small cages or rings to corral spread sedums and keep them upright .

Divide Overgrown Plants

prod up and divide sedum clumps every 3 - 4 year in spring as unexampled growth emerges . Replant division .

Take stem cutting to start newfangled , vigorous sedum plant . Old plants tend to get woody and frail .

Choose Non-Floppy Varieties

Some sedum varieties are much less prone to flopping :

‘ Angelina ’ – Low - growing with yellow foliage , stays compact .

‘ Blue Spruce ’ – Blue - green phonograph needle - like leave , mounding form .

‘ Vera Jameson ’ – Purple foliation , large blooms but sturdy shank .

‘ Red Cauli ’ – Cauliflower - similar blooms but strong vertical physical body .

When to Prune Sedums

right timing is central when pinch or cutting back sedums to manipulate flopping . Here are the optimal time frames :

Early spring : Prune back stems by 1/3 to 1/2 their meridian before raw growth emerge .

Early summertime : vellicate off growing tips of stems and developing bloom bud . Do this when plants are 4 - 10 column inch tall .

summer solstice : dilute back any floppy fore but avoid pruning plants in full bloom .

Fall : Cut sedum staunch back to 1 - 2″ above ground after bloom finishes .

Step-by-Step Guide to Pruning Sedums

Here is a simple step - by - step guidebook to twitch and pruning sedums for shape :

Pinching Tips

await until the sedum stem are about 4 - 6 inches tall in spring / early summer .

Use your fingers or trimmer / scissors to cabbage off the baksheesh of each stem just above a set of leaves .

Remove the growing tip and develop blossom bud cluster .

duplicate for all stems to further bushy , compact growth .

Cutting Stems Back

In former summer , practice pruners or scissors to cut each stem back by 1/3 to 1/2 its height .

Make the pruning cut just above a leaf node . unexampled shoots will emerge here .

Remove the cut stems or apply them for propagating new plants .

Repeat cut back all stems . take out dead stems as needed .

Caring for Sedums

To keep your sedum look their best all season long , provide right growing atmospheric condition :

plant life in full sun ( at least 6 hour direct sun per day )

Well - draining soil enriched with compost at planting

Allow dirt to dry out between waterings to prevent rot

feed in former saltation and midsummer with balanced constitutive fertilizer

Prune for soma and to regenerate old plants

dissever congested lump every 3 - 4 days in early spring

Watch for common pests like aphid and scale ; treat organically

add together gravel mulch to conquer weeds , retain moisture , and forbid rot

Keep Your Sedums Standing Tall!

While sedums are noted for acquire floppy and unkempt later in the time of year , you’re able to well keep them looking slap-up by providing optimal produce conditions and using dim-witted pruning techniques . Just be certain to plant them in full sunlight , foreclose overwatering , and pinch off point and cut back stem at the right fourth dimension . With right care , your sedum plant life will retain an attractive , mounded anatomy all time of year long .

What to Do if Sedums are Too Heavy

Those bragging beautiful heads may get nodding due to a variety of condition . you’re able to move the works in fall to a more suitable location or amend the soil . The short condition solution is to stake the plant so the root word has support . Sedum flowers append interesting shapes to a wintertime garden , and the flowers can stay on the plant until spring . They dry out in drop and have a textural appeal . Older plant life respond well to division . Dig up the total plant in the hibernating time of year and foreshorten the etymon and flora in half . Alternately , look for offsets or baby flora and pull them away from the parent plant . Once planted and established , these baby will produce cursorily and better than the aged parent .

When sedum plants are pruned , they tend to develop bushier during their next fountain ontogenesis spurt . Use incisive pruners or garden shears to take the radical back to within an in ( 2 . 5 cm ) of the soil in other spring . Take care to avoid the new growth that is coming up . Pinching will apply bushier plants . Pinch off the new increase close to the ground , and it will arise into a theme that is tighter and thicker . Pruning sedum succulents that are growing in low light shape may serve them form a sturdier stem . Cut the stalk back to 6 inches ( 15 . 2 cm . ) . You wo n’t get any flowers decently away , but the stalk will get thicker , which will help the flowers stomach up when they do . Finally , if your sedums are too gruelling on top , play the flower inside to revel as a cutting flower . They are a joyfulness both indoors and out .

Gardening Tip Tuesday: Trimming Autumn Joy Sedum

FAQ

How do you keep sedum upright ?

How do you fix floppy sedum ?

How do I keep my sedum from falling over ?

Should I stake my sedum ?

Do sedums collapse ?

Sedums , including the ever popular Autumn Joy , prefer full Dominicus and well - drained soil . They run to flop when grown in the shade and too damp soil . Move your plant life to a gay placement with skillful drain if take . Add constitutive matter to heavy corpse territory to meliorate drainage and increase your growing success .

Why is my Sedum floppy ?

Lack of sunlight and too much fertility in the soil are also common causes of floppiness and caving in at the center of the works . Sedum is a warm - weather succulent plant that thrives in full sunshine and average or pitiable ground . Some sedum variety are tough enough to thrive in ironic , gravelly soil .

How do you keep Sedum salubrious ?

To keep sedum healthy , get in the riding habit of routinely part the industrial plant every other year . weewee sedum meagrely ; smashed soil may cause sedum to decompose and die . In most part of the nation , sedum thrives with no supplemental irrigation but benefit from an occasional light watering during long menses of raging , dry conditions .

How to replant Sedum clumps ?

Now that you have select the perfect speckle for sedum glob to raise , it is time to replant it . Dig a hole where the thumping will perfectly fit . Get those excavated ground and tamp it around the roots . If there are clods , break off them so that they can be lot evenly around the plant . Of naturally , in many character do not have to or want to replant sedum .

Do Sedum flowers dry out ?

Sedum flowers make interesting architectural increase to the wintertime garden and can be leave on the flora until spring . They dry out out in fall and have a textural prayer . Older plant respond well to partitioning . Dig up the integral plant in the torpid time of year and reduce the root and plant in half .

Why are my sedums fall over ?

Rich and soggy soils will stimulate the prow to bend and you will see your sedum falling over . To preclude this , you should mix in some sand to the site soil prior to set the succulents . Sedums plant in depleted weak areas may also develop spindly stems as the plant stretches for the Sunday .