Forgot to say. If you just acclimate them to the sun they should be fine:).

Hi Kara! Thank you for your quick response. I realized after posting my questions that it would help better if I included photos. I'll take pics now and upload them shortly.

To answer some of your questions first -- I live in Maryland and my cyclops came from California and were grown outdoors. That's why it was suggested that I leave my cyclops outdoors for a weeks before I bring them indoors and place on my south facing window. I'm not quite sure what type of soil it has since it came with a pot, and I don't want to add stress to it more by repotting right away. Although I already bought soil for cacti and succulents, but haven't used it.

I'll take pics now and post shortly. Thanks again!

Here are a few photos of them. Sorry for the bad shots. Notice the drooping leaves and the "burnt" looking budding rosettes. Also, they weren't reddish purple when I got them. They were mostly green and dark purple at the ends. So I know they did get a lot of sun today.

So, should I continue to leave them outdoors, perhaps somewhere shaded? Or should I just leave them indoors after the heat shock they had today? Will they plump up, perk up, and recover from today?

Thanks, Kara. I figured the color change was due to the sun exposure, as well as the droopy leaves. So, do you suggest I keep them outside despite the look of them now, or should I wait until they recover before bringing them out again? Since it's Spring, my south facing deck gets a lot of sun (from early morning to early evening). Unfortunately, I do not have shade on my deck. I do have a big tree in my backyard that gets good shade throughout the day (not sure how much morning sun it gets though). So is that a good place to put them? I probably will leave them outdoors for a while since it's warmer now, and will probably just bring them in when it gets super hot or when winter comes around. But I'm still trying to figure out the best place to put them outdoors after what happened today.

Thanks for the tip regarding the soil and pot drainage. I bought clay pots where I plan to transfer them after they've acclimated here. The plastic pots they're in now do have drainage holes in them, so that's good.

What are your thoughts about growth lights in lieu of keeping them outdoors? Have you had any experience with them? You mentioned your aeoniums receive bright light all day and direct sun by 3pm. Are your aeoniums outdoors or indoors?

All my plants are outdoors. I'm able to keep them outdoors all year long:). I have zero experience with grow lights, but there are lots of people on here that use them. I'm sure there are threads you could look up:).

I would suggest putting them outside under your tree. That would be a perfect spot during the warm months. They will be protected from the sun, but still get dappled light:). Perfect spot TBH. Maybe enough light to kept them there all summer long. If not you could acclimate to your balcony.

If it rains a lot where you live you may need to protect them. Like I said they're dormant in the summer. So all the rains could start the rotting process. I said wait till fall to repot, but if you're keeping them outside you will probably need to give them super fast draining soil mixed with perlite soon. In a couple weeks I would repot:).You could even do 60% perlite with 40% C&S soil. Perlite helps with drainage. A little side note:). A lot of commercial C&S soil have peat in them. Peat is no good for succulents in the long run. Peat can retain water or be hydrophobic once dried out. So the perlite helps break that peat up so it doesn't have the chance to turn into concrete. If it's humid I wouldn't water them in the summer. They will get enough moisture either from rain or air. If you find a way to completely protect them from summer rains. Water once or twice a month. No more than that. If I think of anything else I will let ya know:).

Mine seem to like full sun till early afternoon and then full shade. These are 9 months old and had a good winter.

Kara, thanks for those tips. You're lucky you can grow your aeoniums outdoors year-round. When you said your aeoniums get bright light for the most part and sun not till 3pm onwards, do you mean they're shaded but given they're outdoors still get bright light, and doesn't get direct sunlight until 3pm?

That's wonderful if you think under my tree is a great spot for my plants. It does make sense that I get them acclimated in that spot, so as not getting direct sunlight right away. It doesn't always rain a lot here, but given that it's spring, we're getting a bit more than our usual year-round.

As for soil, the specific soil that I got from Home Depot is the Miracle Gro for Cactus, Palms, & Citrus and it says it's great for succulents and a fast draining formula (orange bag). It does, however, have peat moss in it. Is that kind sufficient for my needs, or do you think I need to purchase a different kind of soil?

As for watering, given that they're fast draining, I noticed that the water runs through the pot quickly. How do I know I've watered them well? Do I water them just enough that as soon as the water goes through the holes it's good (and it might be just a few drops since it's in a fast draining soil), or do I water them until the soil is fully wet and water goes through pot/containers?

Again, sorry for all these newbie questions. I'm not only a newbie when it comes to aeoniums, but an overall newbie when it comes to caring for plants in general. So all your tips are welcomed. Thank you!

Hi Steve! Beautiful collection! When you said they like full sun until early afternoon and then full shade, does that mean where they're located the get direct sunlight until early afternoon and shaded the rest of the day? Or do you move them? I'm trying to think where I get full sun until early afternoon and then shade in my backyard. I don't think I have that though. :-(

I find MG cactus mix the worst. Get some perlite and you should be fine:). Still use the MG mix, but definitely mix at least half of it with perlite. Maybe even more perlite then soil. Next time you need succulent soil and there's another succulent soil option at your store go for the cheapest one. That choice is usually better it has less water retaining properties and fertilizers. Usually for succulents the less organic matter the better:).

lauricebocao I have them under the roof eave facing east. That protects from rain and becomes shade around 1 in the afternoon. I winter them in the same location in a mini greenhouse with a clear plastic cover and supplement with t5ho lighting.

It's been a very wet and overcast spring here in NW Oregon, more so than normal, maybe 1 day a week of sun.

Like Kara suggests, I think you would have more success growing these plants outdoors. You haven't said how large your south facing window is but it will need to be a biggie as some of the plants you have will grow to over 1 meter tall quite quickly. I grow aeoniums outside here in the UK, bringing them into my kitchen overnight in winter only when there is a frost forecasted.

Kara, yikes on the MG cactus mix. But I'm glad you gave me a tip regarding adding perlite to that which would make it a better mixture. Since they are winter growers and summer dormant, do you suggest that I wait until fall to repot them?

Steven, your set up seems optimum. I have yet to figure out my set up outdoors. As Kara suggested, under my tree is ideal so I'm looking into setting up there.

Andrew, my south facing windows are quite big (almost a floor-to-ceiling height), so it gets a lot of sun during the day. I do, however, plan to bring them outdoors and just bring them in if I know it's going to be too hot or too cold for the day/night.

Question: what is the ideal temperature that they can be outside? I mean, temperature range? 25F-100F? Or higher/lower?

The containers they're in now have holes in them, so I think they should be fine when it rains, especially if I'm putting them under my tree. However, will they still be okay leaving them outside when it rains since they're not fully protected by a roof or something?

Aeoniums come from the canary islands where they have very hot summers (which is why they go dormant in summer there) so you shoudnt need to worry about max temps. Some varieties can supposedly tolerate brief exposure to sub-zero temps (like just for a few hours overnight). This winter passed i left mine outside when overnight temps dipped to around +1 deg C and they were fine but i didnt risk anything lower. Various websites will tell you they need to be protected from anything below around +5 C but this is overly cautious in my experience.

You could repot them now. I would if they were mine;). Plus they will be much happier in the perlite/C&S soil. I've read that they are hardy down to 25-30F. I'm sure there are more sensitive species then others, but the ones you have I think are a little hardier. They say they can go that low, but if they were mine I would put frost cover on them if you're still getting frosty nights. Just so their leaves don't get frost damage. Now that I think about it the tree should protect them from frost. Idk I would still cover if it gets below 32F. The heat I wouldnt worry about that. It gets hot as heck here, and I've never had an Aeonium die from heat:).

Idk how much summer rains you get, and how humid it gets. You may want to do 60% perlite and 40% C&S soil if it rains a lot. The more drainage the better in this situation. Not sure if I said this, but rinse the perlite along with straining it. It's very dusty and you don't want the little tiny particles.

I think that's it:). Goodluck:).

Thanks, Andrew. I do believe they're quite tolerant with warm/hot weather. But when I posted here on Friday, it was my aeoniums first full day outdoors under the sun and our temps reached 85F (about 29C) that day. Their leaves drooped and I got worried. Why do you think that happened? Is it because of shock, temp was too hot, direct sunlight all day (morning to afternoon sun), or a combination of factors?

I brought them in Friday night and haven't brought them outdoors yet. The leaves have propped right back up now, so I'm happy. It was too hot and humid over the weekend (close to 95F/35C) so I didn't want to take a chance and bring them outdoors. That's why I'm confused as to what outdoors temps they're okay with.

Andrew, how do your Aeoniums do with summer rains? I know for some the summer humidity can be a killer for AeoniumsWhat do you have them planted in:)?

Laurie- they just had a little shock. They were probably not use to that much sun. They went from green to burgundy in a day. A lot of succulents are from greenhouses and don't ever get full sun until we buy them, and take them home. That's why it's always good to acclimate them to the sun's harsh rays:). Once they get use to their new home the will be fine:).

@Kara, thanks for the tip on repotting and soil mixture. I'll go ahead and repot them with your suggested soil mixture. You did say straining the perlite before mixing with the C&S soil, but thanks for adding the rinsing part. I'll make sure I do that with the perlite before adding to my C&S soil.

That's right, you did say the drooping leaves was caused by shock. Probably a combination of shock and too much exposure to the afternoon sun as well, since the newly formed tiny rosettes burned . So you're saying, since I'll be placing them under my tree, which they won't get direct sunlight, then they should be fine regardless how hot it gets. Is that right? How about humidity? It does get humid in the summer here, and actually felt how our summer will be over the weekend. We usually don't get a lot of summer rains here, but quite a bit during spring.

Hi Kara, i have mine planted in soil and grit, as these plants get tall Im using some largish pots, but because Aeoniums only have shallow root systems i will fill the pots mainly with stones and gravel and then just about 5/6 inches of soil at the top. We usually have wet summers here (not humid). So i find my plants dont go dormant in summer here, they just keep growing! I don't attempt to protect them from rainfall. My view is that these plants curl up and go dormant when they need to protect themselves from heat and drought (as in their natural habitat). I don't think that means to say that we need to force the plants to use this protection mechanism when we grow them in a different climate. This is just my opinion- others may disagree.

Yep rinse and strain the perlite. You could use a veggie strainer. As long as the mix is at least half perlite humidity shouldn't be a problem. I would even do 60% perlite just to be on the safe side. Aeoniums can be little wusses when they get to their new home. Especially the ones with white on their leaves. Luckily you don't have to worry about that:).

Once repotted into new mix and under the tree they should be fine:). If terrential downpours are in the forecast you may want to put under the eaves of your home, but that's only if it's gonna rain for days and days. I've heard Floridians have a hard time with Aeoniums. Other then that they will be fine in their fast draining soil:).

Andrew-For the longest time I didn't realize Aeoniums closed up in the summer because mine don't get all that much direct sun. They don't need the protection. Mine get about 3 hours of afternoon sun. So mine close a little, but I've seen some that close up like a bud. It's crazy. When winter comes they look so pretty. They get huge. I had three bloom this winter and it was a nice sight against all the gloom:). To bad now the Aeonium looks bald;) because I just had to cut the spent blooms.

Laurice- Not sure if you know, but Aeoniums are monocarpic.

Kara, your Aeoniums are beautiful! And yes, I have heard and have read that they are monocarpic. Because I just started my collection of Aeoniums, I'm just learning things about them. However, I'm not quite sure about the meaning of them being monocarpic. I mean, I know that once they bloom, they die. But does the entire plant die including all the other rosettes in the plant, or only the rosette that bloomed dies? And when do they usually bloom? I think all my plants are fairly young, so I don't know when I should see them bloom.

It's just the rosettes that bloom die. The rest of the plant lives on:). Usually by the time it blooms you should have offshoots. Wouldn't worry about it;). Good job on doing a little research on your plants. One of the most important lessons I've learned from growing succulents is get to the know the plant, and where it originated from. Just knowing where the plant originates from can tell you a lot.

My Aeoniums started to bloom around the end of Oct. or early Nov. I just cut the spent blooms 2 weeks ago. So when they bloom it is a long process. It's kinda cool to see:).

Good to know that only the rosettes that bloom dies. I thought I would have to continuously propagate in order to have Aeoniums. I do plan on propagating them, just didn't want to have to do it in the fear of losing them.

Another question on repotting: how deep should I have the stem in the soil? I have some where the stem is a bit long and was wondering if I could bury a third or half of the bare stem in the soil, so they won't be too much top heavy.

I wouldn't bury the stem. This is what I would do repot in the same depth they are in now. When October or November comes cut the stem of the Aeoniums. You can cut the stem as far up as you want. I would leave at least an inch of stem tho. Let them callus for about a week or two in a cool dry place. Then just place the stem into the soil. No water till roots form. You should get roots in about a month. Once roots come you can water. Aeonium cuttings are one of the easiest to tell if they've grown roots because they will perk up noticeably.

I've done Aeonium cuttings in the summer, but they just take longer to get roots. I would just wait:).

Here are some Aeoniums I cut this February. They all have roots now:).

They're all beautiful! Thanks for the tips. What happens to them when you do the cuttings and while they're growing roots? Do their leaves droop, dry out, fall off, or what? Because you mentioned that I'll know when they've formed roots because they perk up noticeably.

As I mentioned in the few posts above, the three cyclops have recovered from the shock that happened to them last week. Thank goodness. Now, I have another set of three cyclops that arrived over the weekend and they're a bit more mature than the first three, and had a lot more rosettes. I haven't brought them outside because the seller's instructions were to keep them shaded in the first few days. When I received them, there were a some dried leaves that I removed. Now, four days later, I noticed there were a lot more dried leaves at the bottom of the rosettes. Is that normal for the leaves to dry off that quickly? Or is that a result of their shock again from a new environment?

When they're cuttings they can look a little sad while they take their time to make roots. I think because they don't store as much water in their leaves as other succulents. So like I said once roots form the leaves perk up.

I am forever cleaning up old crispy Aeonium leaves at the base of the rosettes. As long as they're at the bottom of the rosettes and not the top they should be fine:). That task is actually one of my favorite things to do;).

Normal dying Aeonium leaves at bottom:). The pic below this one is the same rosette.

Here's a pic of a sad looking Aeonium cutting. I've had this cutting for a month maybe a little less. This is what I mean by looking sad. I just noticed a little root:). Half the time I do a cutting I don't even put them in soil after they've callused. I keep on a wooden bench in my garage. It's dry, dark, and cool in there. They will pop out roots not even being in soil. Especially Aeoniums! Like I said you could do the cuttings now. It just takes longer. Since it's your first time doing this I would wait. Just so things will happen faster for you. You can also get to know your Aeoniums over the summer:).

New root. This is nothing they usually have roots everywhere:).I just put him in soil now. He should start perking up a bit.

Love your collections. I love seeing people's Aeonium collections as I really love looking at them -- perhaps that is why I'm partial to keeping them indoors, so I can look at them everyday .

I enjoy removing the dry leaves as well. I was just worried that it was an unusual rate and amount, though that may be just due to the leaves coming from a lot more rosettes.

Could be a little shock, but I have a feeling it's a normal amount:). I notice in their dormant period I'm picking off or up more dead leaves. I think they drop more leaves during this time because of the reason they're going or are dormant. Aeoniums close their rosettes up during this time. Mine don't that much because none of mine are in all day sun. So they don't need to protect themselves from the harsh summer sun, but they do a little. They get huge in the winter!

Here's a few of my fav Aeoniums I own:).

Aeonium 'Sunburst' I have a difficult time growing, but this one hasn't died on me yet;).

Hey lauricebocao, first of all...great selection! And I agree with Kara, most likely shock from going from indoors to outdoors. Happy growing!

I need your thoughts on this particular one. I got this cutting from a family member in California and brought it back here in January. I planted using regular soil because that's what my family member uses. I was so excited for my first Aeonium that I planted it in a big pot in preparation for when it matures (I know, newbie mistake). Few months have gone by and it's still not flourishing as I'd hope, so did more research. Come to find out that you're supposed to plant it in a small pot first and just repot it to a size bigger as it grows. So I did just that and switched to a C&S soil a few weeks, or perhaps almost a month ago. When I removed it from the big pot I noticed that for the four months it's been in that big pot, it didn't root! Though no root/stem rot was present, Btw, I didn't wait for it to form small roots prior to planting because that's what I was told. So now it's already May and it's still looking like that. Do you suggest that I cut and let it callous now even though it's going to bring me close to summer by the time I can plant it, or wait it out and hope it perks up soon? Thanks!

You could turn it into a cutting now if you want. I mean what do you have to loose, but I would keep it cool and dry and wait till fall. Maybe give it one last drink and then turn it into a cutting. It may be a good plant to practice on before you turn your big ones into cuttings;).

That is true, this could be my practice one. What are your thoughts with rooting powder? Does it work with Aeoniums given that they root easily anyway when they're not dormant?

What are the names of your different Aeoniums? They're all beautiful!

Thanks, Soltech Solutions! Though I think you meant shock from growing outdoors to indoors . I'm prepping them to be brought outdoors again.

I never use rooting powder. I find with succulents they don't really need it:). Sorry I should have put there names. First one is A.'Kiwi', next two I have no clue;), #4 A. 'Marci Gras', and last one A. 'Sunburst'.

Some succulents pretty much do zero growing during dormancy periods, but I find Aeoniums much more forgiving. May take a little longer, but on an Aeonium cutting you should still be able to get roots during this time.

Hi Kara! So I've finally repotted my Aeoniums last week, most of it at least. I did the 60:40 perlite and C&S soil mix you suggested. As I started to repot them, I forgot to ask you how I should go by it but I just went ahead and did it. I wasn't sure if I should remove most of the soil out before replacing with the new soil mixture, or just break the outer surface while keeping most of the old soil intact and adding new soil mixture. I opted for the former since my objective is to replace it with new soil. By doing this, I of course had to remove most of the old soil so I carefully handled the plant making sure that I don't break all of its roots. There may have been some roots that were removed inevitably, but I made sure to leave most of it. Did I do it correctly?

Yep you did fine:). I always like to get that old soil off because you just never know. Did the eventually perk up?

Oh good! I was worried that I wasn't doing it correctly but was too late to back out. Hahaha.

Some have perked up, and some haven't. It's only been a few days so I'm giving it time to get used to their new environment. Oh, and I didn't water them since the perlite was wet so the mixture were moist. Hope that was okay.

Question: I noticed because of the 60:40 mixture that the soil isn't so dense. Will it be enough to hold the plant up? I noticed that they're easily moved because there's more give now. Will it eventually be firmer once they grow more new roots?

That is the reason why I don't like perlite because it's sooo light. Once they build new roots they will be fine:). One day you may want to look up gritty mix. I use pumice. For some reason pumice is difficult/expensive to get if you don't live in California. People use chicken grit too. The perlite is fine tho. It will do the job. The damp perlite will be no problem. They will honestly probably like the little drink. People go crazy with the whole dormancy thing to be honest. Just keep in mind they're dormant so they're not actively growing, but they're not dead. A drink every once in awhile won't kill them. I still water my Aeoniums during their hibernation. In fact I did lastnite. It is very dry and hot where I live tho:).

So for now just leave them be. If you notice you're going to have a week of dry hot days ahead. Give them a little drink, but if the air feels damp I wouldn't. So all in all Good job. I find Aeoniums to be a good introduction to the succulent world. Keep me updated:).

Thanks, Kara. That's what I noticed with the new mixture, that the stem easily moves. I do hope they get sturdier once they grow new roots. So if I'm able to get pumice or a gritty mix, what's the ratio with C&S soil should I use? I think I saw a gritty mix for bonsai or something that has Turface in it. I read somewhere here that a mixture with Turface is good. Your thoughts?

I have zero experience with turface. I'm able to get my paws on pumice for cheap. So I just use pumice and a peatless C&S soil. Some things I plant in 100% pumice:). I've heard people using turface. As long as it doesn't decompose I'm sure it's fine. I see people use This. Just press the green this if you didn't know;).

If you switch to gritty mix you will leave out the soil. Usually with gritty mixes there are 3 ingredients so the ratio is 1:1:1. The only reason why I keep a little soil in mine because it gets so dry and hot in the late spring/summer. Not counting last winter, but usually our winters are even dry compared to most:). So they soil holds onto moisture a little. If I did pure grit my plants would shrivel up or I would have to water all the time. No thank you;).

I would leave the Aeoniums the way you have them over the rest of the warm seasons. Do a little research and once September comes switch the mix if you want. Perlite can be annoying, but some people do not mind it at all. Just preference:).

Look up Al's gritty mix for succulents and you will get tons of info. I would love to help I just have zero experience in that department.

Here's a nice post Al's gritty mix. The OP I don't think planted succulents, but it's pretty informative:). You'll get the idea:).

Adding to post by Kara: turface is a calcined clay, that was baked at about 1500* after mining. It is used on golf courses and playfields a lot. Also as a soil conditioner. It hold some water (not excessive amounts), it is porous. Perlite is more porous and holds less water. Perlite and pumice have very similar porosity and water holding capacity. perlite is very light and may float - but if pumice is not available, perlite is excellent to use instead. If you have turface, it could be used instead of soil for some water retention.

Link shows grit, sold under name Cherry Stone. There are other name like Gran-I-Grit, Mana Pro - all granite chips = chicken grit.

Kara, thanks for the links. I haven't checked them out, but that's actually where I heard about Turface -- from Al's Gritty mix. I saw a blog which referred to that, so that's how I first heard about Turface. With the pumice, you mix it with peatless C&S soil? Boy, I don't know if I'll be able to find one here. Most, if not all, of the C&S soil I see have peat in them.

I actually do not mind perlite at all. It's just that the stem gets easily moved and I feel the plant isn't sturdy. Would a 50:50 ratio be better, you think? But if you say that once the plant grows new roots it should be fine, then I'm okay.

Rina, thanks for the info regarding Turface and porosity level of the different options. That will come in handy when I have those items available to me to choose from.

One more thing: I read from a blog that Aeoniums, unlike other succulents, like a bit of moisture so this lady uses regular potting mix. Your thoughts on this?

I would just leave as is:). I think people who live in the perfect climate for succulents could use any potting soil. Like if you lived in San Diego you could probably use any mix. Wouldn't matter, but I think when there are issues like lots of rain and humidity a person should be careful. I watch Laura Eubanks on YouTube and she uses whatever to plant her succulents in. If she lived in let's say Tampa there's no way that would work. She would definitely have to amend the soil. At least with perlite you know drainage is happening. Without it soil could stay wet for days. That is no good for succulents. Most Succulents are really good in times of drought, but when their feet stay wet they will definitely rot.

That makes sense. I guess she lived in a climate that doesn't have much humidity (don't remember if she mentioned where she's from) that's why she can afford to use regular potting mix. I'll leave my Aeoniums as is then. But if left indoors, do you suggest just a 50:50 mixture, or still 60:40 perlite to C&S?

I would leave as is. Outside if you want you can do 50/50, but inside I would keep at 60% perlite and 40% C&S soil.

Inside there's no airflow like outside so the moisture doesn't evaporate as quickly:).

Will do. I'll keep you posted. Thanks thanks!