Hi Helen; haven't see you for a while :)

That looks like Sempervivum 'Oddity'...Just as any semps, they usually root easily.

I am not sure what you did wrong; is it very hot right now?

Semp oditty.

Bad roots I think

Hi rina and hablu. The name fits lol, its very odd how it grows in an orb.

Rina the temps here have been shockingly hot. Temps up to 45/46°C for days on end. So that could easily explain the black crispy roots. I had it outside in the sun until I realised it was loose with no roots.

The leaves don't seem to mind the extreme temps and full sun even after the roots died. The 2 in the tray with the perlite look really happy. I could leave them there, or pot them sitting on perlite. Then no water until new growth.

I wonder if I watered the other one by mistake. I reckon it'll be dead in a few days :(

Thanks

Edit. They've been inside since I pulled them apart.

You described 'crispy black'. They could have just fried - most semps do not like such high temps, and recommended for z 9, sometimes 10 highest. That doesn't mean they won't grow, but they are just too hot and may suffer as yours did. And if they didn't have roots, it may have been even worse. You know they are Alpine plants, and will overwinter under the snow - and they are dormant during that time. So keep them in some shaded and ventilated location if possible. Just as it may be more difficult for us in colder zones to grow some sp, same goes for ppl in very hot climates :)

Thanks for that info rina. I've made some extra shaded areas on my balcony. So any that grow roots and are showing new growh will go back outside in the shade