Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Your gift keeps resources like this database thriving!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Sunday - December 16, 2007

From: Pensacola, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Container Gardens
Title: Care of a sedum indoors
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have a coworker who has trusted her Sedum Burrito plant into my care because it is not doing well in her office. It appears to need repotting, as it is very crowded in the pot it came in and is difficult to prune off the dead, dried tails. What is the best soil to repot this plant? Also, I have researched this plant and it is a sun-lover, but it is inside all the time; is there a type of light bulb I can put in a small desktop lamp to give it more light?

ANSWER:

Sedum burrito, Donkey's Tail is a succulent native to Mexico. The best soil to use to repot sedums is a cactus/succulent mix, which is coarser and with more sand than the standard potting mixes. It can, however, stand to be crowded in its pot, and makes a spectacular hanging plant. Succulents usually need to be allowed to get pretty dry and then watered, every one to two weeks. If you wish to repot it, you can easily take it out of its existing pot, break it apart into several plants, if you wish and then put in a larger pot. Succulents are all easily propagated, by placing a broken piece of the plant, after it has dried for 24 hours, onto a moist potting mix. In a few days, it will have begun to sprout roots and can be potted normally. While it does require sun, it generally prefers diffused sun, light shade, as opposed to the full glare of the sun. It does not automatically follow, however, that it can exist solely under artificial light. In fact, just about every resource we went to strongly recommended some bright sun every day. Surely in Florida you have a window somewhere that will get some sun coming through the glass. Even if it's not all day, it will be much better for the plant, and the plant will have better color, to get real sun.

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Replacement for pygmy date palms in Spring, TX
April 15, 2010 - We live in Spring, Texas and the front door of our house faces East. Last winter we lost both of our beautiful pigmy date palms! We are trying to find "unique" accent plants for our front entry. D...
view the full question and answer

Invasive, non-native Cirsium arvense in Michigan
September 07, 2008 - I have identified that I have growing abundantly "Canada Thistle";the noxious and invasive. I know this to be true because where it grows nothing else grows; not even the native weeds. I want to get...
view the full question and answer

Companion plants for non-native Santolina virens
March 23, 2015 - Can you recommend companion plant options for Santolina virens? The companion plant would be planted randomly and interspersed with the santolina and needs to be no taller than 12 inches because of th...
view the full question and answer

Reference for native critical populations from York, PA
May 25, 2010 - I have recently read a naysayer of native gardening. He states that native garden plants usually do not have the critical population size to be self-perpetuating. He says that one could better help t...
view the full question and answer

Leaves on non-native Rose Cactus
January 30, 2009 - I have a Rose Cactus (Pereskia grandifolia). The leaves have all dropped off. I was wondering if this is normal in the winter. Also, is the pear shaped fruit edible.
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.