Family: Crassulaceae
Common name: Gold sedum, Golden glow
Gold Sedums are one of the most beautiful and easy-to-grow succulents you can grow in your garden. They have thick, flesh leaves almost rounded in some variants, forming beautiful rosettes at the tips of the stem.
The stem is also thick, fleshy and light green in color. Leaves are green, but can take on a tinge of yellow are red when exposed to sunlight. Gold Sedum plants can grow to a height of 1 foot and have a spread of over 2 feet with their long stems.
The stems can grow horizontally and root where they touch the soil. These are fast-growing plants, compared to other succulents, and need very little maintenance.
It is ideal to grow Gold sedums, and essentially all succulents, in small pots since excess soil in the pot might retain moisture. Succulents needs very little water, and you are more likely to kill the plant from overwatering than underwatering.
They can survive for many weeks without water in rainy season, but will need more frequent watering in summer. It’s always better to check the soil and make sure it’s completely dry before watering your Gold Sedum plant.
They can produce small white flowers, but it’s not very common. Gold Sedums are primarily grown as ornamental plants in small pots or in the ground. It is good to use clay pots for this plant, since clay pots allow excess moisture to evaporate from the soil.
They can be grown as indoor plants, but always near a window that gets a good 4-6 hours of sunlight. The soil should have a mix of sand, gravel, cocopeat and perlite to ensure good drainage.
Propagation is from leaves or from stem cuttings. Leaves or stems should be cut from the parent plant using sharp knives, and allowed to dry for a few days until calluses form on the tips. Then the leaves or stems can be planted in well-drained soil.
There is also another unique method of propagation where you place a plastic sheet on top of a bottle filled 3/4th with water. Make some slits in the plastic sheet and insert the cut leaves into these slits, so that the bottom of the leaf stays about a centimeter above the water level. Keep the bottle in a sunny location. After 4-6 weeks, small roots will form at the base of the leaves and new baby plants will appear. These can then be planted in soil.
