Aeonium Arboreum Care Made Simple

Time to serve up more succulent love. This go round it’s those fascinating rosette forming aeoniums which I grew lots of in my Santa Barbara garden. I was told they wouldn’t do nearly as well here in Tucson but I brought few cuttings with me anyway. To my surprise, they’re doing fine.

This is all about Aeonium arboreum care, in 2 very different climates.

I was going to do a post and video about growing aeoniums in the desert but then thought: why not include the coastal regions of California (also including San Diego, Los Angeles, the Bay Area & points in between) where I lived for 30 years. Aeonium arboreums are known for being tough and I believe that’s why mine are doing so well here in the desert. Other varieties of aeoniums aren’t as adaptable.

Some sold as Aeonium arboreums are actually hybrids so you may never know which 1 you have. Mine can labeled as Aeonium arboreum and Aeonium arboreum autropurpureum (say that 3 times fast!) when I bought them years ago. You may also be familiar with the variety Zwartkop and its striking purple/black foliage. Regardless, the care is the same.

I like to take close up pictures of aeoniums because the rosettes are so beautiful. This is my Aeonium autropurpureum which is much more burgundy/red in the cooler months. In summer it’s almost completely green.

This post and video are about growing Aeonium arboreums in containers outdoors. I’ll touch briefly on how to grow them as houseplants at the end. You may want to read this if yours spends the warmer months outside.

By the way, one of the common names for this plant is Tree Aeonium. They’re in the Crassulacae family along with the vary popularJade Plant.

Size

These succulents reach 3′ x 3′ so they need some room to spread.

Uses

They’re great in containers, alone as accent plants or with other succulents. I had many planted directly in my garden in Santa Barbara. You see them a lot in Southern California in mixed succulent plantings, even along the beaches.

Growth Rate

Medium to fast.

Aeonium arboreum care:

Tucson: USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9A/9B

Santa Barbara:: USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 10A/10B

Exposure

My aeoniums were growing in the morning &/or afternoon sun in Santa Barbara.

In Tucson, they can take full sun in the late fall/winter/early spring months.

In the hot months, my aeoniums are in bright shade receiving no direct sun at all. The sun is stronger & more intense here in the Sonoran desert than along the coast of California & they’d burn in a heartbeat.

Watering

In Santa Barbara: I’ve found aeoniums need a bit more water than most succulents. I water them thoroughly & then let them go almost dry before watering again. In the summer months I backed off on the watering (maybe once a month if that) because that’s the time for aeoniums to go dormant or semi-dormant. And, I would water even less if the fog was hanging around.

Most aeoniums are native to the Canary Islands so they much prefer the climate in Santa Barbara & the temperate coastal areas of California rather than the deserts!

In Tucson: I water my Aeonium arboreums thoroughly every 7-10 days (less if we’re getting the monsoons) in the summer. Because it’s so hot here, I’ve found they need supplemental watering during these months. In the winter months a thorough watering every 3 weeks seems to be the sweet spot.

Mine are in a larger pot & planted in my special blend so adjust for your climate, size pot, soil mix, sun exposure, etc.

Hardiness

Aeoniums are hardy to 25-30F. They can handle an occasional cold snap but not a prolonged one. I never protected any of my succulents in Santa Barbara because the winter temps rarely dipped below 38F.

Here in Tucson it’s a different story. When the temps. drop below 30F, I cover mine with a large sheet & that protects it just fine.

Pruning

I find these arboreums grow into a beautiful shape over time & not much pruning is needed. The rosette foliage heads get heavy over time & sometimes a branch will break. That’s when I have to prune in order to make a clean cut. And of course, when I wanted to give away cuttings. Sharing the succulent love!

The cuttings 7 months earlier. My how they’ve grown!

Propagation

Propagating Aeonium aboreums is easy by stem cuttings & division. I would heal aeomium cuttings off for 6 months & they’d be just fine. You can see me propagating the cuttings I brought from Santa Barbara here & my Aeonium arboreums here. Warning: the later is an old post & video but you’ll get the drift!

Soil

I have you covered with a dedicated post about the soil mix I use for aeoniums. And, you can see how much these plants have grown in 7 months.

Repotting/Planting

I cover repotting & planting in the same post as above. The main things I need to warn you about: these arboreums get quite heavy as they grow larger & can easily break when you’re planting them. You’ll see that if you watch the video.

Feeding/Fertilizing

I’ve found that aeoniums aren’t that needy when it comes to fertilizing. Right now I feed all my container plants with a light application of worm compost followed by a light layer of compost over that in early spring. Don’t too it too late because these plants go dormant or semi-dormant in summer.

Easy does it –  I top dress a plant this size with 1″ of worm compost & 2″ of compost. In case you’re interested I also use this worm compost/compost blend to feed container plants & houseplants.

I can’t recommend a specific fertilizer because I’ve never used 1 for my aeoniums. Mine look just fine so I have no need.

How my Aeonium arboreums look at the end of February.

Pests

Mine have never gotten any here in Tucson. In the Spring in Santa Barbara, they’d occasionally get orange aphids on the tender growth. I just hosed them off & that took care of them. I’ve heard they can also get mealybugs, especially when growing indoors.

It’s best to take action as soon as you see any pest because multiply like crazy. Pests can travel from plant to plant fast so make you get them under control pronto.

Pets

I’m including this because you may be growing your Aeonium arboreum as a houseplant. I consult the ASPCA website for my info on this subject. Because they’re in the same family as Jade Plants, I’d take caution.

I will say that pack rats have gnawed away at many of my plants & leave these aeoniums alone. Many plants are toxic to pets in some way & I want to share my thoughts with you regarding this topic.

Growing Aeonium Arboreum as a Houseplant

I’ve grown aeoniums as houseplants. These are the 2 most important things to know: they need high light from a natural source & to dry out between waterings. In the summer, back way off on the watering frequency. Be sure to keep them out of hot windows & away from direct summer sun. And, rotate yours every month or 2 so it gets light on all sides.

Make sure that the soil mix you use drains well & is aerated. I use straight succulent & cactus mix when I’m planting them as houseplants.

You want to hose those gorgeous rosettes off once or twice a year. Heat can blow a lot of dust around. The leaves of your plants need to breath & a build up of dust can prevent this.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for spider mites & mealybugs.

Your Aeonium arboreums would love to spend the warmer months outdoors. If you’re in a rainy climate, be sure to have them under protection. The same goes for any hot afternoon sun – avoid it.

Aeoniums lose their lower leaves as they grow so you’ll find lots of dead leaves inside the plant.

Good to Know:

If the lower leaves start to turn yellow & droop, no worries.

It’s the nature of this plant – the lower leaves die out as it grows. Mine has even more brown leaves in the summer when it’s slightly stressed due to the excessive heat.

Don’t overwater your aeoniums, i.e. too often.

If you live on the coast, back way off on the summer watering. Aeoniums are naturally adapted to handle dryness for a few months except in extreme hot climates like mine.

Keep yours out of direct hot sun.

They’ll burn baby burn!

Aeoniums do great in pots.

These arboreums can stand alone as accent plants & also look great in mixed succulent plantings.

There are many varieties & sprecies of aeoniums.

All are gorgeous. You can see & read about my jazzy Aeonium Sunburst here.

The color of my Aeonium arboreum autropurpereum is much more burgundy/red in the cooler months.

That’s in reaction to the colder temps. My Paddle Plant is tinged with much more red at this time of year also.

You might notice aerial roots coming off of the stems of your Aeonium arboreum.

This is normal for this plant. They’re either reaching for water in the soil (like mine here in Tucson) or they’re forming to anchor the plant as it gets heavier.

The rosette heads will eventually have “baby rosettes” growing off of them.

The heads can get so heavy that the branches snap off. More cuttings to propagate I say!

The “baby rosettes” growing off of their mother. You can propagate these when they grow large enough if you’d like.

I love my large pot of Aeonium arboreums and almost everyone who comes to my house comments on them. Yes, they may be common in the aeonium world, but they’re special in my world. Give 1 a try and you’ll be smitten too!

Happy gardening,

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Nell Foster

Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.

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