Aeonium Medusa is one of the most beautiful variegated Aeonium varieties you will ever find.
This is a variegated form of Aeonium velour which hails from Holland. Aeonium Medusa is a trendy plant which so many people are willing to start growing.
They would require easy maintenance from you and if you manage to provide the necessities, they could flourish.
Aeonium Medusa’s single rosette forms in the center of the plant, is the mother of the small offset they produce. Hence they got the name Aeonium Medusa. This formation resembles the Greek mythical creature Medusa.
So, if you are excited to discover more about this plant, continue reading this article.
How do I identify Aeonium Medusa?
Aeonium Medusa plants usually form larger and round shaped leaves. Their leaves are dark red during summer while in the winter, their outer leaves edges would turn creamy white in color.
As aforesaid, Aeonium Medusa look quite intense in their colors and would grow vigorously given that they get their right growing conditions fulfilled.
It would be one fabulous plant to look at when it is fully grown to its full potential.
Aeonium Medusa usually produces layers of branches right underneath a central rosette.
They usually do not grow big and instead tend to remain compact since they are a variegated plant species.
Size of the plant
They would be about 45 cm in height and about 40 cm in width. They would further produce layers of offsets as well.
Growth rate
Aeonium plants in general are slow growing.
One look care guide
| Botanical Name | Aeonium Medusa |
| Common Name | Aeonium Medusa |
| Plant Type | Succulent |
| Mature Size | 45 cm tall / 40 cm wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full Sunlight to Partial sunlight |
| Soil Type | Sandy, well-draining |
| Soil pH | Aeonium Medusa |
| Hardiness Zones | USDA hardiness zones 9-11. |
| Toxicity | Non toxic |
| Average price | $ 40 – 60 |
How do you take care of Aeonium Medusa?
Light Requirement
Aeonium Medusa would thrive well in full sunlight to partial shade. Ideally it has to be bright and indirect sunlight.
As such, if you expose them to full sunlight in summer, ensure that you are protecting them from the intense heated conditions. Instead, you need to grow them in light shade during summer.
Further, if you expose them to bright sunlight during summer, you need to make sure that you are acclimating them to bright sunlight first.
Unless chances are that they would get traumatized. If you grow them indoors, you need to make sure you expose them to enough sunlight levels.
It could possibly be a bright sunny windowsill at your home.
Temperature and humidity
Aeonium Medusa would prefer to grow in moderate temperatures (65 to 750 F). Further they would thrive well in low humidity levels too.
Is it cold hardy?
Aeonium Medusa are not frost hardy succulents. They can not tolerate temperatures lower than 300 F for longer periods. Hence you need to protect them from colder weather conditions.
USDA Hardiness Zone
Aeonium Medusa are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9-11.
Watering Requirement
Aeonium Medusa’s water requirement is very minimal just like the rest of succulents and they do not depend on a lot of watering.
You may locate them outdoors right throughout the year and they will thrive well.
However, if they are going through intense hot and dry conditions for longer periods, you need to water them on a more frequent basis.
Ideally, you may water these plants once every five to ten days if there are hot and dry weather conditions.
Having said that, they could still thrive well for some time without water.
Furthermore, when you water the Aeonium Medusas ensure that you do not over water them at any given point of time as excess moisture could create so many problems for these plants.
As such if you live in an area where your plants get exposed to excess humidity levels, you need to protect your plants from excess humidity levels.
You can skip watering them if you live in winter conditions. Particularly if the plants get constant rainfall, you could skip watering them.
Having said that, if you come across any discolored leaves, it could be a sign of fault you did in watering.
Soil Requirement Type / pH
It is important that you provide a right soil mix for the Aeonium Medusa’s to grow well. Literally you need to grow them in a soil mix which has excellent drainage.
If you fail to provide a well-draining soil mix, it will create waterlogged situations in the pot and consequently lead to root rot.
As such you may use a cactus potting mix along with some perlite. When you add perlite, that will enhance the draining of the soil mix.
You could blend them at a ratio of 1:1. If not you may use sandy soil as well. To do that, you could grow them in a soil mix which is mixed with cactus mix and coarse sand at a ratio of 2:1.
Pot size Potting and Repotting
When it comes to selecting the right pot to grow the Aeonium Medusa, it should ideally be a terracotta pot which has a draining hole in the bottom.
When you use a terra cotta pot that will allow the excess moisture to evaporate faster and the soil to wither between two watering sessions.
Further, when your pot has sufficient draining holes, that will make sure that excess water is moving out from the pot.
In addition to that, you need to go ahead with a pot which is more like the same size as your plant’s root ball.
Where to Plant
You need to plant these succulents where they can gain full to partial shade. In addition to that make sure you are growing them in a potting medium which is well draining too.
You need to go ahead with pots which are porous so that it will allow the soil to become dry between two watering sessions.
In addition to that, you need to bring them indoors during winter if you have grown them outdoors.
Fertilizer and time of year
You could apply fertilizers for the Aeonium Medusa during their growing season. Having said that, Aeonium Medusa is not heavily dependent on fertilizers either.
You may proceed with a half strength fertilizer when feeding them. Do not apply fertilizers when they are dormant.
Dormancy
Aeonium plants are in contrast with many other succulents since Aeonium plants go into dormancy during summer. Aeoniums usually grow well in winter.
Other plants Pairs Well With
Aeonium Medusa could grow well with plants such as with Aloe, Agave and with Jade plants as well.
Can be toxic to pets
According to the records Aeonium Medusa is not toxic to human or other animals
Common bugs and illnesses
Aeonium Medusa could encounter pests’ attacks. Usually pests such as aphids, mealybugs, mites and scale could invade these plants. In addition , ants could also be quite attractive towards these plants.
What really happens is, when the aphids and mealybugs attack these plants, they produce a sugary substance which could be quite attractive towards ants.
Once your plant is invaded by ants, it will not be easy to overcome them, particularly when they occupy the leaves and Rosset.
After that you need to treat the pests To remedy the pests’ attacks, you may use spray of water or mild insecticidal soap so that you could overcome them as well.
Apart from the above, chances are that Aeonium Medusa could shed its leaves. It could be due to underwatering in summer, in intense hot and dry weather conditions.
In addition to those chances are that you could spot them coming up with wrinkled leaves as well. In that case, you need to start watering them immediately.
Further, if you expose them to heatwaves and extreme drought conditions, Aeonium Medusa may suffer from sunburns and from discolored leaves as well. To remedy them, you need to immediately shift them to a shady place.
Special Care tips
I recommend taking off the damaged and older leaves from the plant so that it would look nicer and neat.
Further you need to conduct constant check ups on your plants and observe them closely so that you could see whether the plants are growing healthy or whether there are any early signs of any pests attacking too.
How to propagate Aeonium Medusa
It is easy process to propagate the Aeonium Medusa plants. you could use their cuttings to propagate these plants.
You simply have to take a leaf cutting using a sharp and sterilized scissor or a knife. Once you take the cutting you could leave them in a dry place where they can become callous.
After that you could go ahead and plant them in a fresh potting medium which has excellent drainage. You will see them forming roots within a few weeks’ time.
Apart from the above, you may use Aeonium Medusa leaves also for the propagation process. To start off you need to first select a leaf which looks healthy and simply twist it off from the mother plant.
Conclusion
So, before wrapping this up, trust this article was useful for you to enhance your knowledge on this fantastic plant. Even a freshman in gardening could start gardening with this plant.
They are versatile and can thrive well with minimum care treatment. They would suit you even if you are a forgetful gardener too.
They are incredibly beautiful to look at and I am sure you will be amazed by its beauty when you grow them. So why wait? Start growing these wonderful plants and get that amazing experience.
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