How to care for Aeoniums in autumn

As the summer heat fades, Aeoniums wake from their summer rest, open their rosettes back out and start growing again. What you do between September and November also decides how well they come through the winter, so autumn is the time to repot, take cuttings, cut back on watering and work out where each plant will spend the cold months.

This guide follows the season from the first signs of new growth in September to getting your plants under cover before the first frosts.

Waking up from summer

In the hottest weeks of summer, many Aeoniums close their rosettes into tight cups, drop their lower leaves and stop growing to save water. Autumn brings them out of this rest, and cooler nights and the return of the rain are their cue to start growing again.

Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' succulent with dark burgundy rosette petals and bright red-yellow glowing center in sunlight.

The rosettes relax and open out, and new leaves appear in the centre. Many varieties change colour as the light drops. Dark-leaved varieties such as Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' turn greener, and Aeonium 'Blushing Beauty' fades from orangey pink back towards lime green. This is normal, and the colours come back with the brighter light of spring.

A second growing season

In the Canary Islands, Aeoniums do most of their growing in the mild, damp winter and rest through the hot, dry summer. UK winters are too cold and dark for that, so here they grow mainly in spring and again in early autumn, after the summer heat has passed. They grow fastest when it's above 15°C, and in September the days are often still that warm.

That makes September and early October a good time to repot, take cuttings or tidy up, because the roots are active and plants recover quickly. Growth slows once the clocks go back at the end of October, and by November most Aeoniums are settling down for winter.

Easing off the watering

In early September, while the days are warm and your Aeoniums are growing, water them much as you would in spring. Soak the compost, then wait until it has almost completely dried out before watering again.

As autumn goes on, the compost takes longer to dry, so check it before every watering and leave longer gaps as the temperature and light drop. By November you should be close to your winter routine. Over winter we water on average every six weeks, and only wet the compost lightly. Water in the morning, so that any splashes on the leaves and the top of the compost can dry before a cold night.

Do

Water thoroughly in early autumn while plants are still growing
Let the compost dry out between waterings
Water in the morning, at the base of the plant
Leave longer gaps as the nights get colder

Don't

Water to a fixed weekly schedule
Leave pots standing in saucers of water
Water in the evening before a cold night
Water at all when frost is forecast

Autumn rain

UK autumns can bring weeks of rain. Early in the season Aeoniums take what they need, but later on, as temperatures fall, roots sitting in cold, wet compost start to rot. You often don't notice until the stem goes soft.

From October, keep potted Aeoniums out of the worst of the rain. Under the eaves of the house, on a covered patio, or in a porch or greenhouse, you decide how much water they get. Stand the pots on pot feet or bricks so they drain freely, and empty any saucers after rain.

A gritty, free-draining compost lets the roots dry out between waterings and does more than anything else to prevent rot. There's more on this in our guide The Real Reason Why Your Succulents Struggle In Winter.

Feeding

If your Aeoniums are putting on new growth, a light feed in September helps them build up before winter. Liquid seaweed feed is a good choice at this time of year. It's gentle and won't push out a lot of soft, sappy growth.

Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers in autumn, because soft growth made late in the season is easily damaged by frost and more likely to rot. Give the last feed by the end of September or early October, then stop until spring. We want our plants to almost go to sleep over winter, as this makes them more tolerant of the cold.

Repotting and checking the roots

We recommend repotting in late summer or early autumn. The compost is still warm and the roots are active, so the plant has a few weeks to settle into its new pot before growth slows. Try to finish by early October.

Ease the plant out of its pot and look at the root ball. Healthy roots are firm and pale. Tease off the old compost, cut away any roots that are dead, dark or mushy, and repot into fresh, free-draining compost. Use peat-free compost mixed with plenty of horticultural grit or perlite, or our ready-made succulent compost mix.

If the roots fill the pot, move up one size. Avoid a much bigger pot going into winter, because the extra compost holds water the plant won't use. If the plant isn't pot-bound, put it back in the same pot with fresh compost. Wait a few days before watering so any damaged roots can heal.

Stem rot

This Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' has stem rot. It has lost most of its leaves and is left with a few small, tight rosettes on long, bare stems.

Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' without stem rot, with wide, open rosettes on every stem

This is the same variety without it. Every stem carries a wide, open rosette full of leaves.

If your plant looks more like the first one, check the stems. Stem rot often goes unnoticed until the stem turns soft. In our experience it usually comes from one or more of these:

A plant that hasn't been repotted in a long time
Watering during a heatwave, when Aeoniums are resting and not using the water
Old compost that no longer drains freely

If the stem has gone soft, treat the healthy top as a cutting:

Cut above the damage with clean, sharp snips. Take a rosette with about 10cm of healthy stem if you can.
Leave the cutting somewhere bright, cool and airy, out of direct sun, for 5-10 days until the cut end has calloused.
Plant it in a small pot of free-draining compost.
Deal with the cause. Repot into fresh, gritty compost (see above) to fix the first and last causes, and don't water through a heatwave.

Try to take the cutting by the end of September, because cuttings root much more slowly once the weather turns cold.

Two pots of Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' on a patio, one with stem rot and one healthy

Stem rot photo credit: Craig Pooley

Vine weevil grubs

Adult vine weevils lay their eggs in the compost over summer, so by autumn the cream-coloured, C-shaped grubs are eating the roots and tunnelling into the base of the stem. It all happens out of sight, and the first sign is often a plant that wilts, wobbles in its pot or falls over.

Repotting in late summer or early autumn lets you catch them early. As you check the root ball, pick out any grubs and look for tunnels at the base of the stem. If the stem has been hollowed out, cut above the damage and treat the top as a cutting.

If you'd rather not use chemicals, vine weevil nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) attack the grubs. You water them into the compost, and they work while it is above 5°C, so early autumn is a good time to apply them.

Last chance for cuttings

Late summer and early autumn are your last chance this year to take Aeonium cuttings. While it is still warm and bright they callous over and root quickly, so by winter you have young plants with roots.

Cuttings are also a back-up. If a large plant is too big to bring under cover, or you're worried about a tender variety, a few cuttings taken now mean you won't lose it if the worst happens over winter. They're also a good way to tidy stems that have grown leggy over the summer.

Cut a healthy rosette with about 10cm of stem using clean, sharp snips. Leave it somewhere bright, cool and airy, out of direct sun, for 5-10 days until the cut end has calloused, then plant it in a small pot of free-draining compost. The full method is in our Ultimate Aeonium Spring Care Guide. Try to take cuttings by the end of September, because they root much more slowly once the weather turns cold.

The autumn tidy-up

A quick tidy now helps your Aeoniums through the damp months ahead.

Pick fallen leaves out of the rosettes. Leaves from nearby trees collect in the cup of the rosette and hold moisture against it, which can lead to rot.
Pull away the dry, papery lower leaves that build up under the rosette over summer, as long as they come away easily. Mealybugs and other pests hide in them.
Look into the centre of each rosette every so often. Caterpillars hide there and spin small webs between the leaves.
Space your pots out so air can move between them and the leaves dry quickly after rain or a heavy dew.

Botrytis (grey mould)

Botrytis spreads in cool, damp, still air, and autumn has plenty of it. Look for fuzzy grey mould or soft brown patches on the leaves, especially where they touch damp compost or each other. Remove affected leaves straight away, keep water off the foliage and keep the air moving. In a greenhouse, open the doors and vents on dry days and run a small fan if you have one.

Watching for the first frosts

Frost is the biggest threat to Aeoniums in the UK. In some areas the first frosts come in early October, and the average first frost arrives around 6 November, so have a plan in place well before then.

From October, check the forecast often. Light ground frost can occur when the forecast is 5°C or below, and that is when we start protecting our plants. Young plants and tender varieties, such as Aeonium tabuliforme and variegated Aeoniums like Aeonium 'Sunburst', suffer first, so move those under cover first.

Keeping Aeoniums on the dry side through autumn also helps their natural frost defences, so they can cope with slightly lower temperatures.

Bringing Aeoniums under cover

In most of the UK, Aeoniums are safest over winter somewhere bright, cool, airy and frost-free, such as a greenhouse, polytunnel, cold frame, porch or conservatory. Aim to have tender varieties in by the time the clocks go back at the end of October, and everything else under cover before the first hard frost.

If you planted Aeoniums out in the garden for the summer, lift them now. Pick a dry day, dig them up with a good root ball and pot them into gritty compost before you move them in. Check every plant for pests first, because anything you bring in will multiply quickly in a greenhouse. Standing pots on benches or shelves helps too, as it can be a few degrees warmer just above the ground.

Don't use a dark garage, shed or spare room. Without enough light Aeoniums stretch, go leggy and drop their leaves. In coastal areas and city centres, where winters are milder, some can stay outside in a sheltered spot by a warm house wall, with horticultural fleece ready for cold nights.

Making the most of the light

As the days shorten, Aeoniums need all the light you can give them. Without enough, they stretch towards the brightest spot and grow leggy and weak.

Wash greenhouse, conservatory and cold frame glass inside and out, and take down summer shade netting or wash off shading paint.
Put your Aeoniums in the brightest spot you have, ideally in full sun.
Give pots a quarter turn every week or two so the rosettes don't all lean one way.
On a windowsill, keep plants close to the glass, and think about a small grow light for the short winter days.

Getting your fleece ready

Horticultural fleece is a cheap, effective way to protect Aeoniums from frost, rain and hail, so make sure you have some before you need it.

We use fleece whenever the forecast drops to 5°C or below. Our 60g/m² fleece is four times heavier than standard garden centre fleece, and two layers in dry conditions protect plants down to -10°C. Drape it loosely over the plants, pin the edges down with pegs or stones so the wind can't lift it, and take it off when the sun comes out so the plants can breathe.

Fleece works best dry, so if it gets soaked, dry it out before you rely on it again. Our Ultimate Aeonium Winter Care Guide has much more on frost protection.

Aeonium 'Phoenix Flame' - Surreal Succulents

How hardy are your Aeoniums?

Some Aeoniums cope with cold far better than others, and knowing which is which tells you what to move first. Aeonium 'Phoenix Flame' and Aeonium 'Emerald Flame' can survive temperatures as low as -6 or -7°C, while Aeonium tabuliforme and the variegated varieties need protecting as soon as it turns cold.

Our product pages show a green, amber or red hardiness zone to help you plan. Green zone plants are the hardiest, amber zone plants are semi-hardy, and red zone plants are tender and must be kept frost-free. If you're buying new plants this autumn, a few hardier varieties will make winter easier.

Early signs of flowering

From November, some mature Aeoniums show the first signs that they will flower the following spring. Watch the centre of the rosette: if it starts to elongate and change shape, a flower spike is probably on its way.

Aeoniums are monocarpic, so each rosette that flowers dies once it has finished. Multi-stemmed plants carry on growing from their other rosettes. If you see these signs on a single-stemmed plant you want to keep, plan to take cuttings from any side shoots. Our guide Aeonium Flowers: Everything You Need to Know covers flowering in detail.