Autumn care for aeoniums & other succulents (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Autumn Succulent Checklist: 10 Essentials

These seasonal succulent must-do's are for southern and coastal CA, from the Bay Area south. If you live beyond, please visit my site's Succulent Care By Season and Region page. 

Senecio and aeoniums

Blue Senecio mandraliscae and aeoniums, from my video: How to Fill Gaps in Your Succulent Garden

In Autumn...

My seasonal succulent must-do's are mainly for Southern and coastal CA, from the Bay Area south. Farther afield? Go to my Succulent Care By Season and Region

Feed winter growers: These include aeoniums, aloes, cotyledons, crassulas(jade plants), gasterias, graptopetalums, haworthias, kalanchoes, sansevierias, warm-climate sedums, and senecios. Find out How to Fertilize Succulents on my site.

Take cuttings and replant winter growers (see above). Aeoniums and blue senecios---both of which get leggy and need pruning every few years---make great gap fillers. I show how in this YouTube video.

It's tidy-up time. Don't let dead branches and overgrowth last into winter and spring. When trimming, keep in mind where you want (or don't want) new growth.

Groom echeverias. They've revived and look fine now, as though they're SO over summer. Remove old flower stalks and dry leaves, and behead rosettes atop long trunks. On my site see Refresh Your Echeveria Garden and How to Behead and Replant Echeverias.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Shop for shrub sedums at nurseries. Above is popular Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. Many lovely hybrids are blooming now. Even when dry, flower clusters look good, and they attract birds. In late fall or winter, cut plants nearly to the ground. New growth will follow in spring.

Spray mealy bugs---which are on myecheverias late summer and fall, so likely on yours too---with 70% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Spread weed preventer (pre-emergent herbicide). This nontoxic, granulated powder minimizes seed germination. Before the first seasonal rain, sprinkle granules where weeds sprout, especially bare soil in sunny areas.

Treat agaves for snout weevil. Don't assume your agaves won't need it; sadly, weevils WILL find them. Find out how and what to use now that California has banned the most effective insecticide.

Ant-infested succulent

Check for ants overwintering in outdoor potted succulents, especially haworthias, gasterias and aloes. A tell-tale sign is soil in the crowns. I add ant spray to water in a shallow tray and set the pot in it.  Why do it that way.

Hose large succulents to remove fallen leaves, dirt, and dust that harbor pests and inhibit photosynthesis. Michelle Slatalla of The Wall Street Journal recently asked me to recommend a garden hose---of all things!---for her lifestyle column. Here's my kink-free favorite.

Wait to plant cuttings and new nursery plants until after the weather cools and the the winds die down.

Scrub white fuzzy bumps (cochineal scale) off your paddle cactus before it spreads.

Note: Some product links are affiliate. 

Related Info on This Site

Cochineal scale on Opuntia (paddle cactus) (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Cochineal Scale on Paddle Cactus, What To Do

White fuzzy lumps on paddle cactus are cochineal (coach-en-ee-al) scale, a parasite that pierces the plant’s skin and consumes its juices. It’s used to make carmine dye.

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Agave snout weevil damage (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Agave Snout Weevil Prevention and Treatment

Agave snout-nosed weevil is a half-inch-long black beetle with a downward-curving proboscis that enables it to pierce an agave’s core, where it lays its eggs. Grubs hatch, consume the agave’s heart, then burrow into the soil to pupate.

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Mycoplasma on crassula (c) Debra Lee Baldwin

Succulent Pests and Problems Q&A Forum

Are pests or mysterious maladies causing problems with your succulents? This page is a forum for you to ask questions, leave comments and share what works for you. Others can see and benefit from the answers. Your own tried-and-true solutions are welcome, too! 

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5 Comments

  1. Steve on October 5, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    I really appreciate your info

  2. Marion Pauw on October 14, 2020 at 9:41 pm

    Hi Debra,

    Another option to prevent snout weevils and other pests is Neem oil. It’s organic and 100% safe for the environment!

    Marion

    • Debra Lee Baldwin on October 15, 2020 at 7:27 pm

      Hi Marion — I’m a big fan of Safer products, which contain neem oil, but nowhere on their site does it say it’s effective against weevils. Have you had success combatting this particular pest with it?

  3. Martha Ochoa on December 18, 2020 at 3:33 pm

    Dear Debra about Three Years ago I Was introduced to succulents. I lost so many I don’t know how to take care of them. Millie bug infestation was the worst I put alcohol like you instructed. They were too many I could not keep up and I found pest control needed to water every 30 days and guess what?Magic I started in August and I stop in November they are so beautiful no bugs at all.

    • Debra Lee Baldwin on December 18, 2020 at 4:16 pm

      Hi Martha — What was the “pest control” you used? Thanks!

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