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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Can You Help Me with My Vintage Ladle Full of Hens and Chicks?

Anyone good with Succulents? I am absolutely terrified that I'm going to kill this old ladle full of hens and chicks and could really use some advice from someone who knows what they're doing.

This is how my banged up old ladle full of hens and chicks looks now.


I found it in Grandma's garden last spring, hanging from a birdhouse. At that point, it had been through at least two winters without anyone taking care of it. I hung it from our dying walnut tree and made sure to bring it in before the temperatures hit freezing.

This is how it looked when I found it.


A couple of months ago, it had started to completely spill out of the ladle. The dead lower leaves were pushing the living plants over the edge. I watched some Youtube videos about pruning succulents and got everything back inside of the ladle. That seems to have worked, but now I'm wondering if I need to remove the thick layer of moss that's under the plants...but there probably isn't much dirt under the moss. (I'm willing to buy soil for this project, but I need to know what I need.)

Were the leaves with the black tips dying or damaged? What I've got right now isn't as pretty as what I started with, but I think it might be healthier. 

Help! 
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2 comments:

  1. mckie211:14 AM

    I 'think' the dark color is the natural color of the leaves - it just depends on the amount of sun or shade it gets. Might be in a sunnier location now? You can remove the whole clump of hen and chicks and divide it. Replant the ladle with 3 or 4 bigger hens with fresh potting soil and they will make new chicks. You can also re-pot the leftover plants in regular pots to have even more plants. Yea! Succulents (this type of plant) don't like excessive water or they will rot. Maybe the reason it is doing so well is because it has used up all the dirt and can't stay too wet - unless the ladle has drain holes. Any pot they are planted in should have drain holes. Actually these plants like to be somewhat crowded. Susan mckie2@gmail.com

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  2. Dar5:23 PM

    I think they look really pretty in the ladle right now. I have some in the grown at the base of a big tulip tree in my mothers yard and I do nothing to them at all. They seem to survive the winters in MO just fine and come back the following Spring. Have never dug them up and tried putting them in pots, but one day I will, when I sell mom's house so I can bring them to my home. Good luck.

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