xSedeveria Maialen is a beautiful hybrid succulent of an Echeveria and Sedum, though the exact plants used to create Maialen are not known. Although this succulent is very hardy there are a few tips and tricks to keeping it happy.
Below I’ll go through everything there is to know about Sedeveria Maialen. All advice is based on growing tens of thousands of these plants at our nursery Fern Farm Plants.
Description
Sedeveria Maialen is a succulent plant with a rosette shape leaf arrangement. The colour can range from fully green to orange. In the summer months the colour is green but when cool, it starts changing to orange, first at the tips and then through most of the plant.
The leaves of Sedeveria Maialen are short and pointy. The appearance of this plant will much depend on where it’s grown. Maialen grown in full sun will have shorter, more stubby leaves while plants in more shade can have longer and spread out leaves.
Sedeveria Maialen can grow approximately 20cm in height but the rosettes tend to lean and, as the plant ages, fall to the ground and trail. Individual rosettes grow to about 10cm in diameter depending on the conditions.
Offsets are quite prolific and Maialen can produce upwards of 10 per year once mature. If the offsets are left attached, they will form a clump of rosettes and can spread quite a distance, if the potting mix/soil is of good quality. New offsets usually grow from the base of a stalk but can also appear midway through the stalk.
Sedeveria Maialen grows flowers every year, usually at the end of winter/ early spring. The bell-shaped flowers grow on a tall stalk and open up in bunches. One rosette can grow more than 3 flower stalks. The blooms themselves are yellow and attract a range of beneficial insects such as the hoverfly.
Position & Care
Sedeveria Maialen is one of the hardiest plants in our nursery and can deal with all sorts of adverse weather and conditions. Established plants/ plants grown in the ground can usually look after themselves.
Direct sun exposure over 35C/95F can burn young plants but mature Sedeveria Maialen should be able to withstand sun even over 40C/104F. Morning sun/afternoon shade is the ideal position during a hot summer and full sun during the rest of the year in order to coax the brilliant orange colour to come through.
Sedeveria Maialen is not frost hardy and will need to be brought indoors once frosts are expected. It will, however, happily grow outdoors in low temperatures to about 1C/33F. Smaller leaved succulent like Maialen should also survive mild frosts, but can suffer burn marks.
To get the best look, upgrade the pot once a year and plant in fresh succulent potting mix. This will ensure Sedeveria Maialen will grow and have lots of offsets. If you live in a climate that often experiences hot summers avoid black pots exposed to full sun as these will increase the heat around the root area.
The quality succulent potting mix will greatly influence how a plant grows. Top succulent potting mix should result in a plant that is healthy, big and beautiful. Having said that, Sedeveria Maialen is so hardy it will survive in any potting mix and will live in the same pot for many years. If Maialen is left in poor potting mix and/or small pot it will not grow very big and is likely to produce minimal offsets.
In the garden Sedeveria Maialen can be planted in a sunny spot and will be much more hardy than plants grown in pots. This means it will take higher temperatures and will not need watering as often.
Watering can be left to the rain, though the plant will thank you and grow better if it’s watered well during heatwaves and droughts. A good rule is to water once the potting mix has dried up.
Sedeveria Maialen should not be grown indoors as it requires direct sunlight for at least four hours per day followed by bright light. It may however do well inside with the help of professional plant growing lights or in a sunroom.
Propagation
Sedeveria Maialen is easily propagated by offsets, leaves or seeds. The easiest and fastest method of propagation is by taking cuttings of offsets. Leaves strike fast too and can sprout a new plant in less than 2 weeks in the growing season.
To successfully propagate offsets it is best to wait until they are big enough and have a substantial stalk that can be cut through. The cutting should be left to dry for 24hrs and then planted in succulent potting mix and left in bright spot with gentle morning sun or under 30% shade cloth. We have a more in depth article on propagation by cuttings here.
All propagating should be done during the growing season which is Spring and Summer. In moderate climates Sedeveria Maialen will propagate in Autumn as well. Personally, I love to propagate in Spring as it is not yet hot enough that the cuttings will burn and pretty much all succulents grow incredibly fast during this time. In summer, during hot days, cuttings can be a bit sensitive and burn easily if exposed to strong sun.
Leaf propagation is super easy and if you’re new to propagating succulent leaves, Sedeveria Maialen is ideal to try it out on. I often find Maialen leaves that I’ve accidentally knocked off that have sprouted on their under the tables or between pots. A single leaf can grow more than one rosette. For a guide to leaf propagation see one of our articles here.
I would not recommend seed propagation as it can be quite unreliable, extremely slow and a bit pointless given Sedeveria Maialen is just so easy to propagate from offsets and leaves.
Pests
Sedeveria Maialen is susceptible to all the usual succulent pests such as mealy bugs, aphids and snails/slugs. Mealy bugs and aphids can infest this plant fast. Regular checks should be made to keep them at bay.
For a full list of pests and how to deal with them see our article on animals that lie to eat succulents. We also have a full article on mealy bugs and aphids respectively.
Toxicity
Unfortunately there is no reliable information that would confirm that Sedeveria Maialen is or isn’t toxic to humans, dogs, cats or other pets as the parentage is unknown.
In general Echeveria are not poisonous but Sedum can be mildly irritating. This plant should not be eaten. If it is ingested by accident it is unlikely to cause harm, but our advice is to stay on the safe side and consult a medical professional.
Where Can I Get It?
Sedeveria Maialen is a popular and easy plant to find. It should be available in garden centres or succulent nurseries. If you look online, you will definitely find one.