Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)

Stringy stonecrop is a perennial plant with stems that can be up to 25 cm length. It has star-shaped flowers that are yellow-green. This plant is extremely easy to propagate, simply pushing one of the stems into the ground in your desired location is enough to usually cause stringy stonecrop to take root.

I. Appearance and Characteristics

Sedum sarmentosum, known as stringy stonecrop, gold moss stonecrop, and graveyard moss, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae native to East Asia (China and Korea) and Southeast Asia (Thailand). It has been introduced in at least eastern North America, and Europe.

Sedum sarmentosum has succulent, evergreen leaves stop arching, low-lying stems. Yellow flowers with five petals arise on inflorescences during the summer.

Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
File:Dolnamul (stringy stonecrop) (Sedum sarmentosum) flower.jpg 이태수 CC BY 4.0

Sedum sarmentosum is cultivated as a perennial groundcover in temperate climates. Like most succulents, it is tolerant of drought and full sun conditions. It was commonly planted at graves, where it may persist for decades. In China, it is often cultivated as a trailing plant, hence the name chuípéncǎo (垂盆草) which means “herb that trails down the flowerpot”.

II. How to Grow and Care

Sunlight

Generally speaking, stringy stonecrop needs bright, transparent, scattered light. Without enough sunlight over time, the plant becomes spindley, the tissue becomes brittle, and the color fades slowly. The plant’s shape becomes loose, it turns green and yellow, and its resistance to disease decreases.

Strong summer sunlight may burn its leaves and stems. When exposed to the sun, it tends to grow slowly or not at all. Its leaves grow compactly and stems shorten, which results in a shorter plant. In some succulent plants, old leaves wither in summer and new leaves tend to be short and compact, showing a bare rod shape. In summer, set up a sunshade or move the potted plant indoors.

Temperature

Stringy stonecrop grows in mild temperatures in spring and fall, and cannot resist extreme cold. If you are not in a warmer area, grow it as a potted plant better rather than directly in garden soil.

When the temperature is higher than 30 ℃ in summer, stringy stonecrop may become dormant. When the temperature is lower than 5 ℃ in winter, move it indoors to avoid irreversible frostbite or death. Its growing season is in spring and fall, and it needs a little water. In summer and winter, when it is dormant, watering should be reduced.

Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
Sedum sarmentosum 4 bastus917 CC BY-SA 2.0

Watering

Stringy stonecrop are drought-tolerant but do need some water. They do their best with regular watering from spring through fall. Water thoroughly and wait for the soil to dry out before watering again. Young plant will need supplemental water for the first couple of weeks to establish roots. Established plants, as long as your area gets rain every couple of weeks at the least, shouldn’t need any extra watering. Avoid wetting the leaves, stems, and flowers when watering. In winter, water just enough to keep your plants from shriveling.

Soil

Loose, ventilated soil is very important for the growth of stringy stonecrops. Generally speaking, the soil is divided into three layers. From top to bottom: the top deco layer, the middle planting layer, and the lower hydrophobic layer. Each requires different types of soils.

The top deco soil is paved on the soil surface for the decoration and fixation of plants. Some can prevent diseases and insect pests. When it’s completely dry, it’s time to water. There are many types of soil that can be used as top deco soil, such as white pebble, akadama soil, kiryuu sands, kanuma soil, etc. Choose it according to specific pots and plants.

The middle layer soil fixes plants in place and provides nutrients for plants to grow. You can buy succulent planting soil from a store, or buy soil materials to mix yourself. The common soil formulation for this layer is peat moss:perlite:volcanic rock:vermiculite = 4:2:2:2.

The soil of the lower hydrophobic layer is placed at the bottom of the flowerpot or garden hole to evacuate the excess water in the succulent root system and prevent the root system from rotting due to water accumulation. The hydrophobic layer can be made of ceramsite, volcanic stone, or other large-scale culture media. Coal slag or charcoal are also good choices. If it is planted in the garden, make sure the bottom drainage layer has good water permeability.

Fertilizing

Most succulent plants are used to growing in the wild, where the environment is poor, so they do not need fertilization in their growth cycle. You can add a little slow-release fertilizer in early summer, but it’s fine if you do not apply fertilizer at all. Don’t fertilize during dormancy, because too many nutrients that it can’t absorb may damages its growth.

Planting Instructions

Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
Sedum sarmentosum 1 bastus917 CC BY-SA 2.0

When planting, add the hydrophobic layer to the flowerpot first, and then a small amount of soil of the planting layer. Then spread out the roots and put them in. Cover the root with planting soil slowly. Add the top decorative layer, and finally, water once. To plant in the garden, dig a pit 1.5-2 times the size of the root system first, and then follow the above steps.

In order to make it grow better and faster, or if the roots are too dense or unhealthy, it needs to be repotted. Repot in spring and fall. Before repotting, stop watering a few days in advance. Once the soil is dried, you can gently knock the pot outside. Or you can use a knife to separate the soil from the pot. Gently pull the plant up slightly to ease it out of the pot, and then follow the steps described above.

Though you can plant different colors of succulent plants together, avoid planting succulent plants with different growth habits together. Some succulents need water in the summer, while others don’t. If they are planted together, one will become sick due to excessive watering, while the other may wither due to insufficient water.

Pruning

In order to keep a beautiful shape, large succulent plants may need pruning. For example, for echeveria planted in the garden, redundant branches or branches that are too dense need to be cut off in spring and fall. This depends on the plant’s purpose and your preference. Tools for pruning mainly include knives, scissors, and some medicines (such as sulfur powder).

In order to propagate new plants, cut some leaves in spring and fall. Select a stout stem with 5-6 leaves. Cut it off with a knife, then smear the wound with sulfur powder, and plant it after the wound is healed. Slightly wet the soil used for planting.

Propagation

Sedum sarmentosum is very easy to propagate either by stem cuttings or division. For a stem cutting, take cuttings in spring when the plants are in the period of active growth, simply trim off a portion of stem from a healthy plant that’s roughly 3 to 6 inches long, and remove the leaves on the lower half. Then, plant the cut end in soil wherever you wish. These prolific stems often will send out roots even if they’re just lying on top of soil, but planting them will give them a better shot at healthy growth.

Each leaves could potentially become a new plant. Choose healthy leaves, remove them from the plant, and allow them to callus for several days. Place the leaves on a well-draining soil mix and keep the soil slightly moist. They should be well rooted after about 2 to 3 weeks, with new plantlets forming at the base.

To propagate by division, gently dig up a mature plant, and carefully pull apart the roots to separate it into sections. Then, simply replant the sections, making sure the top of the root ball is level with the soil line. Like the stem cuttings, divided sections also will typically be quick to take root.

Propagation with seeds is the slowest method. Spring or summer is the best time to sow the seeds. Use a well-draining soil mix. Sow the seeds on the soil surface and gently press them down. Keep the soil moist until seeds germinate. Provide a consistent temperature between 15-21 °C. The seeds usually start to germinate after 2 to 4 weeks.

Overwintering

Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
Sedum sarmentosum leaf (01) megachile CC0 1.0

Care needs to be taken to avoid overwatering and over-fertilizing any of these plants especially during the short days, lower light levels, and cooler conditions of winter.

Covering the plant with a layer of straw or placing a tent made from plastic or bed sheets over the plants can protect them from sudden freezing temperatures; don’t allow plastic to touch the plants, however. Remove any kind of covering as soon as the temperature warms.

Pests and Diseases

If over watered or overcrowded, the plant may be subject to infestation by scale insects and/or mealybugs. Slugs and snails may also be problematic outdoors. As with all succulents, overwatering, overcrowding and lack of good air circulation can lead to root and stem rot. To avoid these problems, be sure to give your plants plenty of space to grow and spread. Use an appropriate pesticide to deal with mealybugs and scale insects indoors. Outdoors, encourage natural predators, such as ladybugs and lacewings. Pickoff slugs and snails by hand. Thin plants to reduce hiding places and improve air circulation. Reduce watering to make the environment less welcoming to slugs and snails. Crushed eggshells and/or diatomaceous earth sprinkled on the ground around affected plants may discourage these gastropods.

III. Uses and Benefits

Stringy Stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum)
Sedum sarmentosum–IMG 20180426 081201 Sun Jiao (Interaccoonale) CC BY 4.0
  • Ornamental uses

Stringy stonecrop is a popular garden perennial prized for its glossy green leaves and small white flowers. It is commonly used as a ground cover and is essential in succulent gardens, where it adds texture when planted with blue fescue or sedum.

  • Culinary uses

In Korea, the plant is called dolnamul (돌나물) and is eaten fresh as a namul vegetable. The spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce typically served with dolnamul can be made by mixing gochujang, vinegar (or lemon juice), sugar (or plum syrup), minced garlic, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Dolnamul is also a common ingredient in bibimbap, as well as Korean-style western food such as dolnamul and roasted fruit salad with yuja dressing.

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