Grow Donkey Tail Succulent, a High-Impact, Low-Maintenance Plant
Easy-care Sedum morganianum is perfect for hanging planters and mixed containers
Donkey tail succulent (Sedum morganianum) can often be seen spilling out of hanging baskets or filling in the understory of an outdoor container combination. The plump, trailing stems of the aptly named plant, also called burro tail, grow up to 4 feet long and add a dose of playfulness wherever they’re planted.
Use it as an indoor container plant or, in mild climates, plant it outdoors. As long as it receives bright light and isn’t exposed to freezing temperatures, the only thing you need to worry about is overwatering — particularly in winter — and your plant will be set up to thrive. Donkey tail succulent is not toxic to pets.
Use it as an indoor container plant or, in mild climates, plant it outdoors. As long as it receives bright light and isn’t exposed to freezing temperatures, the only thing you need to worry about is overwatering — particularly in winter — and your plant will be set up to thrive. Donkey tail succulent is not toxic to pets.
Where to put it. Donkey tail thrives in spots where it receives partial shade to, more ideally, bright, indirect light. Direct sun can cause the tender, fleshy leaves to burn. In summer, hang a basket filled with donkey tail from a covered porch or veranda that receives morning sun, or grow the plant in a bright window indoors year-round.
5 Tips to Keep Your Indoor Succulents Thriving
5 Tips to Keep Your Indoor Succulents Thriving
How to use it. Donkey tail is best appreciated in a container where it has room to hang down over the edges. If you plant it outdoors in the ground, give it room to cascade down a slope or from the top of a wall.
In a container, use it on its own or in combination with other succulents or low-water plants. Donkey tail with its dusty gray-green leaves nicely contrasts plants with dark green leaves or those with deep burgundy leaves, like the Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’ shown here.
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In a container, use it on its own or in combination with other succulents or low-water plants. Donkey tail with its dusty gray-green leaves nicely contrasts plants with dark green leaves or those with deep burgundy leaves, like the Aeonium arboreum ‘Zwartkop’ shown here.
See more black containers
Why we love it. Most container combinations benefit from a “spiller,” and donkey tail provides the trailing factor, texture like no other plant and loads of quirky personality.
The tail-like stems can reach up to 4 feet long, forming braid-like ropes of plump little leaves. Up close, the leaves are almost impossible to resist touching — do resist, though, since the droplet-shaped leaves can easily break off.
The tail-like stems can reach up to 4 feet long, forming braid-like ropes of plump little leaves. Up close, the leaves are almost impossible to resist touching — do resist, though, since the droplet-shaped leaves can easily break off.
Donkey tail with Kalanchoe beharensis, often called felt plant
Care tips. This plant is generally easygoing — it is happier if you forget a weekly watering than if you give it a double dose. Pot it up in a well-draining, neutral to slightly acidic potting mix, and make sure the container has drainage holes.
Water about once a week in spring and summer, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings but not get bone dry. Dial back the water in winter when the plant is dormant and more susceptible to root rot if given too much to drink.
Care tips. This plant is generally easygoing — it is happier if you forget a weekly watering than if you give it a double dose. Pot it up in a well-draining, neutral to slightly acidic potting mix, and make sure the container has drainage holes.
Water about once a week in spring and summer, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings but not get bone dry. Dial back the water in winter when the plant is dormant and more susceptible to root rot if given too much to drink.
Donkey tail with cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior)
This plant is fragile. Pot it where you’d like it to live for a number of seasons and avoid overhandling it. During transplanting, it’s almost impossible not to knock off dozens of the fleshy little leaves. (Don’t worry, you can propagate the leaves you knock off to grow as new plants.)
This plant is fragile. Pot it where you’d like it to live for a number of seasons and avoid overhandling it. During transplanting, it’s almost impossible not to knock off dozens of the fleshy little leaves. (Don’t worry, you can propagate the leaves you knock off to grow as new plants.)
How to propagate. If you’ve accidentally knocked off some leaves, you can use them to start new donkey tail plants. The same propagation technique can be used for cut stems, which will form larger plants more quickly.
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- Allow the leaves to dry out for a few days and form a callus.
- Lay them on a bed of cactus and succulent potting mix in partial shade until roots form (in a few weeks).
- Pot up the cuttings in small containers filled with a fresh cactus and succulent mix and move them to a space with bright, indirect light.
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Common names: Donkey tail, burro tail
Temperature requirement: Grows anywhere as a houseplant; outside, it grows best in warm, mild climates. Requires a minimum temperature of about 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4.4 to 7.2 degrees Celsius.
Water requirement: Low to moderate water in spring and summer; reduce moisture in winter when the plant is dormant. Thrives in well-draining soil.
Light requirement: Partial shade to bright, indirect light for ideally six hours a day; provide shelter from intense sun
Mature size: About 12 inches tall and wide
Seasonal interest: Evergreen grown as a houseplant or in mild-climate outdoor settings; plants grown outdoors sport occasional pink or red flowers