Asked on May 20, 2014

Hens & chickens only growing tall

Marcia
by Marcia
Help, for some reason my chickens seem to just grow tall. I don't know if its the type or something I am doing. Any suggestions?
They just shoot up not out.
  11 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on May 20, 2014
    Hen and chicks (Sempervivum spp.) has a tight rosette form. That doesn't look like your plant. Also, how much light is it getting?
    • See 1 previous
    • Marcia Marcia on May 20, 2014
      The second pict is how it started out before I separated them.
  • Elle Elle on May 20, 2014
    This looks like some sort of burrows tail plant. I love these plants. they grow and hang over kind of like ropes. :)
  • Susan Stodola Susan Stodola on May 20, 2014
    It might be the type, but I'm suspecting it's not getting enough sunlight. I'm with Douglas on the light issue.
  • Leslie Long Leslie Long on May 20, 2014
    I agree with others here......it doesn't look like it is getting enough light and that is why it grows tall....it is reaching for light. Try moving it to a brighter area :)
  • April April on May 20, 2014
    I agree with a few here in a sense..but with hens and chicks..you would need more of a drained well-drained potting or planting area and they thrive on one anothers rootsystems and sometimes if you do not have the drainage;lighting..or feeding right..they will take off...try building more dirt up around them and try grouping more and do not water too much..only make certain the soil stays moist enough...and remember the lighting and make certain for the GOOD drainage..sometimes the soil in which you use or compost can make an impact on their growth or the way they were maintained or even shipped..which brings me to the seeding as well..some hens and chicks come in varieties or forms of...and some thrive better in dryer temps and dirt/rocks/others will take off if not properly maintained or grouped with others around them...
  • Farmwoman Farmwoman on May 20, 2014
    These are not house plants. They will get leggy and bleached out looking if they are inside. They prefer outside, semi dry (water on hot days, 3 x a wk) and don't like setting in wet soil.
    • See 2 previous
    • Betsy Betsy on Feb 27, 2020

      Here’s one of my hens and chicks after bringing it in last fall. it’s in the south window but up here in Massena New York there’s very little sun over the winter. I don’t believe it’s getting ready to bloom because that is a separate stem that comes up from the base of the Rosette. I’m wondering if I can successfully transplant these outside in the spring

  • Judy Johnson Wilson Judy Johnson Wilson on May 20, 2014
    I agree with Elle Liverpool, NY. I have a hundred chicks and hens throughout my garden, and they are not fuzzy. and the only time they grow tall is when the female of the plant flowers.
    • Sue Moman Bowen Sue Moman Bowen on Feb 21, 2015
      @Judy Johnson Wilson I had a purple one that did grow tall & it looked as if it might be seeding, but then it just died off. No more little purple ones appeared either. :(
  • Cat Mullins Cat Mullins on Nov 08, 2017

    they get this way with low light,indoors. the query is, what can you do with them at this point? Turn them loose, trim them down, plant them deeper? anybody?

    • Betsy Betsy on Feb 27, 2020

      I have the same question, I brought my brand new we harvested hens and chicks home last fall and fearing the harsh northern climate I live in I brought them inside. They are all alive except for one and they are all growing tall and leggy. They are in the south window with lots of light except it’s not sunlight because it’s very cloudy here.

  • Tina Mariea Flanigan Tina Mariea Flanigan on Mar 04, 2020

    These are some of mine. I brought in from last summer. They have thrived and I have just taken a few babies to start new ones. 😁

  • Stacy Hwu Stacy Hwu on Nov 02, 2020

    Mine also grew tall. I have them under 12 hours grow light each day and they grew taller. When i set 6 hour light, they didn't grow at all. Very weird.