Burro’s Tail or donkey tail plant is an ideal succulent for beginner gardeners. It is pretty easy to care for and grow.
Native to Mexico and Honduras, the burro’s tail, lamb’s tail, or donkey’s tail (Sedum morganianum) is an easy-to-grow, famous succulent with clusters of tear-drop-shaped, fleshy leaves in the blue-green shade. Established plants grow slowly but can reach up to 4 feet in length in around six years; however, the average size is close to 24 inches. They are generally grown as hanging plants; burro’s tail can be planted year-round indoors, whereas outdoors, it is better to plant during early spring. Pink or red blooms appear in late summer, and plants rarely flower indoors.
USDA Zones: 10-11
Propagating Burro’s Tail
Burro’s tail is quite easy to propagate from its leaves, they just fall off at the slightest touch. Follow the easy below steps for planting a donkey’s tail.
If your plant has dropped some of its beaded leaves, just put them away till the skin has flaked over, around two to three days.
Plant the leaves in a new container filled with succulent or cacti mix, and leave half of each leaf open above the soil line.
Water frequently around once a week until you notice new growth emerge. After this, reduce watering and handle the plant like an established one.
Types of Burro’s or Donkey’s Tail
The donkey’s tail has two closely associated types, the species type, Sedum morganianum is commonly known as ‘donkey’s tail’, it shows off pointed leaves. S. morganianum ‘Burrito’ is the only a variety marketed and sold as ‘burro’s tail’. It has more round foliage. Apart from this, the plants are similar.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Burro’s Tail
Location
Burro’s tail does well in warm sunlight, but it can withstand partial shade. While growing indoors, keep the plant on a sunny windowsill that offers many hours of daily light. If you’re growing this succulent outdoors, place the pot where it receives lots of morning sunlight, but the area also has to be partially shaded.
Soil
For growing a big burro’s tail, it has to be planted in well-draining sandy soil. If you are growing the succulents in a pot, use a gritty soil mix specially made for cacti or succulents. This plant likes soil with neutral to alkaline pH.
Water
The thumb rule for watering is less is more, once mature this succulent turns drought tolerant. Water it more regularly in the spring and summer growing season, then decrease during the fall and winter months.
Usually, a single heavy watering session once a month indoors will be sufficient, so increase it once every 2 or 3 weeks outdoors.
Note: The soil has to dry out completely in between waterings.
Temperature and Humidity
Burro’s tail favors a warm climate; however, it bears up well to cool temperatures than other succulents. Try to keep a surrounding of 65-75 F both indoors and outdoors. It can tolerate temperatures as low as 40 F, but move indoors before the first frost. Also, keep the plant away from drafty windows during the winter months.
This beautiful succulent has no specific need for humidity, it likes average humidity and can rot if it is tried to increase, so no requirement to mist and also do not keep it in the bathroom.
Fertilizer
Feed the plant in spring with slow-release, balanced 20-20-20 NPK fertilizer, established plants favor plant food with less nitrogen.
Pruning
No pruning is essential until you want leaves to propagate new plants. Cutting leaves from a part of the stem can occasionally encourage side branching.
Repotting
Until definitely essential to avoid repotting a donkey’s tail, doing so puts you at risk of losing several of its ‘tails’ to scrambling and replanting. However, if it is necessary, repotting should be done in warm months. Ensure the soil is entirely dry before the process; carefully remove the plant from the pot, remove soil from the roots, set it in a new shallow clay planter, fill the soil, and let the plant rest for a week before giving it the first watering.
Overwintering
Either growing indoors or outdoors in weather where it is hardy, decrease watering to every other month and ignore feeding in this period of low growth.
Pests & Plant Diseases
Burro’s tail is not vulnerable to pests, but it can be affected by aphids. If you face this issue, mist the plant every few days with organic neem oil until aphids go away. Mealybugs can also attack the plant and can be treated with neem oil.
Slugs and snails can be an issue for outdoor plants; set baits for them or pick them up by hand. The only major disease is root rot, which arises when the plant is overwatered or planted in dense, poorly draining soil.
How to Get Donkey’s Tail to Bloom
These beautiful succulent flowers sporadically, particularly when grown indoors. They won’t produce blossoms until they become mature. Small pink, lavender or red blooms appear in late spring or early summer. Cool outdoor temperatures can stimulate blooming, but the temperature must not be so excessive that it endangers the plant.
Burro’s tail requires lots of light to flower but keeps the feeding under control.