How To Care For and Propagate Sedum Morganianum (Burro’s Tail)
This sedum is one handsome succulent. Mine happily resides in a large square terra cotta pot with my now 5-year-old Coleus “Dipped In Wine” (yes, they’re technically perennials) and a Golden Weeping Variegated Boxwood which I brought home from Kew Gardens as a wee cutting.
One would not think to use these 3 plants in a container together but it works for me and that’s another story. In this post, I’m going to tell you how I care for and propagate my Sedum morganianum or Burro’s Tail, Donkey’s Tail or Horse’s Tail.
If you want a real icebreaker at parties, then wear your Burro’s Tail as a necklace!
This plant eventually grows to 4′ long which will take around 6 years or so. As it grows it gets very thick with those trailing stems heavily laden with overlapping plump, juicy leaves that form a groovy braided pattern.
As you can imagine, a mature plant gets very heavy. This plant is not for a flimsy pot with a flimsy hanger. It’s best grown in a hanging basket, in a large pot like mine, in a pot that hangs against a wall or trailing out of a rock garden.
Sedum Morganianum Care
In terms of care, a Burro’s Tail couldn’t be easier. I’m going to cover that below along with propagation which is something you’ll want to know how to do because all your friends will want a cutting or two. Mine grows outdoors but I’ll also tell you what it needs if you want to grow it in your house at the end of this list.
Light
Sedum morganianum likes bright shade or partial sun. It will burn in strong, hot sun. Mine gets morning sun which it prefers. And now, because my neighbor cut down two of his pine trees last year, it gets some afternoon sun too.
If you watch the video at the end you’ll see the stems that are getting too much sun are a pale green. This plant should ideally be a lovely blue-green. I may have to move it to a less sunny spot – I’ll watch it and see.
Watering
All those leaves store water so be sure not to overwater it. It will rot out if you do. My Burro’s Tail is well established (around 5 years old) so I water it every 10-14 days but give it a thorough drink. Watering this way also helps some of the salts (from the water and fertilizers) to flush out of the pot. The rainwater mine gets in the winter helps with that. In other words, don’t splash and go every other day.
In the growing season, when the days are warmer and longer, I water it more often every 9-11 days. As a rule, plants in clay pots will dry out faster as will larger plants in smaller pots. Adjust accordingly as well as to the weather conditions.
Soil
Like any other succulent, this one needs good drainage. The water needs to drain out of it fast so it’s best to use a mix specially formulated for cactus and succulents. I buy mine at California Cactus Center near Pasadena in case you live in that area. Or, you can add horticultural grade sand and perlite (or fine lava rock, gravel or pumice) to lighten up whatever potting soil you have.
My secret planting weapon is worm castings. Your Burro’s Tail would love a bit of that too. By the way, I top dress all the containers in my garden with compost and worm castings every Spring.
To have your Burro’s Tail flower is rare. Mine bloomed for the first time ever this year although there were only 3 clusters on that big ole plant.
Temperature
Here in Santa Barbara, the average low temperature for the winter months hovers around the low 40’s. We occasionally dip into the thirties but not for more than a couple of days. Mine is up against the house and shows no signs of stress during those brief chilly spells. Our average summer temps are in the mid to high 70’s which is ideal for the Burro’s Tail.
Insects
The only pests that mine ever gets are aphids so I just hose them off every month. Burro’s Tail really isn’t susceptible to a wide range of insects. You can spray it with a mixture of 1/5 rubbing alcohol to 4/5 water if hosing off isn’t doing the trick. Neem Oil, which works on a wide range of insects, is an organic method of control that is simple and very effective.
Propagation
Like most succulents, Sedum morganianum is a snap to propagate. Simply cut the stems to the length you want, peel the bottom 1/3 of the leaves off and then let those stems heal off (this is where the cut end of the stem callus over) for 2 weeks to 3 months before planting.
When you plant your cuttings, you might need to pin them down in the pot because the weight of the stems will pull them out. You can also propagate it by individual leaf cuttings which you’ll see in the picture below. Just a head’s up because the leaves break and fall off this plant very easily. If you want to know more on this subject, I’ve done an entire blog post about propagating sedums.
My Burro’s Tail cuttings are healing off.
You can also propagate it with the individual leaves. Baby plants are emerging where the leaf meets the stem. Simply lay the leaves on top of your cactus & succulent mix & they’ll root in. Keep it on the dry side.
Burro’s Tail makes a fine houseplant.
It is commonly sold as an indoor hanging plant. You can get your own burros tail here. Put it in a spot with nice, bright light but out of any windows with strong, hot sun. You might have to move it in the wintertime as the sun shifts to a place where the light is brighter.
It’s very important to not overwater this plant. Those leaves store a lot of water so don’t do it every week. Depending on the temperature and light in your home, a thorough watering once a month will probably be enough.
In the video below I am in my front yard showing you my Burro’s Tail Plant:
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
Hi Susan – I visited Singapore many years ago & loved it – the orchids that grow there are so beautiful! Burro’s Tail Sedums are native to environments which are warm & dry. In some areas, they even grow in rocks. Singapore is very humid therefore the soil doesn’t dry out as fast. I think your Burro’s Tail been staying too wet. It stores water in the leaves, stems & roots so you should only water it when dry. If you’re growing it indoors, make sure it has enough light. Hope that helps! Nell
Hello, I just bought a burro’s tail plant and the guy at the store said I should not repot, but instead bury the existing plastic pot in the new pot and cover with soil. The current pot is tiny but works for now, but I’d like to re-pot before it gets too big. Do you agree one should not re-pot a burro’s tail? Thanks for all the great tips!
Hi Jen – You’re welcome! I’ve always taken Burro’s Tails out of their pots when transplanting. Here are 2 reasons why I think the guy in the store told you this: 1) the plant is small & the roots have not fully formed &/or 2) the leaves of this plant fall off so easily that if you’re not careful, that small plant will be almost stripped of foliage. I remove the pots, but either way, it should be fine. If you take it out of the pot, just be very careful not to loose too many leaves. If you decided to leave it in the pot, I’d cut the bottom off so the roots can grow out. Hope that helps! Nell
I have been growing Burro’s Tails for years with some success, and some failures! The current pots are in a Florida pool porch, out of the sunlight, but near enough. The current tails are about 3′ long.
I bought another potted pot and put on another porch, out of sunshine, but near the screened window. I water all of them no more than every three weeks. But the new one, suddently lost many of the leaves. I think the wind got too much for it while I was not at home.
Question: Why does it loose leaves without reason? Why does a healthy, not over watered, version begin to fall apart?
Thanks for your blog… looking forward to reading more!
Hi Ann – Glad you found us! Here are the most common reasons (including 1 you mentioned) that leaves fall off of a Burro’s Tail Sedum: 1) mechanical damage – a person or animal has brushed them. 2) the wind – the leaves fall off these plants rather easily so a strong wind can do it. 3) over watering or under watering – either will cause it. Even when I’m cutting the tails to give them away or propagate them, some of the leaves fall off. If they’re happy in their spot & happy with how you’re taking care of them, the tails can get 6′ long! Hope that helps, Nell
Hello! I bought my burros tail on a website about 2 months ago and it arrived all healthy and well, it was so beautiful.
Since then the leaves started falling out and it’s drying up by the bottom of the stems, it’s not the same plant I bought it got a few tails left. I made sure not to give it a lot of water and it gets enough sunshine. What could I be doing wrong?
Hi Melissa – When fleshy succulents loose leaves, it’s usually 1 of 3 things: mechanical damage, light (not enough or too much hot sun) or watering (usually too much). The soil needs to have excellent drainage. Just know that Burro’s Tail leaves fall off very easily & I loose quite a few of them when I transplant. Sounds like it might have gotten too wet at some point. Hope that helps, Nell
Your video was amazing. If I tried to pick up one of those “tails” on my Donkey’s (Burro in Spanish) Tail that I’ve had for 10+ years I am afraid more than half of the “leaves” would fall off. I’ve grown mine indoors (live in a cold climate) and some of the tails are (were) 5 feet long until my husband accidentally knocked it over. I need to transplant what is left of the plant but I’m afraid when I do, that all the leaves will fall off.
Thank you Barbara-Jean! Burro’s Tail Leaves fall off so easily & I usually loose quite a few when transplanting. There’s no real trick to doing it but just be as gentle as you can when handling the plant. Try to handle the root ball more than the plant if you can. Just know you’re not the only 1 that experiences this! Nell
Do donkey tail produce pups? Or do the leaves fall off and produce new plants in the planter? How do you get multiple strings out of a planter naturally without growing new cuttings?