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.

Nell holds a burros tail sedum succulent stem on her neck as if it was a necklace

 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.

a closeup of the burros tail flower, deep pink, with trailing stems of burros tail succulent in the background

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.

a tray filled with different succulent cuttings ready to be planted. There's burros tail sedums and paddle plants

 My Burro’s Tail cuttings are healing off.

baby plants emerging succulent leaves where the leaf meets the stem

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. 

foliage of the burros tail sedum succulent up close so you can see that braided pattern formed by how the leaves grow

In the video below I am in my front yard showing you my Burro’s Tail Plant:

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111 Comments

  1. Hi Sara – I know for certain that it’s not toxic to cats & dogs. As for humans, I’m not 100% sure but I think I remember reading somewhere that it’s safe. I’d recommend you do a little more digging around to confirm this. Nell

  2. Hi! Ive had one of these for about two years. I neglected it for a bit but really started taking care of it back in April. The lady that sold it to me said to give it a small amount of water every 4 days so thats what I did, and it started growing nice and plump again. But I left it with my mom for about a month and gave her the same directions. when I got it back, one of the stems had some yellow leaves which I assumed it was overwatered. So I decided to start giving it water only once a week. I started putting it by a skylight window where it gets lots of sun all day. But now the leaves are all starting to shrivel. They are still green but are starting to look like raisins. I’m not sure if this means its underwatered, overwatered, or getting too hot of sun. I don’t want it to die because its like my pet now lol do you have any advice?

  3. Hi Joelle – A lot depends on the temps & size pot it’s in. I water my Burro’s Tail here in Tucson every 5 days in the hot weather. In winter, maybe every 2-3 weeks. They live outdoors year round. Shriveled leaves generally mean a plant is lacking water. Nell

  4. Hi!

    I’m having an issue with my burro’s tail and im not quite sure whats going on. At first I thought it was underwatering, but the issue persisted, then I thought it might be overwatering, and the issue STILL persisted. The leaves aren’t falling off or yellowing or anything, they’re fine in colour, but they’re soft and wrinkled. There’s a bunch of healthy looking new growth starting all over the pot, but the established plant isn’t doing well at all! For a little while some of them had white spots on the leaves, but I cut off all stems that seemed affected and there are none left. Any idea what this is or how to fix it?

  5. Hi Sarah – I now live in the Arizona desert & my Burro’s Tail looks much more “shriveled” in the summer heat than the other months due to the heat. Plants can recover easier from under watering as opposed to over watering (especially with succulents). A few reasons for the white spots: mealybugs, sunburn, fertilizer burn or physical damage. I’d just encourage the new growth & let the plant grow & rejuvenate. Nell

  6. I really enjoy reading your blog! I brought back some cuttings of burro’s Tail from West Bengal, India last April. They’re also indegenous to that region. They reach 4-6 feet long there and are so beautiful! Anyway…i followed your instructions for propagating, they did well, but as soon as I’ve planted them, nothings happened and it looks as if they’re dying. I’ve followed your instruction on water, sunlight…etc… i live in central Germany and it is rainy and humid. I keep it indoors. Is there any way I can send you a photo so you can see them and maybe give me a rough diagnosis? Thanks do much!!!

  7. Hi Stacey – Thank you – glad you found the blog! They do best planted in a succulent & cactus mix so it might have gotten too wet at 1 time & stayed that way, especially with the humidity. They need a lot of light when growing indoors, so that could another cause … or a combo. Nell

  8. Hey Nell!! I am desperate to rescue our beloved burro’s tail plant. We have about ten very long strands coming out of a hanging basket indoors but my stems look nothing like yours. They are brown and dry I am afraid we gave it too much sun this summer when we took it outside. Some of the leaves are plump and healthy looking but others are dried and shriveled to microscopic size. I bought a new hanging basket with succulent soil mix and I’m trying to figure out the best way to bring this lovely plant back to life. Can the stems be restored or would I be best off taking some of the leaves and putting them into my new pot and starting over. I would also like to save the original plant if possible because it belonged to my late sister in law. Any advice you can give would be much appreciated.

    Lauren

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