The ice herb tolerates frost down to around -5 ° C or -10 ° C. If stronger frost is to be expected, cover the ice herb well or overwinter it in a frost-free greenhouse or winter garden. Incidentally, the leaves of the ice cabbage are often used for a tasty salad. Steamed or cooked, they make a spinach-like vegetable.
also read
- How can I overwinter my ice plant (Mesembryanthemum)?
- The ice plant: under what conditions is it hardy?
- Propagate the ice plant yourself
How do I find out if my ice plant is hardy?
Since quite different plants are sold as ice flowers, you should always pay attention to the Latin name of your flower. However, this is not easy with the Mesembryanthemum either, because, for example, the Mesembryanthemum criniflorum can also be found in stores as Dorotheanthus bellidiformis. By the way, it is considered annual and is therefore usually not overwintered.
It is best to ask when you buy your ice plant or read the care instructions. Ideally, the winter hardiness should also be described there. If in doubt, try wintering in a frost-free room with limited watering and without fertilizer.
Can I pull cuttings over the winter?
A popular method of “wintering” annual plants is by pulling cuttings. In this way, the old plants can be disposed of in autumn and the small young plants require much less space. This is also possible with the ice plant.
Cut the cuttings in late summer or fall. Put the shoots in growing medium (9.05 € at Amazon *) and keep them slightly moist. If the roots are waterlogged, the delicate roots rot easily, this shouldn't happen. You can put the young plants in the garden around the end of May. Sowing on the windowsill is possible from February, outdoors from around mid-May.
The essentials in brief:
- Depending on the species, only partially hardy
- Frost-free wintering is recommended
- take cuttings from annual varieties
Tips
If you have a particularly beautiful or valuable ice plant, it is best to overwinter the plant frost-free and possibly also take some cuttings for propagation.
