This last fall my sister gave me the wonderful gift of several succulents. Two were similar in size and appearance, each having very plump leaves coming off a central stem. One was a very pale green, the Pachyphytum bracteosum, also known as Moonstone. The other was a very pale pink, the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou'. I thought they would look so nice planted together in the same pot, as neighbors.
But I knew I needed to do my homework first to make sure they both had compatible needs: bright light, check; low water use, check; need some mild frost protection, check. Now the Pachyphytum said it could get up to 12 inches tall and the Pachysedum said 4-8 inches tall, but I thought that was probably doable. I was further reassured when I found out that the Pachysedum was actually a hybrid made from crossing Pachyphytum and Sedum.
So, everything was doing well initially. They looked very attractive together. I had the pot on my back patio against the wall of the house and under the patio cover. But gradually the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou' started to elongate. Now, this was the plant that was supposed to be the shorter of the two. I thought it might be reaching for the sun. So, I removed the pot from its protected position, nestled behind several rows of other plants, and put it right in the front row.
The next day I went out to find the Pachysedum had been attacked! Several of its leaves bore nibble marks. Now its neighbor, the Pachyphytum, hadn't been touched at all
Well, it seemed I had done the wrong thing bringing the plant forward into some creature's attention. I decided to put it back where it had been, behind several rows of plants. The following day the plant looked worse; several leaves were entirely missing and a few more were knocked off the plant. Again, the Pachyphytum was unharmed. Clearly, the Pachysedum was tasty enough for some creature to crawl? hop? flutter? and search it out. Equally clear, was the fact that the Pachyphytum was not.
I never saw the animal responsible for the attack. I didn't think the leaf marks resembled insect damage. We do have bird feeders in the yard and have blue jays, mockingbirds, doves, and several kinds of finches visiting our back yard. We also have regular visits from squirrels and a rare visit from the possum. The main reason I thought the mammals were less likely to be the culprits, is that I thought they would have created more havoc with the surrounding pots if they had gone after the plant.
So, since I was thinking a bird was the most likely creature responsible, I needed to find some sort of barrier to protect the plant. I came across some decorative material with small holes in it that had originally come tucked around a plant in a floral gift basket. I draped it loosely over the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou'.
It seems to have done the trick. The Pachysedum is forming new leaves where the old had been taken off. While it's frustrating to have my succulents attacked, I do love the birds. Watching them has brought me a lot of joy in this time of pandemic sadness and shutdowns.
So, we'll keep the bird feeders up. But I'll have to add in another consideration in potting up and placing my succulent plants. It's something that I've not considered before, the tastiness factor.