hens and chicks

Question

I have hens and chicks planted in strawberry planters. My plants are now sprouting 6″ tall plants. Along with my hens and chicks are getting huge with mothers and babies. Are these tall plants normal? Help what do l do with them???

Answer 1

I am in no way a gardening expert but I have always had Hens & Chickens in my gardens and a neighbor explained what is going on when one of the plants would grow up into a tall, 4 to 6″ plant. She said that you think of the plants as you would poultry, the tall one is the cock and there is the hens and the chicks. I’m not sure if there is a reason for it, if it pollenates thru insects or wind or has no reason for this happening but it will die and you just remove it and dispose of it. I had Hen’s & Chickens in a Strawberry Pot several years ago but they grow babies so fast that they were always dropping from the pot so I removed them all and put them into the garden singularly. No real planting needed, they seem to thrive and produce babies just laying in a sunny spot and they or the babies can be moved anywhere. You said “plants” are sprouting 6″ tall, I’m not sure how many that is or could be in a Srawberry Pot but I usually only have one or maybe two that grow like that in my garden in a season. Just dispose of them, they ARE ugly..

Answer 2

This is normal. These plants can reach anywhere between 2-6 inches in height. If they are getting unsightly, you can cut them back some.