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    Succulents

    Tree of Love Guide: How to Grow & Care for “Aichryson Laxum”

    Guide to Tree of Love Succulent for everything you will ever need to know! Tips for planting and caring for "Aichryson Laxum"
    Miruna SecuianuBy Miruna SecuianuFebruary 6, 2023
    Tree of Love
    Tree of Love
    Affiliate Disclosure: We independently test & research all products reviewed on the site. We may earn a small commission if you buy through one of our links. This does not affect our reviews or placement of products on the site.

    Want an indoor succulent plant that brings love and happiness into the house? The Tree of Love plant is what you need!

    Aichryson Laxum, or Tree of Love, as it is otherwise called, is an indoor plant, popular for its unique appearance and for being easy to grow, even by novice growers. The plant received the name “Tree of Love” thanks to its leaves that have a heart-shaped form.

    Fun fact to know about the Tree of Love plant: It is believed that these succulents only grow well and bloom if grown in an atmosphere of love, peace, and understanding, where there is no negative energy. If the Tree of love plant loses leaves or doesn’t bloom, it is a sign for the owners to improve their relations.

    Now, let’s find out how you should grow and care for your Tree of Love succulent. Keep reading below!

    Where to Buy Succulents?

    Here is our recommended online shops for purchasing succulents & supplies

    • Succulents Box

      Succulents Box currently offers more than 200 varieties of succulents (both popular and rare ones) along with 5 monthly subscription boxes.

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    • Leaf & Clay

      Leaf & Clay offer a range of hundreds of types of succulents along with subscription boxes, pots & macrame.

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    • Lula’s Garden

      Lula’s Garden offers a selection of succulent garden gift sets from small single succulents in pots to full succulent gardens.

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    • The Succulent Source

      The Succulent Source offers a huge selection of succulents, cactii and also gift sets and items for weddings.

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    • Planet Desert

      Planet Desert cater to succulent and cactii fans with a large range of plants, soil, kits and other supplies for creating your garden.

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    View More Shops

    Table of Contents

    • About Tree of Love
    • Tree of Love Features: An Overview
    • Growing Tree of Love
    • Planting Tree of Love
    • Watering Tree of Love
      • What to do if you overwater your Tree of Love plant?
    • Propagating Tree of Love
    • In Conclusion

    About Tree of Love

    • The botanical name of the Tree of Love plant is Aichryson, a name that comes from the Greek language. Its name is derived from “Aei”, which means “forever”, and “chrysos”, which stands for “gold”.
    • ‘Tree of Love’ plants are mostly native to the Canary Islands. A few plant species can be found in the Azores, Madeira, Morocco, and Portugal. They typically grow on wet cliffs or can also grow in very humid places such as laurel and pine forests.
    • These plants are annual or biennial and they produce volunteer seedlings around themselves after they flower, allowing new plants to grow even if the old one dies.
    • The Tree of Love plant can be an excellent present for anyone. It is often gifted to young families at wedding anniversaries because it is believed that this houseplant brings happiness and love to the house.
    • They are popular houseplants often offered as gifts and they make for fantastic home and office decorations. As long as you provide them with the right conditions, they will thrive in whatever environment.
    • Tree of Love plants are adapted to dry areas but prefer more humid places and partial shade, where they are less exposed to direct sun. They can also tolerate direct sun, but you should protect your plant from the blazing midday sun.
    • If you keep your Tree of Love plant in a place with a lot of shade, it may become sparse and not flower.
    • ‘Tree of Love’ plants also need to be protected from strong winds as they are quite fragile and can lose their leaves and even die.
    • These plants prefer warmer temperatures. If kept in places with temperatures below 55°F (13° C) and little light, Tree of Love plants will probably take a short break and stop growing until moved to more ideal conditions.
    • During the active growing period, which is throughout the warm months, ‘Tree of Love’ plants require you to water them moderately, allowing the top half of the soil to dry before you add more water.
    • During the rest of the year, the plants only need to be watered so that the potting mixture doesn’t dry out completely.
    • After flowering, the ‘Tree of Love’ plants die unless the inflorescence is removed.
    • ‘Tree of Love’ plants are particularly vulnerable to spider mites, powdery mealybugs, and nematodes. A good remedy for these pests is medical alcohol. Use a moistened cotton wool to wipe the leaves.
    Tree of Love
    Tree of Love

    Tree of Love Features: An Overview

    • Aichryson Laxum, or Tree of Love, is a succulent with a dwarf-tree-like appearance and ovoid, dark green leaves covered with small white hairs on both sides.
    • The leaves of the Tree of Love plant are up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and are located at the tip of stems in the form of rosettes.
    • The Tree of Love plant is often confused with its “relative” The Money tree because the two are very similar, having the same dwarf-tree-like appearance.
    • Tree of Love plants can reach up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall when they are grown in ideal conditions. So, if you want your Tree of Love plant to thrive and grow as big as possible, pay attention to its preferred growing conditions.
    • If given the right conditions to grow, your Tree of Love plant will grow an incredible branched cluster of star-like, yellow flowers.

    Growing Tree of Love

    Although it has a unique, bonsai-like appearance, caring for your Tree of Love plant isn’t much more complicated than it is with other succulents. Tree of love plants are actually popular for being easy to grow, even by novice growers, thanks to their ability to be very tolerant of various conditions.

    For example, Tree of Love plants can tolerate shade and full sun as well. Ideally, you should keep your Tree of Love plant in partial shade and avoid direct and bright sunlight. Yet, in winter, when your plant stops growing, it’s best to move it to a sunnier spot.

    Keeping your Tree of Love plant in warmer temperatures is another important thing to keep in mind. These plants prefer temperatures above 55°F (13 °C), so it would be best to keep them indoors at average room temperatures. If, however, you want to plant your Tree of Love plant outdoors, consider that the minimum temperature tolerated is 36°F (2°C). If you live in an area with a colder climate, we recommend thinking twice before planting your Tree of Love outdoors.

    Aichryson Laxum flowers
    Aichryson Laxum flowers

    Your Tree of Love plant will also need some feeding to grow healthy and to flower. We recommend applying fertilizer every two weeks during the active growth period. During the resting period, avoid fertilizing the plant. It’s important to be moderate with how much fertilizer you use because Tree of Love plants can really flower themselves to death.

    Extra tip: To ensure that your Tree of Love plant thrives, don’t forget to offer it plenty of positive energy and good vibes.

    Planting Tree of Love

    Planting Tree of Love plants is just as easy as caring for them.

    You can use a standard potting mixture to plant your Tree of Love. But, we recommend using sandy, loamy, or loamy clay soil for good drainage, especially because Tree of Love plants don’t like wet feet.

    The good news is that you don’t have to use large pots to plant your Tree of Love since this plant has a small root system. A 4-5 inch (10-13cm) pot is enough for your plant to mature and flower. Since you don’t need to use a large pot, you can place your Tree of Love plant even in small areas of your home.

    Keep in mind that if you care well for your Tree of Love plant and remove its inflorescence after flowering so that it doesn’t die, you should move it to a bigger pot in spring because it will start growing again.

    If you want to plant your Tree of Love outdoors, in your garden, keep in mind that the soil should have mild acidity, around 6.1 to 6.5 pH. Also, consider the minimum temperature tolerated by this type of plant.

    How to Water Succulents
    How to Water Succulents: Complete Beginner’s Guide

    Watering Tree of Love

    An important aspect to remember: Tree of Love plants don’t like wet feet! That’s right, you should pay attention to not overwater your Tree of Love plant because overwatering is a sure way to make it die.

    Are you familiar with the “soak and dry” method? Well, we’ll make sure that you know what it is so that you don’t provide your Tree of Love plant with more water than it needs: allow the top two inches of soil to dry between waterings.

    Use this watering method only during the active growth period in spring. Allow the top half of the soil to dry before you water your plant again. During the winter, you should cut back on the water almost completely. Only water your Tree of Love plant to prevent the potting mixture from drying out completely.

    What to do if you overwater your Tree of Love plant?

    • Stop watering it while it dries out.
    • Place your plant in a spot with shade.
    • Check the pot for good drainage.

    Propagating Tree of Love

    Want more Tree of Love plants in your home? The good news is that propagating Tree of Love plants is really easy as you can do it via small tip cuttings.

    During spring or summer, cut apical cuttings about 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long and remove their lower leaves. Next, plant them in a slightly moistened mixture that contains peat moss and coarse sand. Place the cuttings in a sunny spot, where they have bright light and water them only so that the mixture doesn’t dry out.

    In about three to four weeks, the cuttings will form their own root systems, and this is when you must plant them in pots with a soil-based mixture. After planting them into the new pots, you can continue caring for the new plants as you cared for your adult Tree of Love plant.

    In Conclusion

    Tree of Love plants can be fantastic houseplants. They easily adapt to various conditions, require little care, and can be impressive showpieces in any home environment. So, if you ever come across a Tree of Love succulent, take it home with you. You won’t regret it!

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    Miruna
    Miruna Secuianu
    • Website

    Miruna is an experienced content writer with a passion for gardening. She is the proud owner of an outdoor rose garden and an indoor collection of tiny succulents. She bought her first succulent 10 years ago - an adorable Echeveria Setosa. Now she owns more than 100 succulents and cacti of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Miruna is a versatile writer and, as you might have guessed, her favorite topic is gardening. Contact miruna@gardenbeast.com

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    2 Comments

    1. Nina Emerson on November 17, 2020 6:30 am

      Thanks for this article. I have a Tree of Love which is very leggy and sprawling. I’m going to prune it back and attempt to propagate the cuttings. I have two questions:
      1. Do you recommends for helping it grow back with a more bush-like appearance?
      2. Once my cuttings have rooted, can they be planted together in one pot or do they prefer their own pots? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Miruna
        Miruna Secuianu on November 17, 2020 12:38 pm

        Hello Nina! We’re glad you found our article useful. Pruning it and propagating it through cuttings is a great idea!

        Whether you choose to plant the cuttings together or in separate pots is a matter of personal preference. As long as they are not too crowded, your cuttings will be happy to share a container. If, however, you’d like to obtain more plants that you can, later on, offer as gifts, plant them separately.

        To address your other issue – the fact that your Tree of Love is leggy, it might help to know that this will happen fairly often with succulents grown indoors. Here are a few things that can cause leggy succulents:
        – not getting enough light (It’s very common for succulents to get insufficient light indoors, especially during the autumn and winter months. These plants have a natural tendency to seek light and their efforts will lead to a lot of stretching and leggy-ness. This phenomenon is called etiolation.)
        – not being rotated regularly (by rotating your plant regularly, you increase its chances to grow symmetrically)
        – overfeeding (succulents that are forced to grow too fast will produce weak stems)

        To encourage your succulent to grow nicely, start by addressing the problems mentioned above. If you can’t provide it with a good amount of natural light, you can try investing in artificial lighting for plants a.k.a. grow lights.

        Hope this helps!

        Best of luck,
        Miruna

        Reply

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