Creeping Red Sedum Problems

Red Sedum Varieties

• Red sedum is native to the Caucasus, a mountainous region lying between the Black and Caspian Seas. The species plant grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, surviving winter temperatures between minus 40 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Its foliage changes from bright, spring green to autumn maroon. Red sedum cultivars include German Dragon's Blood with pink or mauve flowers. Its bronze, summer foliage deepens to burgundy in the autumn. Cold weather brightens Red Carpet's consistently red spring and summer color to crimson. Sunset Cloud's foliage ranges from bluish-green in partial shade to purple in full sun.

Aphids

• Various aphid species feed on red sedum. These tiny insects suck fluids from the plants' stems and leaves. The pear-shaped pests feed in groups on the foliage's undersides, new growth and flower buds. They also release sweet, sticky ant-attracting honeydew. Some aphids carry the cucumber mosaic virus. Infected red sedums develop leaf mottling. Treatment for aphid-infested sedums includes spraying with azadirachtin, Beauveria or pymetrozine insecticides, imidacloprid insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Cucumber virus-infested plants require removal.

Black Vine Weevils

• Black vine weevils feed on red sedum leaves and roots. The 1/2-inch, black, adult insects feed on the plants' leaf margins at night or on cloudy days. They're most active for three to four weeks in May and June. After feeding, they lay their eggs in the soil around the plants. The brown-headed, white larvae consume the roots and overwinter in the soil. Root damage surfaces as yellowing or browning plants. Adults leave C-shaped notches in the leaves' edges. Treatment includes manual removal of adults, drenching the soil with bifenthrin-based insecticide or spraying foliage with an imidacloprid-based one.

Powdery Mildew

• Powdery mildew fungus (Erisyphe sp., Sphaerotheca sp.) typically covers an infested plant's leaves with a powdery, white coating. On red sedum plants, powdery mildew surfaces as brown leaf spots. Powdery mildew prevention includes spacing the plants for adequate air circulation between them. Autumn removal of damaged stems and leaves limits the fungus' reappearance in spring. Control includes spraying with potassium bicarbonate fungicide or horticultural oil.

Other Problems

• Red sedum's tolerance of poor, dry rocky soils leaves it open to invasion from seed- and rhizome-spreading weeds that prefer the same conditions. Removing the plant after it roots in tight spaces is difficult.