Echeveria

Echeveria domestica - family. Crassulaceae.

Homeland of the plant. Chile, Peru, Bolivia. 

Description: Echeveria is a large genus of very attractive succulents, which contains about 150 species of evergreen or deciduous plants.

Echeverias vary greatly in appearance, but they all form round rosettes of leaves and often develop short stems with age.

The color and shape of the leaves are extremely variable. Some plants have semicircular fleshy leaves, others are distinguished by triangular, rounded in cross-section foliage. The leaves can be green, bluish-green, with a waxy coating, silvery, lilac, pink, brown or purple.

The flower stalks are tall, leafless, and bear small yellow or pink flowers at the top. Adult plants often surround themselves with several daughter rosettes.

The plant's second name is given to it for the extremely attractive appearance of its leaf rosettes - "stone rose". 

Height. The echeveria grows slowly at home and usually does not exceed 10 - 30 cm in height.

Echeveria care at home

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Easily propagated by leaf cuttings in spring and summer.

1. To propagate by leaf, the cutting is separated from the mother plant with a sharp sterile instrument.
2. Before planting, the cut site is dried in the open air for 2-3 days to avoid rotting when planting in the ground.
3. Select a plastic container for rooting and make drainage holes in it.
4. A sufficiently high drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the container.
5. For rooting, use very loose soil with a large amount of sand, perlite or vermiculite.
6. Leaf cuttings can simply be placed on the soil surface until roots appear.
7. Small plants are kept in a room with a temperature of about 25 - 27 degrees Celsius, shaded from direct sunlight.
8. Moisturizing is carried out with warm water using a spray bottle with a fine spray.

The first signs of growth, which indicate the successful completion of the rooting process, usually appear within a month.

Picking into separate small cups is carried out when the plants form a small rosette of their own leaves. Daughter plants should not be separated from the leaf stalk in a hurry, as they continue to feed on this leaf.

Cuttings that are simply torn off from the main plant by hand take root very well. The fact is that at the base of such cuttings the meristem tissue is preserved, around which a small young rosette will form. 

You can also use seeds for propagation. In order to get echeveria from seeds, you need to be patient - because succulent plants develop slowly, over a long period of time.

Seeds are sown in spring. 

1. For sowing, prepare a transparent plastic container with a lid and drainage holes in the bottom.
2. A drainage layer consisting of small fraction expanded clay is laid.
3. Fill the container with soil containing a high content of river sand.
4. The soil surface is moistened with water at room temperature from a spray bottle.
5. Sow the seeds on the surface of the substrate. Do not sprinkle the seeds with soil on top - just lightly press the planting material into the surface of the substrate with your fingertips.
6. Seedlings are kept in a warm place with a temperature of 22 - 24 ° C, shaded from direct sun, but well lit.
7. The crops are covered from above with transparent polyethylene film or a plastic cap to maintain a high level of humidity. 

The cover is removed daily, condensation is removed from it and the seedlings are aired. Gradually, the airing time is increased. With the appearance of the first sprouts - 12 - 16 days after sowing the seeds - the cover must be removed.

Picking into separate cups is carried out when the young bushes have 2-3 true leaves.

The second picking is carried out when the diameter of the leaf rosettes reaches 2 - 4 cm.

It will take more than 3 months for flowering after the initial stem appears. 

Many varieties of echeveria form numerous daughter rosettes around themselves, which can be easily separated and planted in separate small pots.

The division is carried out with a sharp knife, treating each emerging wound surface with powdered charcoal for drying and disinfection.

This method of propagation will be the simplest, and the resulting plants will grow and bloom the fastest.

Propagation by stem cuttings, which can be taken from some varieties of the flower, works well.

Some plants produce small babies directly on the flower stalks - and they can also be used for propagation.

How to care 

Echeveria does not require careful care and will even be happy with some neglect. This plant can be safely recommended to novice gardeners who systematically forget to water the flowers.

During the warm season, take the plant outside, placing it in a small shade from the sun and under protection from strong gusts of wind and rain.

Remove old, drooping leaves that will appear from time to time at the base of the rosettes. 

Inflorescences with faded buds should also be cut off in a timely manner to maintain the attractive appearance of the echeveria, and also so that the plants do not waste energy on the formation of seeds. Such sanitary pruning should be carried out only with sharply sharpened and sterilized pruning shears.

The leaves of some varieties can be brushed with a soft brush to remove dust, of course this does not apply to those plants whose leaf blades are covered with a waxy coating.

Transplanting echeveria 

Every 2-3 years in very porous soil. Infrequent repotting is due to the fact that these succulents develop quite slowly and consume a very limited amount of nutrients, and therefore do not need to change the size of the pot or soil to a more nutritious substrate.

Use a pot with large drainage holes, the width of which will exceed the height. The fact is that echeveria has a superficial root system and does not need very deep containers. In addition, in a wide bowl the soil will dry out faster. 

All species of this genus are best kept in small pots - their diameter can exceed the diameter of the leaf rosette by only 1 - 2 cm, or even be equal to it.

The material the pot is made of is also important. The walls of unglazed clay pots  easily allow moisture and air to pass through, so growing succulents in them will be preferable. 

1. A generous drainage layer in the form of expanded clay, broken bricks or clay shards must be placed at the bottom of the pot.
2. The drainage layer is sprinkled with substrate on top and a flower is placed in the center of the pot.
3. The flower is sprinkled with fresh soil around the perimeter, which is lightly compacted with fingertips to remove air pockets.
4. When planting, it is imperative to maintain the planting depth, placing the plant in the same way as it was in the previous container.
5. After planting, you can surround the root collar of the plant with a layer of coarse river sand or small pebbles for better drainage of moisture.

Transplanted plants should be placed in a place shaded from direct sunlight for 7-10 days, so as not to aggravate the stress from transplantation. 

It is advisable to stop watering for a week - fresh soil already contains some moisture, and water getting on the roots damaged during transplantation can cause rotting.

Fertilizing is resumed after another 1 - 1.5 months - the echeveria will be content with the nutrients that are already present in the soil.

Since the root system of echeveria consists of many very small roots, which can be compared to hairs, it is easily damaged by transplantation. 

Instead of transplanting, you can carry out careful transshipment, transferring the bushes to a new pot together with the old lump of earth, without destroying it. This procedure will be less traumatic for the root system and the flowers will start growing faster.

You should not transplant flowering or diseased bushes.

Also, you should not immediately replant the succulent after purchase, even if it is not in the best substrate. For a couple of weeks, the flower is allowed to adapt to new conditions of existence and only then replanted.

The transplant procedure should be carried out especially carefully if the leaves are covered with a waxy bluish coating - the plants will look unsightly if it rubs off.

When does echeveria bloom? 

Spring - summer.  It is difficult to specify the exact timing of flowering, since it varies among different species, and the onset of flowering will also depend on the conditions of maintenance.

For flowering to occur, the duration of daylight is an important component; ideally, it should be at least 12-14 hours per day.

You can stimulate the onset of flowering by creating unfavorable conditions for the flower - for example, 1.5 - 2 months before the desired flowering, by lowering the temperature to 16 - 17 ° C, reducing the frequency of watering and lengthening the length of daylight using artificial lighting.  As soon as the flower stalk becomes visible, comfortable conditions should return.

Watering 

Echeveria tolerates drought well, like other succulents, but does not like even a little over-watering.

Water regularly during warm periods, but make sure the soil dries out between waterings.

Even in the spring and summer months, when the period of active growth begins and plants often bloom, the soil between waterings must be dried to 1/3 of its depth.

Reduce the frequency of watering in the fall, and in the winter keep the humidity low enough to keep the leaves from wrinkling. 

During the cold season, the frequency of watering will depend on the growing conditions.

Avoid getting water on the leaves in winter - this can cause rotting - water the flower from a watering can with a long spout along the edge of the pot.

The flower should be watered only with water at room temperature that has been well-settled for at least a day. Excess moisture that appears in the tray after watering must be drained.

Soil 

Any well-drained soil, sandy substrate with very little organic matter (peat, humus, leaf and turf soil) and pH from 4.5 to 6.0.

You can pick up ready-made soil for cacti and succulent plants in a flower shop.

Perfect drainage is necessary, since in nature, echeverias grow in rocky soil, from which water immediately escapes through cracks.

The plant tolerates nutrient-poor soils. 

Coarse river sand, perlite or vermiculite are added to the growing mixture to improve drainage. The soil must be water- and gas-permeable.

Diseases and pests

• Echeveria is prone to rot in poorly drained soil and if overwatered in the fall and winter months. Yellowing leaves may be a sign of rot.
• Leaves can rot when watered overhead if droplets of water get into the rosette.
• In conditions of insufficient light, plants become elongated, leaf rosettes become loose, and the color of the leaves fades.
• If there is insufficient watering, small wrinkles appear on the leaf blades.
• When transplanted, rosettes that are planted too deep quickly begin to rot.
• Excessive amounts of such an element as nitrogen in the soil makes the plant weak and exposes it to the risk of fungal diseases, which can appear in cool conditions with high air humidity.
• Echeveria does not bloom in low light conditions, or in the absence of a dormant period in dry and cool conditions.
• The plant's development slows down and the emerging leaf blades become smaller when kept in a pot that is too small.
• Leaves turn black when grown too cold.
• Planting in a pot that is too large can lead to root rot, as the large volume of soil can retain excess moisture. 

Of the harmful insects, the most common are spider mites, mealybugs, root worms, phylloxera, and root-knot nematodes.

Feeding 

Echeveria is fed only once a month with mineral fertilizers for cacti and succulents at half concentration.

The fertilizer solution should contain sufficient amounts of phosphorus and potassium, and very little nitrogen. 

Even when a succulent is growing, it will not need a lot of nutrients - on the contrary, an excess of an element such as nitrogen will make the plant soft and will promote rot. 

During the winter months, fertilizing is stopped.  Fertilizing should be resumed in the spring, when the first signs of new growth become noticeable.

Fertilizers are applied only to a moist substrate, after abundant watering. If a too concentrated solution gets on the roots of a plant in dry soil, it can cause a chemical burn.

It is better to feed succulents more often with fertilizers diluted to half the recommended dose, rather than adding a concentrated solution at once.

Echeverias do not like organic fertilizers.

Lighting

A brightly lit location with plenty of sunlight and light shade on particularly hot summer days. Plants can bathe in sunlight daily, in the morning and evening hours.

In strong light, growth remains compact and the leaves often take on a pink or reddish tint. The color of the buds of plants grown in direct sunlight will also be more vibrant.

Good lighting encourages flowering.

In autumn and winter, you can place the pot on the most illuminated windowsill, since at this time the sun's activity is low and it often remains behind the clouds. 

Echeveria does not like sudden changes in lighting - accustom the flower to any changes gradually.

The most suitable windowsills for keeping the plant are south-eastern or south-western ones. When keeping it on the southern side, light shading in the form of a tulle curtain will be necessary.

To prevent the plants from leaning towards the light source and to ensure that they develop symmetrically, the flower pot is rotated a quarter turn around its own axis every 2 weeks.

If there is not enough sunlight, you can successfully use artificial lighting in the form of special phytolamps or regular fluorescent lamps. 

Spraying 

It tolerates even very dry air and does not need spraying; in autumn and winter the air should be dry.

Place the echeveria in a location with good air circulation. 

Water droplets falling into the leaf rosette will contribute to the rotting of the plant.

These flowers do not react well to cold drafts - take the pots to another room when airing in the winter months and do not place the bushes under air conditioners in the summer.

Temperature

Like the vast majority of succulents, echeveria is heat-loving and can easily withstand the most intense summer heat. 

During the growth period, keep the flower at normal room temperature or slightly higher.

The succulent loves daily temperature fluctuations - if during the daytime the most suitable temperature is between 22 and 26  °C, then at night it is advisable to lower it by 10 °C to 14 - 16  °C.

During the winter, plants require a rest period at a temperature of about 13° C, but do not expose the flower to temperatures below 7° C during the winter months.

A cool and dry winter will promote the formation of flower buds.  Without a dormant period, the plants will weaken, and new growth that appears in conditions of insufficient light will be elongated and unsightly.

Purpose

A very nice compact plant, a composition of several varieties in one pot looks good.

Echeveria is an unrivaled plant for florariums - compositions of varieties with multi-colored leaves will become an effective decoration of any interior. Since the vessels for creating such compositions often do not have drainage holes, the frequency of watering should be kept to a minimum.

The striking appearance of echeveria leaves few people indifferent, and its very modest size allows you to collect an impressive collection of plants in very limited space.

Note

Sometimes, with age, plants lose their lower leaves and bare their stems, becoming unsightly. Such specimens are replaced with fresh plants obtained by cuttings during propagation. 

Hydroponics

Grows well in hydroponics.

Types of echeveria:

Echeveria agavoides

A succulent plant that forms basal rosettes of green, thick, juicy, hard, triangular leaves up to 20 cm in diameter. They grow singly or form dense herbaceous mats. Adult plants form stems up to 5 cm high. During flowering, the plants produce tall, thin, leafless peduncles, at the top of which are attractive bell-shaped pink flowers. The tips of the petals are often painted in a contrasting greenish or yellow hue. Among the subspecies are Echeveria Miranda - the leaves of which are painted in 2 contrasting shades - light green and bright burgundy or bluish-green and pink, bluish-green and salmon. 

Echeveria elegans

An evergreen plant with light green, bluish or grey, thick leaves in a basal rosette. Numerous daughter rosettes on long tendrils form large colonies with age, due to this feature this subspecies received a second name - "hen with chicks". Rosettes can reach 50 cm in diameter. Flowers are pink or red, located 5 - 10 pieces on the tops of high peduncles. 

Echeveria "Perle von Nurnberg"

Plants of this subspecies have round, spoon-shaped, slightly concave leaves with very delicate shades, including lilac, gray, bluish, pink. The center of the rosette has a lighter pink shade. Often forms single rosettes, with age, the plants may develop a short stem. 

Echeveria "Black Prince"

The darkest colored species - the leaves are triangular, pointed. The inner part of the leaf rosettes is colored light green or yellow, while the tips of the leaves are almost black. Plants often form daughter rosettes. 

Echeveria Laui

A very delicate bush with bluish-gray, rounded leaves. The shade of the leaves forms a blue wax coating, which is easily removed at the slightest touch. The peduncles are strong, thick, slightly curved at the top. The flowers are light pink with bluish bracts. The leaf rosettes of this species resemble rose flowers in shape.

Echeveria derenbergii

The rosettes of this subspecies have rounded outlines and consist of many thick, juicy leaves of light green or bluish-green color. The surface of the leaves may have a slight pubescence. During the flowering period, each rosette can release many erect peduncles with very bright, pinkish-yellow bell-shaped flowers. 

Echeveria purpusorum

The pointed triangular leaves of this species often have specks and stripes - for example, on light green leaves there may be black, burgundy, brown or gray specks. In good light, the leaves additionally acquire a pink or reddish hue. The surface of the leaves is glossy. 

Echeveria shaviana

Quite large plants for their species - reach 10 cm in diameter, are basal leaf rosettes consisting of bluish spatulate leaves. The upper edge of the leaf blades has a beautiful corrugated ridge. When grown in the sun, the edges of the leaves often take on a pinkish hue. The peduncles are short, thick, and carry several delicate pink flowers at the top. 

Echeveria pulidonis

An attractive, slow-growing leaf succulent with thick, succulent, pointed leaves covered with a bluish waxy coating. The edges of the leaf blades are painted in a contrasting burgundy shade. The flower stalks are tall, vertical, bent at the top, and bear several yellow flowers.