The Echeveria is a real classic succulent plant. You can recognize this succulent by its beautiful symmetry and it is available in many colors and types. As a result, you will not quickly get bored of this beautiful succulent plant. What is very practical about this succulent is that, like many cacti species, it can survive very well with only a few sips of water per month.
In nature, most Echeveria species occur in Mexico. Here they grow in very dry areas and often in full sun. The intensity of the sun ensures that the Echeveria gets its beautiful color. Because there is very little rainfall in these areas, the Echeveria stores water in its leaves. This succulent plant can survive long periods of drought.
In addition to the Echeveria species that occur in nature, there are also a number of hybrids created in culture through breeding and crossing. These sometimes have the most beautiful leaf shapes, but also, for example, an intense purple color or drops on top of their leaves.
Because the Echeveria comes from Mexico, they usually flower in the spring and summer. Some will continue to flower in the fall. All Echeverias make a flower stem. This flower stem grows upwards between the leaves. Many of the flowers hang from the flower stem and have a bell shape. Usually they are yellow, orange to red in color.
Echeveria and water
The Echeveria stores a lot of water in its leaves. As a result, it likes water once every two weeks in the spring when it becomes sunny until the end of summer. After that she is allowed less water and once a month is sufficient. Why there is a difference in the number of times watering per period? When it gets warm and sunny with us in the spring, you want Echeveria to grow again. For this it needs water. In the autumn and winter the growth comes to an end and the plant goes into rest. You also do not want your Echeveria to grow, because the light intensity will also be lower. More about this in a moment! You can water an Echeveria from above or below. Note that if you water from above, water drops can remain in and between the leaves.
Echeveria and light
The Echeveria likes a light and sunny place. The amount of light affects the growth and color of your Echeveria. If your Echeveria does not get enough light, it will grow narrower and higher. Then it actually goes looking for the light. When you give it enough light it will maintain a compact and low growth. When an Echeveria gets a lot of sunlight, it can also change color. An example of this is the Echeveria Taurus. This Echeveria can turn completely purple-red in the summer due to the light. In winter, when the light intensity decreases, this Echeveria turns to pink, green again.
Echeveria and nutrition
The Echeveria likes to have extra nutrition during the growing and flowering season. This keeps the succulent plant strong, supports its growth and flowering and keeps its resistance strong. Depending on the weather, a nice warm spring or autumn. We recommend feeding once a month from April/May to September.
Echeveria cuttings
Propagating Echeverias is a lot of fun to do and you can easily do it yourself. Echeverias can be propagated by sowing seeds, but much easier by taking leaf cuttings. To do this, you need to remove a leaf from the trunk of your Echeveria. For this it is best to grab a nice full leaf in the middle of your succulent plant. These have the most power and it is least noticeable on your Echeveria that a leaf is missing.
Remove the blade with a twisting motion. Check whether the leaf is still intact and lay the leaf flat on dry earth. As a soil mixture you can use fine potting soil and mix sand or perlite through it. After 2 to 3 days, the wound has dried and you can occasionally spray the leaves with a plant spray (on mist setting). You don’t have to wet the soil yet because the leaves don’t have roots yet. After a while (usually 2 to 4 weeks) you will see the first roots growing out of the leaf. This is the time when you can also moisten the soil. Then the roots can grow nicely in it. When the leaf has made roots, the first leaves of your new mini Echeveria will appear. Sometimes the order is also the other way around. Then you see the leaves appear first and then the roots.
When your new Echeveria’s minis are a few centimeters tall, you can transplant them into a larger pot.
A nice tip: if you have several leaves and also from different Echeverias, you can also lay them down on the soil in a nice pattern.
Another way of cuttings is that you remove the top part of your Echeveria and repot it after a few days of drying. You often need at least 3 cm of the succulent plant for this. This method of cuttings can be done if your Echeveria has root rot due to too much water or when it has started to grow elongated due to a lack of light.