Echeveria is a rather unpretentious, but at the same time spectacular plant. Thoughtful compositions with a combination of several types can become a real highlight of your apartment design. There is nothing difficult in growing and caring for echeveria at home: even a novice gardener can handle it.
The genus Echeveria is part of the Crassulaceae family. In total, according to various sources, there are from 150 to 180 species of these succulents in nature. The homeland of most of them is Mexico and the southern states of the USA, but some representatives can also be found in South America (Peru). The plant prefers low mountains and plains, where in summer almost all days are hot and sunny, and in winter, if there are frosts, they are very infrequent and insignificant.
The genus was named in honor of the 19th century Mexican artist Atanasio Echeverría Godoy, who, in addition to his main activity, was interested in botany, compiling and illustrating books dedicated to the flora of his homeland.
The collection of echeverias is guaranteed not to go unnoticed
A characteristic feature is the ability for interspecific crossing. Pachiveria (a hybrid with pachyphytum) and Graptoveria (with graptopetalum) were obtained through selection.
All echeverias are typical succulents. These are evergreen herbaceous or semi-shrub perennials that do not have a stem. It is replaced by a thick, short, fleshy, intensively branching trunk. The main thing that gardeners value Echeveria for is its leaves. They are also fleshy, even, smooth to the touch. A characteristic feature is a layer of whitish, silvery or grayish coating or velvety pubescence to the touch. This is protection from the scorching sun. Moreover, the hotter it is outside, the thicker the layer becomes. Because of this, it turns blue, and a noticeable reddish border appears along the edges of the leaves.
The leaves, arranged often and strictly in a spiral, form dense rosettes. From a distance they can easily be mistaken for flowers. The illusion is supported by an unusual coloring - pale green, with a slight lilac, red, gray tint. Because of this, echeveria has earned its unofficial popular name - “stone rose” or “stone flower”.
A rosette of echeveria leaves looks like a flower from afar In nature, the leaves reach sizes of 3–30 cm in length and 1.5–15 cm in width. At home, the parameters are approximately twice as modest.
The peduncle of echeveria is much taller than the plant itself. Growing from the middle of the rosette, depending on the type, it can reach 35–85 cm. The inflorescence is in the form of a brush, spike or umbrella, with many flowers resembling very small bells. All shades of yellow and orange predominate, sometimes with a greenish or reddish tint. The outside color is a little brighter than the inside. In nature, echeveria blooms in late spring or summer, with the exception of a few species that prefer to do so in mid-winter. Flowering is quite long - 15–20 days. If natural or artificial pollination has occurred, fruit-boxes with five nests are formed, in which small, dull brown seeds ripen.
Echeveria flowers are quite pretty The roots of the plant are located almost on the surface - this makes it easier and faster to absorb moisture. The root system is fibrous and branched.
Differences from young
Due to its external similarity, Echeveria is often confused with another plant belonging to the Crassulaceae family - sempervivum (popularly known as tenacious or young). However, unlike it, echeverias have an extremely negative attitude towards any cold weather.
Sempervivum leaves look thinner, more graceful, sometimes they may even seem translucent, and the rosettes are smaller in size. Even adult specimens of juveniles do not form stems. The sockets seem to lie on the ground. Echeveria, especially with a lack of light and heat, is capable of stretching. The lower leaves fall off and the rosette rises up.
To leave no doubt at all, you need to wait for the offspring to appear. In echeveria, “babies” develop only at the base of the stem. For this purpose, the young produce “whiskers”, at the ends of which offspring are formed.
Echeveria and Juvenile belong to the same family and are quite similar, but there are several distinctive features Types grown at home (table)
Of the many representatives of the species, most are suitable for indoor floriculture. But for various reasons, only a few dozen are the most common.
| View | Description |
| Agave (agavoides) | The stem of this bush-like plant, reaching 25–30 cm in height, is very short or completely absent. The leaves are delicately lettuce, translucent at the edges, with a noticeable reddish tint. At home, the leaf length is 4–10 cm, width is 5–6 cm. The plant blooms in late spring. The flowers are very small (1–1.5 cm), all shades of yellow-red. Very rarely, several inflorescences have pink coloring. |
| White-haired (leucotricha) | The name of the subshrub is due to the presence of a thick white edge, reminiscent of a long pile. Small (12–15 cm in diameter) rosettes are composed of lancet-shaped leaves with a brownish border. The flowers are bright red. Artists know this shade as cinnabar. |
| Shiny (fulgens) | A characteristic feature of the subshrub is not too intense branching. If shoots are formed, they are short and very thick. Inflorescence in the shape of a brush or umbrella. Bright scarlet flowers appear in late winter or early spring. |
| Gibbiflora | Of all the echeverias, it most closely resembles a tree. Stems are erect, sometimes slightly branched. Rosettes of grayish-green leaves with a brick or brown tint are located on the tops of the shoots. The leaf plate is similar to a lens - it is concave at the top and convex at the bottom. The leaves are large - 20–25 cm long, 10–15 cm wide. At the end of summer, the plant produces a tall (up to 1 m) peduncle. Inflorescence in the shape of a spike. The flowers are muted scarlet on the outside, yellowish on the inside. Many hybrids have been bred through selection. The most famous are carunculata (the leaves are covered with small tubercles, as if twisted), crispata (the leaves with corrugated edges are silvery) and metallica (leaves with a whitish or reddish border have a tint of old bronze or purple). |
| Derenbergii | Herbaceous plant. The shoots spread along the ground, small (4–7 cm) rosettes of leaves are located at their tops. The length of the leaf is almost equal to the width (3 and 2.5 cm). The leaves are covered with a bluish coating, with a reddish tint visible along the edges and at the tip. The inflorescences are short (5–6 cm), spike-shaped. The flowers are yellow-orange or reddish. |
| Elegant | Herbaceous perennials. The leaves are a very light green shade, almost white. The edges are see-through. The tip is pointed, sometimes even prickly. A characteristic feature is a highly branched peduncle. The inflorescences are drooping, in the form of small one-sided racemes. The flowers are crimson, turning yellow. |
| Lau (Lauii) | Unlike other species, it does not grow too quickly and is quite demanding in care. One of the largest rosettes (18–20 cm in diameter). The leaves are diamond-shaped, almost white due to a thick layer of waxy coating. The orange-pink shiny flowers are also covered with it. |
| Pillow-shaped (pulvinata) | Low-growing (18–20 cm) subshrubs. The rosette is quite “loose”, there are few leaves in it. At the top of each leaf there is a short spine. The leaves and yellow-red flowers are pubescent. Inflorescences are spike-shaped. |
| Shaw (Shaviana) | Not too similar to echeveria at all. The leaves are almost round, soft to the touch, corrugated along the edges. They are compressed so that the rosette looks more like a head of cabbage rather than a flower. It produces several flower stalks at the same time, the pinkish flowers on which bloom alternately. |
| Bristly (setosa) | The bush-like plant forms many shoots. The rosettes are in the shape of an almost regular ball, each of them has more than a hundred dark green leaves with a grayish tint. The leaves are densely covered with white bristles - hence the name. The inflorescence is low - about 30 cm. The shape of the flowers resembles miniature tulips, and the color too. |
| Linguaefolia | A low (20–25 cm) subshrub forms two (no more and no less) fleshy trunks. The peduncle is drooping, sometimes branches from below. The flowers are light yellow, straw-colored. |
| Purple (atoropurpurea) | The rosette is large, but loose. It is located at the top of a stem about 15 cm high. The leaves are also large (up to 12 cm), brick-colored. |
| Purple (purpusorum) | Very original color and shape of the leaves. They are thick, wide, with a very sharp end, becoming noticeably thinner towards the edges. The rosette is located at the top of a short thick stem. The leaves are olive, with rich purple spots. |
| Echeveria Harmsii | The leaves are very small, in the shape of a rounded diamond. At each point, the leaf blade turns red. The flowers are small, reddish-yellow. |
| Desmetiana | The leaves have a pronounced bluish tint. The rosette is located at the top of a long stem. Blooms from mid-July. Inflorescences are formed on the side shoots. |
| Multi-stemmed (multicaulis) | Tall stem (up to 1 m). The leaves are small, slightly concave, dark green, with a red border. The rosette in the center is dense, becoming noticeably looser towards the edges. The flowers are yellowish inside, scarlet outside. |
| Gray (glauca) | Compact plant with small dense rosettes. The leaves are wedge-shaped at the base and become pointed towards the tip. They are covered with a thick layer of bluish coating. |
| Miranda | A very impressive plant with neat small rosettes that seem to be lying on the ground. They are very similar in shape to a lotus. Varieties with bluish, violet, pink, scarlet, yellowish, and silvery leaves have been bred through selection. |
| Black Prince | Selective hybrid. The leaves are green at the base and change color to dark purple at the tips. From a distance it can even be mistaken for black. The flowers are small and scarlet. |
| Pearl of Nuremberg (Perle von Nurnberg) | Selective hybrid. The stem is thick and straight. The leaves are pinkish-gray, the youngest ones are pastel pink. The flowers are muted scarlet. |
Photo gallery: Echeveria varieties
The youngest leaves of Echeveria Brilliant sometimes have notched edges. Echeveria White-haired blooms profusely throughout the spring. Echeveria Hump-flowered is an excellent basis for breeders' experiments. The reddish tint of the leaves of Echeveria Agave-shaped becomes richer as the plant matures. Because of its decorative effect, Echeveria Miranda is most often found in indoor floriculture Echeveria crimson cannot be confused with other species 
Echeveria Multistem intensively branches from the very base Echeveria Black Prince is one of the most beautiful breeding hybrids Echeveria Purple is actually not quite purple, but it sounds beautiful Because of the thick layer of bloom, the leaves of Echeveria Sizoy seem almost white Echeveria Pearl of Nuremberg was bred on the basis of Echeveria humpback-flowered The stem of the Garms echeveria practically does not branch. The wax coating on the leaves of Echeveria Lau is thick, but easily erased. Over time, the stem of Echeveria Graceful lies under the weight of the leaves, the rosette quickly takes root. Unlike the others, Echeveria Derenberg has only 3-5 flowers in the inflorescence. In winter, Echeveria Shaw will most likely lose most of its leaves
Creating optimal conditions
Echeveria is a relatively undemanding plant, but if you do not put in a minimum of effort and create more or less suitable conditions for it, the decorative value of the flower will sharply decrease.
Table: optimal conditions
| Factor | Optimal conditions |
| Location | A window facing south, southeast or southwest is suitable for the plant. In summer, it is useful to take the pot out onto an open balcony or veranda, taking care to protect it from sharp cold drafts and precipitation. You can add some zest to your garden design by temporarily planting echeveria in an alpine hill. |
| Lighting | Echeveria is extremely photophilous and tolerates direct sunlight well. In bright light it only becomes more decorative - a thickening layer of waxy coating gives the leaves a beautiful bluish tint, and a reddish border appears along the edge. The leaves may wrinkle slightly, but this is completely normal. Specimens that have just been acquired or have survived a dormant period gradually adapt to the bright sun. |
| Temperature | In nature, echeveria can survive temperatures up to 40ºС, but the optimal parameters are 23–28ºС. For the winter, it is best to put the flower in a room with a constant temperature of 7–10ºС. But, in principle, it is able to overwinter at standard 18–20ºС, which is maintained in the cold season in most apartments. The plant does not respond to small changes in temperature. |
| Air humidity | For echeveria, this parameter is unimportant. It does not need additional spraying even on the hottest days. On the contrary, in variegated varieties and bright hybrids, the color of the leaves may turn pale and fade from excess moisture. A standard humidity level of 40–60% is sufficient. |
Alpine slide with echeverias - a wonderful garden decoration Transplant procedure
To preserve their decorative properties, it is recommended to replant young echeverias every year after the end of the dormant period. For adults, one transplant every 2–3 years is enough; during breaks, you can simply remove the top 1–2 cm of soil and replace it with fresh one. Transplantation procedures can be avoided if they are grown hydroponically.
The plant is undemanding to soil. It should not be too nutritious, light and loose. Standard soil for succulents is quite suitable. However, experienced gardeners prepare the substrate themselves, mixing fertile turf soil, coarse river sand in equal proportions and adding a glass of sifted wood ash and fine red brick chips for every 3 liters of soil. Or another option - turf soil, powdered clay with sand and twice as much universal soil for decorative foliage indoor plants mixed in equal proportions. If you take soil from your own plot, find out the acidity level in advance. Acidic soil is not suitable for echeveria.
Since the root system of echeveria is shallow and branched, choose a bowl-like pot - low but wide. A mandatory requirement is a large drainage hole. At least a quarter of the volume should be occupied by drainage made of expanded clay, pebbles, ceramic shards, and brick chips. There is no need to significantly increase the volume of the pot compared to the previous one. A difference in diameter of 2–3 cm is quite enough. Ideally, the pot should be ceramic and light-colored so that it does not heat up so much in direct sunlight.
A deep pot of echeveria is not needed When replanting, pay special attention to touching the leaves as little as possible. The protective coating on them is very easy to accidentally wipe off.
You also need to carefully examine the roots and use a sharp, disinfected knife to cut off any dried, dead or rotted ones. Remove with reserve, capturing another 2-3 cm of the root, which appears healthy. Immediately sprinkle the sections with powdered activated carbon.
Before transplanting, the soil should be slightly moistened with a spray bottle and slowly absorbing fertilizer in the form of sticks should be inserted into the earthen ball. The transplanted echeveria is watered moderately. Watering will no longer be needed in the next week. It is being resumed gradually.
Echeverias grow well in florariums Necessary care
In its homeland, echeveria grows quietly under the scorching sun on rocky soils. Accordingly, it does not need either abundant watering or frequent fertilization. The main thing is not to flood or overfeed the flower.
Watering
In spring and summer, echeverias are watered on average once every 7-10 days, depending on the weather outside and the type of plant. The thicker the pubescence, the less it needs moisture. Be sure to take soft water that has stood for at least a day, ideally distilled or filtered.
The earthen lump should dry well from the previous time, but it is undesirable to bring the plant to a state where the soil begins to move away from the edges of the pot. Another sign of lack of moisture is wrinkles on the leaves.
Starting in August, watering is gradually reduced, preparing the plant for the dormant period. The interval is approximately doubled.
Avoid getting water inside the rosette and on the leaves themselves. In the first case, rotting may begin, in the second, sunburn is very likely. It is best to use bottom watering, pouring water into the tray of the pot and draining the excess after 15–20 minutes.
Top dressing
In the phase of intensive growth of echeveria, one feeding per month is enough. To do this, prepare a solution of liquid mineral fertilizer for cacti and succulents. The proportion recommended by the manufacturer is halved. Fertilizer is added to water for irrigation.
Rest period
Echeveria needs a fairly long dormant period, which lasts from mid-autumn to the end of winter. During this time, the flower is transferred to a cool, bright place with a temperature of 7–10ºС, watering is reduced to once a month and is not fertilized at all.
In principle, echeveria will overwinter in standard apartment conditions, but in this case, most likely, there will be no flowering. If you leave the flower in the same room, more frequent watering will be required. Drooping, wilted leaves serve as a signal that it’s time. Specimens that bloom in winter are also kept warm.
Bloom
If the dormant period was organized according to all the rules, echeveria will bloom in spring or summer (with the exception of some species in which this occurs in winter).
Taking advantage of the fact that the flower belongs to the category of short-day plants, you can “deceive” nature and achieve flowering at the right time. For this echeveria to be 50–60 days older than one year, special conditions must be created: lighting for 12–13 hours daily and a temperature of 16–18ºС.
Video: how to care for echeveria
Common mistakes in care
Echeveria, of course, is not picky and undemanding, but mistakes in care have a detrimental effect on its decorative properties.
Table: common mistakes
| Description of the problem | Probable Cause |
| Dark spots on leaves. | Drops of water got on the plant or you yourself erased the wax coating, for example, during transplantation. |
| The leaves and stem at the base turn black and are easily separated from the plant. | The echeveria is too cold and/or you are watering it too much. If more suitable conditions are not created, rot that begins to develop will quickly destroy the plant. |
| Leaf deformation. | Exceeding the permissible concentration of fertilizers or using hard water for irrigation. Another option is a reaction to insecticides. If possible, use only those whose main active ingredient is pyrethrum. |
| The stems become elongated, the leaves turn pale, and the rosettes become less dense. | The plant lacks light and heat. Find him a more suitable place and gradually (over 10–12 days) accustom him to new conditions. |
| The leaves are getting smaller. | Echeveria is cramped in a pot. After the next dormant period, replant the plant. This is also a characteristic sign of insufficient or too infrequent watering. |
Echeverias react quite negatively to mistakes in care, losing their decorative properties. Diseases and pests
Echeveria, due to its fairly dense leaves, is quite resistant to damage by most pests. However, it often suffers from all types of rot, which succulents are susceptible to with too much watering.
Table: diseases and pests of echeveria
| Disease or pest | Symptoms | Prevention and control measures |
| The pest is easily identified by the small dirty white pellets, similar to cotton wool or poplar fluff, which it leaves at the base of the stem and leaves. If measures are not taken, all the leaves will become covered with a continuous whitish coating, then they will turn yellow and fall off. |
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| Pests penetrate the roots of plants and suck out the juices. The problem can only be accurately identified during transplantation. Before this, one can only note that the plant stops growing, the leaves gradually turn pale, turn yellow and wrinkle. A waxy gray-white coating is visible along the edge of the pot. |
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| Root-knot nematodes | Nematodes are small worms that suck sap from roots. As a result, swellings appear on them, in which pests live and reproduce. If no action is taken, they will destroy the entire root system and the plant will die. | Since nematodes are very difficult to control, the focus is on prevention.
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| The roots become loose and soft to the touch and turn black. The same can be said about the base of the stem and leaves. The leaves become smaller, turn yellow and fall off, and the plant dies. | It is impossible to save a badly damaged echeveria; it can only be thrown away, after leaving the healthiest parts for further rooting.
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Photo gallery: Echeveria diseases and pests
Root rot is very dangerous for all succulents Root-knot nematodes can destroy the entire root system in a matter of days Root mealybugs are difficult to identify without removing the plant from the pot 
Mealybugs are easy to identify, but difficult to get rid of.
How does Echeveria reproduce?
Echeveria is easily propagated by almost all known methods.
Rooting cuttings and rosettes
The most reliable way to get a new echeveria is through a daughter rosette. But not in all species they often form at home. Therefore, in semi-shrub plants, you can cut off the side shoot or top (the optimal length is about 10 cm).
When separating offspring, try not to harm the plant. The rooting procedure looks like this:
- When replanting again, using a sharp knife, trying to injure the plant as little as possible, cut off the daughter rosette or cuttings. Sprinkle the cut with crushed activated carbon.
- Carefully break off the lower leaves, exposing 2-3 cm of the stem. Wrap in a paper napkin or place in a glass so that the cut does not touch anything, and leave in the open air. The minimum period is 10–12 hours. For plants with thick, fleshy stems, drying may take several days or even a week.
- Stick the planting material vertically into pots filled with a mixture of leaf soil and coarse sand (2:1). Lightly compact the soil. You can also mix equal parts sand and vermiculite.
- After a day or two, water the plant with water whose temperature is 2–3ºС higher than room temperature. Further watering - as the substrate dries. Rooting of cuttings occurs within 7–10 days.
Echeveria offspring take root quite easily Rooting leaves
From the shoot below, you need to separate a healthy leaf without the slightest trace of deformation, signs of damage by pests and other pathologies and dry it for 8–10 hours.
In mid-spring or early summer, it is placed cut down in coarse sand or a mixture of dry peat and cactus soil in equal proportions. When the cut site dries out, a growth bud appears, from which young echeveria is formed. 3–4 months for rooting is normal. It can be reduced by creating a constant temperature for the plant of 23–25ºС.
After about a month, when the mother leaf has completely dried out, the resulting plants can be transplanted into the ground. Care for them as you would for cuttings.
You can root a leaf obtained from any echeveria. Germination of seeds
Echeveria seeds at home appear only after artificial pollination. If successful, you need to wait until the fruit-box bursts at the seams.
At the end of winter or early spring, the collected planting material is laid out on the surface of the soil in shallow containers filled with sand and dry peat in a 1:1 ratio. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, some gardeners recommend wrapping the seeds in cloth and keeping them in moist peat for 2-3 days.
To create a greenhouse effect, the containers are covered with glass or plastic film. As the substrate dries, it is moistened, and the plantings are ventilated daily. The optimal temperature is 20–23ºС. Under these conditions, seedlings will appear in 12–18 days.
After the formation of three true leaves, the seedlings are planted in separate containers filled with a mixture of leaf soil or universal soil for indoor plants and sand in a 2:1 ratio.
Echeveria seedlings need to be transplanted after 3–4 months When the new rosettes reach a diameter of 3–4 cm, they are transplanted into small pots. In the future, they are cared for in the same way as for adult echeverias.
Echeveria is a succulent of the Crassulaceae family. The plant has dense, juicy, fleshy leaves that form a rosette. Small bell-shaped flowers are a distinctive feature of the plant; by them you can easily distinguish Echeveria from other similar succulents. Most common in Mexico, often found in California and Texas, and also in some Latin American countries.
Common types of echeveria and photographs of them
There are more than 150 species of echeveria, including both the smallest representatives of the genus and those reaching the size of a shrub about 70 cm in height. Below are the most popular varieties for home breeding.
A bush-like plant with a short or absent stem, on which rosettes of pointed, elongated light green leaves with a reddish tint are formed. In May-June it blooms with yellow-red flowers. Inflorescences 30-40 cm long grow from the center of the rosette.
The shoots of this species are long, creeping, at the tips there is a rosette of light green leaves with a white coating, reddish at the edges. Rosettes are from 3 to 6 cm in diameter. It blooms from mid-spring to late June with red-yellow flowers on small inflorescences growing from the central leaves of the rosette.
The photo shows a graceful Echeveria
A plant with a thick straight stem, fleshy cupped leaves with a small thorn at the tops form a dense rosette up to 15 cm in diameter. The inflorescences are branched, the flowers are bell-shaped, bright pink or red, yellowish at the ends. Blooms in late spring - early summer.
A succulent with a shortened or missing stem. Rosettes are formed by numerous dense, fleshy, pointed leaves, densely covered with light bristles. During the flowering period it produces long inflorescences, numerous, red-yellow flowers.
Low shrubs. Rosettes with a few thick cup-shaped leaves, pointed towards the top and pubescent on the underside. Red-orange dense flowers with fluff appear in March-April.
Herbaceous perennial. The rosettes are large - up to 20 cm in diameter, with large gray-green leaves. It blooms with large orange flowers with a waxy coating. The plant develops very slowly.
Caring for an echeveria plant at home
The plant does not require special attention
The plant is completely unpretentious, and with proper, simple care it rarely gets sick and is quite resistant to pests. Handle the leaves of the plant carefully - they are very fragile.
Lighting and location selection
The succulent loves light very much and easily tolerates direct sunlight. It grows best on south-facing windows. But in the spring it is better to accustom plants to the sun gradually, especially young plants. In the warm season it prefers open air.
Optimum temperature for growing echeveria
The plant tolerates hot, dry months well, but it is better to provide a temperature of 22 to 27 ° C. In winter they are kept in a bright room at a temperature of 8-15°C. Varieties that bloom during the winter months are kept warm.
Air humidity
Spraying is not required for this plant.
Echeveria does not require spraying and prefers dry air. At high humidity, the bluish waxy coating on the leaves disappears, protecting the plant from disease and sunburn. Leaves of non-hairy species are wiped with a damp soft cloth to avoid pest damage.
Watering a flower
In the hot season, water 1-2 times a week, the top soil layer should dry completely. After watering, excess water is drained from the pan. Water carefully; if water gets into the outlet, the plant may begin to rot. By the end of autumn, watering is reduced to once a month; in winter, watering is done 1-2 times per season.
Composition of soil for echeveria
Suitable soil mixture for succulents. They also make a substrate from coarse sand, leaf and turf soil, one to one. Charcoal and broken bricks are added to the mixture.
Fertilizers
When fertilizing echeveria, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise an excess of fertilizers can lead to damage to the roots.
Starting in March, they begin to feed fertilizer for succulents and cacti in a half dose no more than once a month. Excess feeding leads to damage to the root system.
Echeveria plant blooming
Most often, echeveria blooms in May-June for 2-3 weeks. The best conditions for the formation of inflorescences are a temperature of 15-18°C and daylight hours of 12-13 hours for 50-60 days.
Transfer
Young individuals are replanted every spring, adults are not touched unless necessary, only the top layer of soil is replaced. For the shallow root system of the plant, low and wide pots are suitable. There must be a good layer of drainage at the bottom. Before planting, the soil mixture is steamed or calcined to prevent the growth of bacteria.
How can you propagate echeveria?
The succulent has high vitality and is quite easy to grow at home. Echeveria is propagated through seeds, leaf cuttings and rosettes.
How to grow echeveria from seeds
The seeds are sown in a sand-peat mixture (1:1) at the end of winter and covered with film. Keep at a temperature of 20-22°C, regularly sprayed and ventilated. The seedlings emerge in about two weeks; they are transferred to small pots with a mixture of leaf soil and sand (2:1). When the diameter of the rosette reaches 3 cm, the grown plants are transplanted into a suitable sized container with a substrate for adult individuals.
Propagation of indoor Echeveria flower by leaf
Echeveria reproduces by seeds, leaves and rosettes
In succulents, the propagation buds are located at the base of the leaf, so it is important to carefully separate the leaf completely from the mother plant. The echeveria leaf is attached to the stem by so-called “wings”; if one of them is carefully picked off with a knife, the leaf is easily removed with all its parts.
The separated leaf is dried in air for 2-3 weeks to eliminate bacteria and avoid rotting of the new plant. And after this, the leaf cuttings, without burying them, are placed on a damp substrate with the top side facing out. The pot with the leaf is kept in diffused light at 20-25°C.
Within 2-3 weeks the leaf takes root, and after another month a small rosette appears. At this time, the succulent is transplanted into mature soil.
Propagation of Echeveria plant by rosettes
Not all types of echeveria support propagation by leaf cuttings; in this case, a rosette is used. It is carefully separated from the mother plant, the cut site is treated with charcoal, dried for 10-12 hours and planted in damp sand or substrate. The advantage of this method is that a plant grown in this way will produce flowers faster.
Echeveria diseases and pests; Features of treatment and care for indoor flowers during this period
If the echeveria develops slowly and has small leaves, there is either a lack of soil moisture, or it is necessary to replace the pot with a more spacious one.
Due to lack of lighting, the leaves turn pale, the grayish coating disappears and the rosettes stretch out. If there is not enough watering, the rosette shrinks, the leaves of the plant wrinkle, if there is too much water, they soften, rot and are easily separated from the stem. In case of heavy damage, cut off healthy parts of the plant and root them.
The appearance of yellow-brown spots on the leaves indicates a fungal disease. The plant can be affected by spider mites, rootworms and root-knot nematodes. Appropriate medications are used for treatment.
If you decide to propagate this plant yourself, we recommend watching the video, in which you will clearly see all the stages of propagation.
Echeveria is one of the best plant options for growing at home if there is not enough free space for this, but enough sunlight. If you plant several types of plants in one flat wide pot or florarium, you will get an attractive composition that decorates the interior and does not require special care.
But first you should familiarize yourself with the information about what echeveria is and find out how to grow stone rose. In this article we will take a detailed look at the process of growing and caring for this wonderful plant.
Introduction to the stone flower
In the 19th century, a book was published called "Flora of Mexico" with illustrations by the artist Anastasio Eccheverria. Of the variety of flowers, a flower resembling a stone rose turned out to be very noticeable and unusual. This is how the plant received its botanical name - echeveria (eccheveria).
Features of Echeveria - stone rose.
Echeveria is also called stone Flower or stone rose, thanks to its neat round rosette of leaves having different shapes and varied colors. The plant belongs to the genus of succulents and the Crassulaceae family. Its leaves are in the form of a low rosette, the diameter of which is 5-30 cm. In the wild, there are approximately 200 species of echeveria, differing only in the shape and covering of the leaves.
The rosette may consist of flat or convex leaves, have a waxy coating or fluff, with the help of which the plant is protected from sunlight and winter frosts. You can often find a stone rose with purple leaves.
Since the plant first appeared in Mexico, which has many bright and sunny days a year, wild echeveria species have short stems. If you grow a plant indoors, it, deprived of sufficient lighting, stretches out and becomes less decorative.
A related plant, Juvenile, which is common in Europe, the Caucasus and Asia, is often mistaken for echeveria. It is also called stone rose and the plants are very similar in appearance. Rejuvenated It is more frost-resistant, so it is not even grown indoors. Echeveria can die if the air temperature is below 6 degrees above zero. In addition, juveniles do not have stems.
Varieties of rock rose
There are, as mentioned above, about 200 species of echeveria. If we consider miniature plant species with a stem less than 10 cm long, the most common varieties are:
- Echeveria graceful, which has a light green rosette of leaves and a peduncle, the flowers of which are red-yellow.
- Echeveria Derenberg produces beautiful orange flowers and leaves with red edges.
- Echeveria bristlecone is a miniature plant with leaves covered with white bristles.
Varieties and types of stone flower.
The varieties of the most common tall-stemmed rock roses are as follows:
- Echeveria is purple, has a strong stem, at the very top of which you can see a rosette collected with pubescent leaves. The flowers are red, with yellow edges.
- Echeveria hump-flowered is distinguished by a strong stem, the growth of which is up to 65 cm.
- The most frost-resistant is Echeveria blue.
In addition to the listed plant species, nature and people have created many other types of stone roses that are beautiful in shape and color.
Conditions for normal development and growth of echeveria
With proper care, it is necessary to provide the following conditions for the plant:
- Lighting. At any time of the year there should be enough bright light and direct rays of the sun. It is not advisable to place pots with plants on window sills facing north.
- Glaze. In winter and autumn, you need to water the plant moderately, once a month. In spring and summer, water it more often - when the earthen ball dries out completely. It turns out once every 10 days.
- Air humidity. Spraying the outlet is not required at any time of the year.
- Temperatures. In winter and autumn, the air temperature in a cool room should not fall below +10 degrees. In summer and spring, the temperature should be 22-27 degrees above zero.
Features of the correct growth and development of a stone rose.
Planting and replanting stone roses
When purchasing plants, try to ensure that the bushes you buy are healthy, the rosettes are compact, so that the plants are not elongated and do not suffer from any disease. Since the bulk of the plants are grown by sellers in a peat mixture, it is recommended to replant newly purchased echeveria immediately into loose and light soil for succulents.
Echeveria has a shallow root system, so you should not use deep pots to grow it - a wide, flat container will do. The bottom of the container should have enough drainage holes and a drainage layer that includes pebbles, broken bricks or expanded clay. The layer should not be less than 2 cm thick.
For growing the plant, light soil for cacti and succulents is most suitable. It is allowed to prepare the soil with your own hands. To do this, mix the following composition:
- Sod land - 3 parts.
- Sand – 1 part.
- Small expanded clay – 1 part.
Before planting echeveria, it is necessary to disinfect the soil. This can be done by pouring boiling water over it and then cooling. Young plants are replanted every spring. The same soil is used, but replanting is done in wider pots (a couple of centimeters wider).
How to plant and replant a stone rose.
By replanting, you can also start propagating the plant. This is done by cutting off the lateral daughter rosettes and mature leaf blades.
Florarium decoration
A beautiful and original composition can be created using several miniature succulents in. It can be created independently or purchased ready-made. The composition can be composed of various types of echeveria, cacti, Kalanchoe, young plants and other plants.
Work on creating a composition is carried out in the following order:
- First, the glass container is disinfected with alcohol.
- Fine drainage is poured onto the bottom of the container in a layer a quarter of its height, on top - a layer of soil of the same thickness, lightly compact both layers.
- It is imperative to have a drainage layer at the bottom of the container, even if it is small and small plants are planted.
- Next, plants are placed on the ground, the roots of which are lightly sprinkled with soil, which is carefully compacted.
- Pre-boiled and cooled decorative pebbles and sand are laid out on the ground (colored sand will look more beautiful). You can also put special stones for the aquarium.
- If the top layer of the florarium will be soil for the aquarium, it is better to use colored soil - it will turn out very beautiful.
- All that remains is to decorate the composition by installing figurines or floral decorative elements.
Decorating a florarium using a stone rose.
The place for the florarium should be brightly lit. The composition should be watered rarely, even less often than an echeveria growing in an open pot is watered; the soil should not become waterlogged.
If the container and soil are not disinfected, the plants may be affected by fungal infections, which quickly develop in the limited space of the florarium.
How to properly care for a stone rose
Echeveria is a rather finicky plant that requires special care.
Optimal lighting and temperature values
The most important factor for normal growth and development of plants is a sufficient amount of sunlight. The stone rose must receive a lot of light in summer and winter, otherwise it will cease to be an ornamental plant.
Proper care of a stone rose.
But air temperature is not a very important parameter for echeveria. In winter, it is better that the temperature is no higher than +15 degrees, however, lower temperatures are also allowed, but not less than 6 degrees above zero.
In the summer, take the plant to the balcony so that it stands in direct sunlight - echeveria is not afraid of burns, since it is protected by a waxy coating or pubescence of the leaves.
How to properly water and fertilize echeveria
Feeding the stone rose is carried out once a month in spring and summer. For this purpose special fertilizers for cacti and succulents, which are used according to instructions. In the autumn and winter seasons, fertilizing is not done.
In summer, echeveria requires frequent watering. It is advisable to use the bottom watering method using a tray. It is not recommended to get liquid on the leaves.
In winter, when the room temperature drops and the plants do not receive enough sunlight, watering is reduced - no more than once a month.
Dormancy and flowering periods
Echeveria does not have a dormant period; the plant simply slows down its growth in the winter. If you want to stimulate flowering, you can give the stone rose a rest in the autumn-winter period - put the plants in a cool room and do not water them.
Does the stone rose bloom?
Occurs most often in the summer. It produces one or more peduncles, the flowers of which are bell-shaped. If you do not want to collect seeds, it is recommended to remove the flower stalk after the plant has finished flowering, otherwise the flower will become depleted.
Mistakes when caring for a plant
Improper care of echeveria leads to errors that need to be eliminated.
With a lack of lighting: the shoots stretch out, the decorative effect is lost. To correct this drawback, you need to place the plant on a bright windowsill and illuminate it with fluorescent lamps or phytolamps.
Features of caring for echeveria at home.
With a lack of moisture: the leaves begin to wither and wrinkle. It is necessary to increase watering.
As the plant ages, the lower leaves begin to turn yellow. This is a natural process for the flower - the dried lower leaves are simply removed.
With excess moisture: leaves become swollen, yellow and watery. It is urgent to inspect the roots of the plant and the soil, transplant the echeveria into another soil, which should be air-intensive, and adjust the watering.
Control of diseases and pests of stone rose
Echeveria is rarely affected by pests. However, it happens that the plant is affected by mealybugs, which damage the leaf blades and eat up the root system. The pest is easy to recognize - its colonies look like dirty cotton wool on the leaves of the plant.
They are removed using alcohol-soaked cotton swabs. You can wash off the pests with soap suds. If the case is complex and neglected, the plant and soil are sprayed with insecticides - Aktara and Fitoverm are most often used.
When a succulent is overwatered or the soil is affected by a fungal infection, the plant withers and rots. You can get rid of this disease only at the beginning of infection. The drugs Fitosporin or Trichodermin, used strictly according to the instructions, will help with this. However, the disease is detected late, when it can no longer be saved.
How does echeveria reproduce?
The simplest and most reliable Echeveria propagation method consists in separating the lateral daughter rosettes from the mother bush. This is done during plant transplantation in the spring. The rosettes are cut with a knife, which must first be sterilized, then each cut must be sprinkled with activated carbon powder, dried and planted in the ground the next day.
Rules and features of stone rose propagation.
Propagation using leaf or apical cuttings
When, for various reasons, a stone rose does not produce children, it can propagate using cuttings: apical or leaf. Actions are performed in the following sequence:
- A young leaf located close to the trunk is cut off from the mother bush, or the top of the stem is cut off, and several leaves located at the bottom of the stem are removed.
- The cuttings are dried for several hours.
- Then the lower part of the leaf or stem cutting is immersed in a moistened mixture of vermiculite and sand.
- The cutting is installed in a place that is brightly lit. The soil is periodically sprayed.
- A month later, after the roots appear, new rosettes develop.
- This process takes from 2 to 3 months. During this period of time, wrinkling and drying of the mother leaf occurs.
- The grown young rosette is transplanted into a wide pot filled with soil for cacti.
Germinating rock rose seeds
If echeveria is grown from seeds purchased in specialized stores, problems, as a rule, do not arise. They are germinated as follows:
- Plant the seeds in soil consisting of peat and sand. They should be deepened by 4-5 mm.
- Then you need to water the soil with water from a spray bottle and place the container under the film.
- The resulting greenhouse is placed in a warm and bright room, the temperature in which is 20-25 degrees. It is necessary to periodically spray the soil with water and ventilate the room daily for 30 minutes.
- Sprouts appear within 2 weeks.
- When 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings can be transplanted into separate pots.
Echeveria, which is propagated by seed, blooms in the 3rd or 4th year.
Echeveria is a spectacular indoor plant that will delight you with its beauty and decorativeness when given enough light. Decorative original rosettes of leaves have different colors, shapes and colors.
Due to its unpretentiousness, this plant is very popular among busy people and fans of succulents and flower decorators who create stylish compositions in the florarium.
Growing succulents has become a fashionable hobby of the time. These plants belong to the Tolstyankov species, and the most famous representative is the cactus, a long-time resident of apartments. Echeveria is better known as "stone flower". The variety of shapes and colors of this type of plant made it a desirable inhabitant of window sills and greenhouses.
Description of Echeveria
The plant's habitat is the rocky plateaus of Mexico and South America. Its huge leaves in natural conditions become a source of moisture for the natives. The plant received its name in the classification in honor of the artist, illustrator of books on the animal and plant world of Mexico A. Egeveria.
In nature, the plants are stunted or have short stems. At home, depending on the lighting, you can grow a long trunk and various shapes. The leaf, 3 to 15 cm wide and 25 cm long, stores large reserves of water and, like all succulents, can go without watering for a long time. Echeveria leaves are adapted to both heat and cold. They are covered with a waxy coating and become bluish-white in summer, reflecting the sun's rays. The leaves withstand slight cold snaps due to the fleecy blanket on top, which becomes thicker in winter.
This type of succulent blooms at any time of the year, but more often in spring and summer, since during flowering it needs maximum lighting. There are more than 150 varieties of indoor plants, and most often only a few are bred, due to the availability of propagation.
Among them are:
- almost without a stem with a collected rosette of leaves of different shades, pointed at the tips. Blooms in late spring.
- Echeveria Derenberga has creeping shoots, and rosettes of leaves are collected in cones reminiscent of spruce. The fleshy leaves are spade-shaped and up to 4 cm long.
- Echeveria graceful has no stem, the leaf looks like a spoon, only the shape is back ovoid.
- Echeveria bristles I is one of the most common varieties for home breeding. It has longer leaves and blooms profusely, throwing out a 30-centimeter peduncle.
- Echeveria cushion-shaped I represent a low shrub, with leaves densely pubescent with white hair.
Any bush of this plant becomes a welcome acquisition for lovers of stone flowers.
Echeveria care at home
In order for the plant to develop well at home, it is necessary to fulfill the maintenance requirements close to the living conditions:
- illumination;
- temperature in winter and summer;
- fertilizers;
- soil composition;
In addition, you should know the main signs and diseases of plants. An important feature is the development of the root system and methods of propagation of this type of succulent.
One of the main conditions for the well-being of a plant is lighting. Echeveria is not afraid of sunlight and can be placed on all windows except northern ones without shading. If there is insufficient lighting, you may not wait for flowering. Even during the dormant period, not all varieties need shading. In summer, plants will be happy to be in the fresh air, on an open veranda or balcony. In any case, there should be an umbrella over the place where the succulents grow to protect the leaves from unexpected clouds. When water gets in, the leaves lose their decorative effect.
The most difficult thing about keeping echeveria at home is to ensure the temperature regime. If in summer 22-27 0 it is not difficult to create, in winter in indoor conditions it is difficult to find a bright place with 6-8 0. At higher temperatures, the stem stretches. If this is not critical for the owner of the succulent, then the guest tolerates a temperature of 18 degrees well.
Watering is important in caring for echeveria at home. In this case, it is better to dry out the plant than to give it excess water. If there is a lack of water, the leaves will wrinkle and then fill up again. When overwatered, the plate will soften and rotting may begin. In summer, watering is moderate, the soil should dry out by 2/3 in height, and the leaves will wilt slightly. When watering, you should avoid letting water droplets fall on the plants. Most often, bottom watering is used, through drainage holes. In winter, watering is reduced by half, watering a little depending on the condition of the plants. Excessive moisture will lead to the death of the succulent.
The composition of the soil should be as close as possible to natural. The soil is thin, with a predominance of sand and stone chips, acidic from the peat substrate. You can buy ready-made soil for cacti and add the ingredients:
- coarse sand;
- crushed charcoal;
- brick chips;
- vermiculite
You can make an acidic composition yourself by mixing top and bottom leaf humus, and add a little vermicompost for nutritional value. After disinfecting homemade or purchased soil, add the listed fillers to it.
The dishes for caring for echeveria are wide and flat, in which the roots are located horizontally. The composition of the soil is such that young growing specimens need frequent replanting. An adult plant is moved to a new bowl as needed. In any case, they try not to injure the bush when replanting. During the warm season, adult plants are fed once a month with special liquid fertilizers for succulents.
The dry air of an apartment heated in winter by radiators with hot water is favorable for the plant. No spraying or moisturizing is required when caring for echeveria at home.
Echeveria propagation
The plant propagates by seeds, leaf blades or the upper parts of the rosette. Seed propagation is used by breeders to obtain new decorative properties. In practice, echeveria is propagated vegetatively.
The taken leaf is dried for several hours and then deepened. Rooting occurs within a few days, new mini plants will be created, which will subsequently bloom in 2-4 years. If propagated by an apical rosette, flowering can be obtained in the same year.
Bloom
Different varieties of echeveria bloom in their own season. You can assemble a collection so that flowering becomes continuous. The main condition is the intensity of the light flux. Therefore, experienced flower growers often organize. The flower emerges from the axils of the leaves and is naked and leafy. Sometimes it hovers above the plant at a height, in other cases it clings to the bush. The flowers are pollinated well, and the resulting box contains viable seeds.
Benefits of the plant
Creating a garden of succulents on your window has a beneficial effect on the room. The air is enriched with oxygen and ozone, humidity increases, and clothing sparks less. In general, the living inhabitants of the windowsill evoke positive emotions.
The flower genus was named after Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy. The Mexican artist created illustrations for books about the country's flora. In addition to the stone rose, echeveria is popularly known as a stone flower. The plant is often confused with juveniles. Both are called stone roses and are similar in appearance. Despite the presence of family ties, the conditions of their detention are completely different. Juveniles can grow in open ground in frosty conditions. Such conditions are unacceptable for echeveria.
Description
The plant is native to Mexico. Some species are found in Texas and California lands. The flower boasts succulent, fleshy leaves that create a beautiful rosette with a diameter of 3-40 cm. Their length varies depending on the species. They can also be of different shapes and colors.
In most cases, the flowers are small in size and look like bells. Placed vertically or sideways. They are striking in their color palette - from yellow to bright red shades. Color often depends on lighting. Echeveria makes it easy to breed interspecific and intergeneric hybrid plants.
Types for indoor floriculture
About 150 species grow in natural conditions. Only a few of them are available for indoor growing. The table lists the most popular ones.
Table - Indoor types of echeveria
| View | Peculiarities |
|---|---|
| Graceful | - Round, ovate leaves of a gray-blue hue; - flat socket; - pink or bright scarlet flowers with a yellow tip |
| Agave | - Compact socket; - practically no stem; - light green leaves with a red-yellow edging of an oblong shape; - red or yellow round bell flowers |
| Brilliant | - Egg-shaped rosette; - red flowers in the shape of a brush or umbrella |
| White-haired | - On the surface of the lanceolate, rounded leaves there are small white fibers; - at the tips of the leaves there is a brownish border; - abundant flowering brown-red color |
| Derenberg | - Spatulate light green leaves with a red border; - red or yellow bell flowers |
| Lau | - Oval, pointed at the end leaves with a waxy coating; - orange flowers with red tips |
Varieties of echeveria such as bristly, cushion-shaped, tongue-shaped, humpback-flowered, black prince, desmeta, pulidonis, miranda, and nodulosa are also grown at home. Each of them is suitable for amateur gardeners.
Basic care
Despite the fact that the plant has a complex and forbidding appearance, even novice gardeners can care for it. You just need to fulfill simple maintenance requirements that are close to natural living conditions. Like other succulents, the rock rose grows slowly but lives for a long time.
Lighting and location
The flower loves bright diffused light. The ideal place is a southern, western window sill. There should be no shadow, as the growth and formation of the rosette will be disrupted. In summer, the pot can be taken out onto the balcony or loggia. The main thing is to provide protection from precipitation.
Only the purchased flower should be gradually accustomed to the sun. Otherwise he will get burned. In winter, he may not have enough daylight. Additional lighting is provided by phytolamps.
The succulent has a waxy coating on the surface of the leaves. It is this that protects the plant from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.
Temperature
In summer the temperature should be 22-27°C. Cool air is recommended in winter. The most optimal conditions are 6-8°C. In the cold season, amateur gardeners can set the temperature to 18-20°C. But this mode leads to stretching of the plant’s rosette. Varieties that bloom in winter should be kept warm.
Stone rose leaves react poorly to frosty air.
Humidity and watering
Spraying should be approached with caution. Fluffy species are kept in dry climates, and wetting the leaves is detrimental to them. As for other plants, it is also undesirable to spray or rinse them. During the procedure, you can damage the wax coating that is on the foliage. The green mass loses its appearance and wrinkles.
The plant feels great, even with central heating on. You can sometimes wipe non-hairy varieties with a damp cloth to prevent the proliferation of insects.
In warm weather, the soil between waterings should have time to dry out by 2-2.5 cm. It is imperative to have a tray from which excess water is regularly drained. From May to September, watering is carried out once a week. Until mid-November, the frequency of watering is reduced to once a month. In winter, the soil is moistened only once or twice a season.
Use soft, distilled water without salts. The foliage has wrinkled and curled up - the first and most important sign of insufficient soil moisture. It is recommended to adhere to the golden rule - the lower the temperature in the room, the less often you water.
Bottom watering is carried out - through a tray. Leaves should not be wet. Otherwise, the root system and leaf rosette will rot.
Top dressing
For feeding, ready-made mixtures intended for succulents are used. In most cases, these are products presented in liquid form. Half the dose is enough, which is diluted in water. From early spring, fertilizer is applied once a month. A large amount of nutrients leads to damage to the root system.
Feeding is applied only two months after planting or transplanting the flower.
Priming
The substrate should be loose and low in nutrition. Stone roses are perfect for ready-made soils for succulents from the store. The composition contains brick chips (fine) and river sand in large grains. To prevent rotting of the root system, a small amount of charcoal is added, which has a disinfecting and healing effect.
You can prepare your own substrate from mole soil or peat or sand. The components are taken in equal proportions. Loamy soil also mixes with sand.
A drainage layer must be created at the bottom - broken clay shards or expanded clay, which make up the third part of the pot.
Transfer
For young plants, it is recommended to change the pot and soil every year, choosing early spring. The procedure must be carried out carefully, since the protective wax coating on the leaves must not be damaged. A wide, shallow container with a hole to drain excess liquid is ideal.
After purchase, the plant is replanted only after a few weeks. Before the procedure, soil moisture completely stops. When placing the flower in another pot, the soil should be completely dry. Watering is carried out only after planting.
In most cases, mature succulents are repotted every few years as needed. If possible, it is better not to touch them, but just periodically change the top layer of soil.
Bloom
Stone rose often blooms in spring or summer (May-June). This lasts two to three weeks. An amateur gardener can change the time at which buds appear by adjusting the daylight hours. The most optimal conditions for the formation of buds are 12-13 hours of illumination for two months. Both natural and artificial lighting are suitable.
The plant belongs to the group of short-day succulents. Young plants bloom only in the second or third year.
Reproduction
The most common method of propagation is vegetative. Sowing by seeds is used less frequently, as it is more complex and labor-intensive. For all methods, the ideal time is early spring.
Seeds
Peculiarities . The procedure takes place in February-March. If fruit boxes appear after flowering, you can collect the seeds yourself. If you take store-bought material, then before sowing it is better to read the manufacturer’s instructions.
Procedure
- Mix peat and sand (1:1).
- Lightly press the seeds into the soil.
- We moisten the soil with a spray bottle and cover the container with polyethylene or glass.
- We maintain 20-25°C, regularly ventilate and spray.
- We wait two to three weeks for germination.
- After two to three months we plant the plants.
- We transplant it to a permanent place when the rosette has grown in diameter to 3 cm.
Leaf cuttings
Peculiarities . Only healthy parts of the plant should be taken. Recommended temperature is up to 25°C. New rosettes need to be planted after the mother leaf has dried.
Procedure
- We break off the lower large leaves from the mother plant and dry them for several hours.
- Mix the earth mixture (two parts) with sand (one part).
- Gently press the sheets into the soil and leave them at a slight slope.
- Spray and cover with glass or polyethylene.
- Regularly moisturize and ventilate.
- We wait two to three weeks until new sockets appear.
- We plant young plants in separate pots.
Basal or apical rosettes
Peculiarities . The method allows you to get a healthy, full-fledged flower in a year.
Procedure
- On the cut apical or basal rosette, remove three or four leaves from the bottom.
- Air dry for several hours.
- Mix garden soil with sand (1:1).
- Carefully plug in the outlet and water.
- We regularly spray and ventilate.
- After two to three months, we transplant it into a permanent flowerpot.
If the rosette grows slowly, then its replanting can be postponed until next year.
Difficulties in growing
The main cause of problems is improper care. Knowing the symptoms, you can react to the situation in time and help your green friend.
- Gray spots. Spots appear on the leaves, the wax layer is damaged due to waterlogging and careless handling of the green mass. Avoid contact with leaves and do not pour water on the outlet.
- Softening the leaves. Gray or black color, fragility of green mass are manifestations of excessive watering and low temperatures. We regulate watering and indoor climate.
- Elongated rosette and pale leaves. The reason is poor lighting. Gradually move the flowerpot to a bright place. This is not done quickly, as the plant may become stressed.
- Yellowing and falling leaves. If these are the lower leaves, then there is no need to worry. The foliage is renewed through a natural process. You should be careful if this leads to a smaller outlet. Perhaps the plant does not have enough heat and light.
Curled, deformed, unattractive leaves are the result of a lack of nutrition.
Diseases and pests
Echeveria rarely gets sick and is subject to insect attacks. Sometimes fungal diseases occur. All of them are the result of improper hydration regime. Therefore, the only treatment is to normalize watering. The biggest problems for rock roses can be caused by root-knot nematodes, root bugs, and mealybugs.
- Root nematode. Pests affect the root system: general oppression of the flower, beads appear on the roots, rotting. We remove the damaged areas and replant the plant in new soil. For prevention, we moisten the soil with Aktara solution.
- Root mealybug. The ground is shrouded in white cobwebs - insect nests. The flower does not grow, is depressed, the leaves become soft and lethargic. Treatment: completely change the soil, water with Aktara solution three to four times.
- Mealybug. A white sticky coating appears on the foliage with insects of the same color. For spraying, you can choose “Karbofos”. In case of severe damage, we throw away the flower, selecting and rooting healthy shoots.
Before using any drug, you should definitely read the instructions or consult the seller.
Stone rose is perfect for growing in a greenhouse mine - florarium. Together with other indoor plants, you can create unusual mixes to decorate your interior. She is an ideal candidate for keeping under glass in a desert or rocky setting.
