Stone rose - caring for echeveria at home

A Mexican guest of window sills with an unusual shape of fleshy leaves, one of the most amazing succulent plants is Echeveria. It is easy to care for and requires compliance with only two rules: proper watering and sufficient light. Read more about the preferences of a spectacular succulent in our article.

general information

Echeveria (Echeveria) is an evergreen shrubby succulent from the Crassulaceae family. The plant is a rosette, assembled in a spiral from dense, fleshy leaves of various shades (usually green-bluish), so that it resembles a rose. This similarity has been noted more than once by flower growers. Echeveria leaves are both smooth and pubescent, with a pointed tip; in some species their length reaches 25-30 cm and width - 15. The stem of the plant is so shortened that it seems as if the rosette of leaves is “sitting” on the ground, but there are also long-stemmed species. The root system of the succulent is superficial fibrous.

An interesting feature that unites all types of echeveria is that there is a protective coating on the surface of the leaf. It occurs in the form of a waxy coating or velvety pubescence. This way the plant is protected from direct sunlight and temperature changes.If the amount of light increases, the plaque thickens.

Echeveria's flowers set it apart from other succulents. These are bells collected in inflorescences on a high stalk and usually have a bright color: scarlet, orange, yellow-green. In the inner part the flowers are of a more saturated shade. They appear in spring or summer and decorate the plant for up to two months. There are species that produce buds in winter. Depending on the variety, the length of the peduncle can reach 90 cm.

The plant's homeland is Mexico, the USA and some countries in South America. In the wild, the flower prefers to settle on rocky soils. It lives in plains and mountainous areas in conditions of drought and plenty of sunlight. In indoor floriculture, the plant has gained popularity relatively recently. There are about 150 species of Echeveria. And only some of them are suitable for home use.

Varieties

With the help of interspecific crossing, it was possible to develop interesting varieties of echeveria that differ from each other in size, color, and leaf shape. The following varieties of echeveria are grown in culture:

• Graceful - the most common type. It is popular among gardeners due to its bluish-green, almost white rosette of leaves with a gracefully pointed tip. This perennial grows on a thick, erect stem. The flowers of the graceful echeveria are orange-red, with a yellow tip, collected in brush-shaped inflorescences.

• Agave - a stemless rosette of leaves that resembles a star. The species has an interesting color: the leaf blade is light green, decorated with a red stripe along the edge. It blooms with small yellow-red flowers.

• Lau - also stemless echeveria, the rosette is formed by large fleshy white leaves with a pronounced waxy coating. The diameter of the plant is up to 20 cm. It blooms with large orange flowers. Not the most unpretentious species, but it will take root in an apartment with proper care.

• White-haired - a species with large leaves covered with white hairs. Bright orange large flowers open on a long arrow.

• Echeveria humpback flower - the owner of a straight, tall stem on which there is a dense rosette of leaves. Their feature is a wavy edge. The peduncle with pink flowers reaches about a meter in height.

• Echeveria glossy has spade-shaped, wavy leaves of a grey-green hue. Red flowers on a long peduncle appear in spring - early March.

• Echeveria Derenberga It is a dense fleshy rosette on long creeping stems, collected from light green leaves with red tips. The flowers are yellow-red and appear in late spring.

• Echeveria Peakotsky - succulent with a sessile rosette. Triangular bluish-gray leaves are decorated with red stripes at the tips. The flowering period is late spring, the flowers are red with a white coating.

• Cushion-shaped - a variety with triangular bright green leaves with silvery pubescence. There is a spine at the end of the leaf blade.

• Pearl of Nuremberg - a hybrid with pinkish-gray leaves. Does not bloom at home.

• bristly - a species with spherical rosettes of more than a hundred small fluffy leaves. They have a delicate olive tint and a sharp tip. This echeveria blooms in summer with yellowish flowers.

• Black Prince - an interesting variety with green-brown fleshy leaves and scarlet-chocolate flowers.

• Echeveria Miranda differs in various shades: yellow, pink, lilac, scarlet. The shape of the rosette resembles a lotus.

• Sho (Shaviana) - the owner of thin leaves with an expressive wavy edge. Pink-yellow neat flowers are formed on erect peduncles.

Let's start caring: placement in the house

Caring for echeveria is minimal, but you should not forget about it: a plant surrounded by attention becomes resistant to diseases. The leaves require careful handling. They are very fragile and can suffer from careless movement. Otherwise, the succulent is unpretentious.

Growing echeveria begins with placing it in the house. This plant is heat-loving, it easily tolerates direct sunlight, which sets it apart from many others. This rare resistance is explained by a special coating of foliage - villi or plaque. Place the flowerpot on a south, east or west window without shading. It is better to avoid the north side: the flower will not have enough light there.

After winter, you need to gradually accustom echeveria to the sun, especially young plants (they can get sunburn). And in the warm season, the flower will happily move to the open air. You just need to protect it from the rain and return it indoors in time when cold weather sets in. The optimal temperature for growing is +22-27˚ C in summer and +8-15˚ C in winter. If you have a winter-flowering variety, then make sure that the room is as warm as in summer.

A sufficient amount of light stimulates the budding of echeveria. Most varieties bloom indoors; flowering time is May-June, 2-3 weeks in a row. Plants require 12 hours of daylight, regular watering and a temperature of +15 to +18 degrees.Fertilizer application will also promote the appearance of flower stalks.

Humidity, watering, fertilizers

Dry air is a comfortable environment for succulents. Spraying of both the plant and the space around it is not carried out. Excess moisture often leads to rotting of leaves; they lose their waxy coating and become less resistant to sunlight. It is allowed to wipe the leaves of non-hairy varieties with a damp cloth to protect the plant from pests.

Water the echeveria with soft, settled water. In summer - once every 7-10 days, as the soil dries out. In winter, watering is reduced to once every 1-2 months.

Advice
Do not allow water to get into the rosette of leaves so that the echeveria does not begin to rot. And don’t forget to drain the excess liquid from the pan.

Fertilizer application begins in March and is carried out no more than once a month. The magazine purity-en.htgetrid.com points out that with an excess of fertilizers, the root system often suffers, including getting burned. After the echeveria fades, feeding stops. Echeveria is suitable for standard fertilizers for cacti and succulents, taken in half concentration.

Seating

Succulent propagation is carried out in two ways:

• leaf,
• sockets.

The leaf blade is separated from the mother plant using a knife. To avoid rotting, the cut is dried for about a week. After this, the outer side of the sheet is placed on damp soil. The temperature for rooting is about 25 degrees Celsius. When a small rosette appears, the plant is transplanted into a separate container.

Propagation by rosettes is a more convenient and popular method. The daughter rosette is carefully separated from the plant, the cut is treated with charcoal and dried for 24 hours.Next, plant the rosette in wet sand and wait for rooting. Echeveria propagated in this way produces flower stalks earlier.

How to transplant

A newly purchased succulent requires urgent replanting. The fact is that the soil for sale is not designed to preserve the normal functioning of echeveria for a long time. In the future, transplantation is carried out every 2-3 years. Echeverias are grown in universal succulent soil. To make your own soil, take coarse sand, leaf and turf soil in equal proportions, add broken bricks. The container is low, ceramic, with drainage holes.

Transplant procedure:

• Place a drainage layer on the bottom of the container (about 1/4 of the pot);
• calcine the soil mixture and place it in a container;
• remove the echeveria from the old flowerpot, remove rotten and dried parts;
• treat the cuts with charcoal;
• moisten the soil and bury the plant in it;
• resume watering a week after transplanting.

Possible problems

Echeveria rarely gets sick or is affected by pests if proper care is provided. Due to violation of the rules, flower growers face the following difficulties:

1. Slow growth and leaf shrinkage. The reason is a lack of moisture and nutrients. It may be time to move the succulent to a new container, since the old one is too small for it.
2. The rosette of leaves wrinkles. The reason is lack of water. After watering, move the affected plant to a less hot place.
3. The rosette stretches out, the leaves turn pale - signs of a lack of sunlight.
4. If the leaves and stems turn black, reduce watering and increase the room temperature. Protect the echeveria from drafts and remove dead parts.
5. The appearance of stains on the leaf plate is possible after drops of water get on it. Another reason is mechanical damage.
6. The leaves turn yellow due to stagnant moisture in the soil.

Echeveria pests and diseases:

1. Root mealybug starts due to improper watering. The plant stops developing, the leaves wither. Urgently replant the succulent in new soil and treat it with an insecticide.
2. Mealybug. The leaves at the base are covered with a white downy coating. If the pest has not yet spread, the plant can be saved with insecticides or soap solution. A severely damaged plant will have to be thrown away, leaving whole cuttings for planting.
3. Root rot. Signs: roots turn black, leaves turn yellow and fall off. Cut off all diseased roots, treat the cuts with charcoal, dry them, then plant the succulent in healthy soil. For prevention, it is recommended to periodically water the soil with a fungicide solution.

Echeveria in the florarium

Echeveria looks good in a florarium - a small greenhouse for ornamental plants. It creates a desert or semi-desert landscape similar to the original one, where the succulent lives. For cultivation, a mix of different varieties of echeveria is collected or combined with other plants that are similar in care:

• lithops,
• haworthia,
• Crassula,
• Kalanchoe,
• cacti,
• young

To make a florarium, take a glass container and treat the inside with alcohol. A drainage layer is filled to a quarter of the height, and disinfected soil is filled the same amount. Prepared succulents are planted in a florarium, and the free space is decorated.

Advice
Decorate the composition with colored sand, moss, bark, decorative stones, glass and shells.

Water the plants using a small watering can and in smaller volumes than succulents growing in pots. Over time, the flower arrangement will outgrow its container, and everything will have to be transplanted into a larger florarium.

Interesting to know

You may not know the following about Echeveria:

1. In its homeland it is called a stone rose. Among the names of the flower there are also “hare cabbage” and “tenacious”.
2. Echeveria is often confused with another plant called "juvenile". Both species belong to the same genus, but the juvenile has a thinner and lighter leaf blade, is more resistant to low temperatures and reproduces using tendrils with daughter rosettes. Echeveria is heat-loving, does not tolerate a lack of light, and its children are formed at the base of the stem.
3. The plant itself has neutral energy, but if you surround it with care, you will be guaranteed a cozy atmosphere.
4. According to psychics, echeveria is a talisman. It protects the owner and his house from black magic.
5. The succulent has medicinal properties. At home, it was used as a remedy for kidney diseases, bronchitis, and colds. Since ancient times, an infusion of echeveria leaves has been taken as a sedative.

Growing echeveria is an interesting activity for both beginners and professionals. The only difference is that experienced gardeners can experiment with the plant more confidently, planting it as part of a flower arrangement. Follow the minimum care requirements, and your home will be decorated with an exotic beauty for a long time.