Echeveria black prince. Echeveria, or stone rose - an unpretentious beauty

Echeveria with the proud name Black Prince (Echeveria agavoides cv. Black Prince)

A brutal beauty with leaves that are green from the base, turning into a dark burgundy, almost black hue. The more sun, the darker and more dramatic our prince.

We love her for:

beauty and photogenicity. A must have for your (and ours) pictures on Instagram and Facebook! It is beautiful in any pot, on any windowsill and in any photo! And the view from above is simply space!

We dislike for:

the fact that she, like all echeverias, is very capricious! Perhaps the most capricious of all succulents. We advise beginning flower growers not to get too attached to it))

Place of power

In summer - the sunniest window sill. It is in the sun that the plant feels best and is covered with our favorite waxy coating!
In winter - a bright, cool place (10-15 degrees). In winter he has a winter quarters!)

Ideal diet

In summer - on average - 1-2 times a week until the ground is completely wet, or 2-3 times a little at a time. When a new pet appears in your home, it is better to water it less and less at first, and if you see that the leaves begin to wrinkle, gradually increase the frequency. And remember that the soil must dry out completely between waterings! And after drying, the next watering is not immediately, but after a few days!
The frequency of watering also depends on the size of the pot - in our experience, in the heat in Moscow, it is better to water small pots d 5.5 cm 3 times a week, about a tablespoon. And in the summer in St. Petersburg, sometimes once a week is enough.
All that can be advised is to act according to the circumstances. But don’t forget about the main thing - it’s better to underfill than to overfill!!!
We also recommend watering once a month with a weak solution of fertilizer for cacti and succulents in the summer. Especially if the pot is small.
And also about watering - many gardeners recommend bottom watering for all echeverias, pachyphytums and their children - this means putting a plastic pot in water for 15-20 minutes, the water in the bowl should be about half the pot. The earth will then absorb exactly as much water as needed, which will save the plant from the danger of “choking”, and will also prevent water from getting on the leaves and rosette. But let's be honest - we don't bother like that) But you try!)
And perhaps it’s not worth reminding that water for irrigation should sit for 1-2 days?

Something went wrong if

the leaves are pale, the rosettes are elongated, the stem is elongated - there is not enough light for the plant.
the leaves wrinkle, the rosettes shrink - this happens in the heat when there is a lack of moisture in the soil.
the leaves at the base soften, easily separate, and rot - this is gray rot caused by excessive watering and stagnation of water in the pot.
It grows slowly, the leaves are small - perhaps the pot has become too small and the plant does not have enough nutrition or insufficient watering.

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

Feature- ability to 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. Characteristic- 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 color - pale green, with slight purple, red, gray tint. Because of this, echeveria has earned its unofficial name. 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 waxy coating on the leaves of Echeveria Lau is thick, but easily erased. Over time, the stem of Echeveria Graceful falls 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 mixed in equal proportions indoor plants. 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.

Earthen lump with previous time should dry well, but it is not advisable 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. To do this, echeveria 50–60 days older than one year needs to be created special conditions: lighting for 12–13 hours daily and temperature 16–18ºС.

Video: how to care for echeveria

Common mistakes in care

Echeveria, of course, is not picky and undemanding, but mistakes in care are not a problem. better side affect its decorative effect.

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. Also this characteristic feature 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.	At the slightest sign If damaged by a scale insect, the affected echeveria should be isolated. Then the flower is wiped with a cotton pad soaked in a soap-alcohol solution and all visible pests are removed. In a liter of hot water you need to dilute 15 g of fine shavings of laundry soap and 20 ml of medical alcohol. If the pest has not yet spread en masse, they resort to folk remedies - infusion of garlic arrows, dry citrus peels is sprayed on the flower, soil and pot, covered with a plastic bag, sealed tightly and left for two days. To prepare the infusion, 50 g of crushed raw materials are poured with a liter of warm water and left for a day. The plant needs to be dried well. A minimum of 3-4 applications will be required at intervals of 5-7 days. If there is no visible effect, use insecticides strictly following the manufacturer's instructions, including the frequency of treatment. Actellik, Aktara, Phosfamide, Nurell-D have proven themselves to be the best. It is better to carry out the second and subsequent treatments by changing the preparations so that the pests do not have time to develop immunity.
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.	The best prevention is to follow the recommendations regarding watering and periodically (once every 1–1.5 months) wetting the soil with a solution of insecticide in half concentration. The only way that gives at least some kind of guarantee is to replant the plant. The old pot and tray are thoroughly washed and boiled, the soil is thrown away, and the new one must be sterilized. The roots of the plant are washed with hot (45–50ºС) water. Insecticides - Mospilan, Confidor, Regent, Actellik, Fitoverm. For prevention, 1 g of the drug per 2 liters can be added to irrigation water for a month.
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 everything root system, the plant will die.	Since nematodes are very difficult to control, the focus is on prevention. Use only sterilized pots and soil; quarantine newly acquired plants for 2–3 weeks. Root bath once every 1.5–2 months. The pot is immersed in hot water for half an hour. The echeveria is then dried for at least 15–20 hours. How folk remedy Dekaris is known. The tablet is dissolved in a liter of water and the plant is watered. If time is lost, nematodes are fought in the same way as root bugs.
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. If the rot has not spread too much, an urgent transplant may help. The plant is removed from the pot, the roots are soaked for an hour in a 1% fungicide solution - Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride (CHOM), copper sulfate, Cuprozan (10 ml per liter of water). The pot, tray and new soil must be sterilized. All roots, stems, and leaves with the slightest traces of blackness are cut off from the plant with a sharp knife, capturing 3–5 cm that seem healthy. Most likely, fungal spores are present there too. The sections are sprinkled with crushed activated carbon or sulfur, the plant is dried for 5–7 hours and replanted. For prevention, it is watered with a 0.05% fungicide solution for another 1.5–2 months, alternating it with plain water.

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 it in 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. Optimal temperature- 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 plant from the Crassulaceae family, which is successfully grown when cared for at home. Echeveria is native to Mexico. Echeveria is popularly called stone rose. Echeveria is also called rejuvenated for its similarity to this plant.

General information

Echeveria is a perennial plant, sometimes there are also species of subshrubs. The leaves are oval in shape with a slightly pointed tip. The leaves are a clustered rosette, reminiscent of a rose. The outside surface of the leaf in some varieties is pubescent, while in others it is smooth and glossy.

The plant has a bluish-gray tint. The foliage sometimes reaches a length of up to 25 cm and a leaf width of about 15 cm. The shoots are even, but miniature, and some species seem to sit on the ground. Canopy species are also grown, but to do this it is necessary to provide appropriate lighting.

Echeveria flower can be seen in summer period. The inflorescences are not large, about 3 cm, but in large numbers and resemble bells. The flowers are on a high stalk and resemble an umbrella. The color of the flowers is bright orange or scarlet, and on the inside it is more saturated. Flowering lasts about a month.

Echeveria species and varieties

There are about 150 species in nature, but they are grown in room conditions only some.

This species has grayish-bluish leaves, and the rosette itself is flat in shape. The shoots of the plant are straight, but with age they become horizontal and creep. The shoots are able to take root on their own in the soil.

In a large individual, the rosette reaches up to 15 cm in diameter, and its young shoots are located on high side shoots. The leaf length reaches up to 5 cm, and the width is 2 cm. The inflorescences have a pink tint, or a bright scarlet tint with a yellow edging on top.

This species grows in one compact rosette reaching almost 30 cm in diameter. The shoots are either short or absent at all. The foliage is oblong and resembles a triangle. The surface of the leaf is smooth and glossy; the leaf is about 9 cm long and 6 cm wide.

The peduncle appears in the center of the rosette and reaches almost 40 cm. The inflorescences have a yellowish-scarlet tint. The leaf has a rich green tint with a scarlet edging along the edge.

Its individuality lies in what is attached to it a large number of shoots that creep. Rosettes are about 6 cm in diameter. The shade of the leaves is whitish or bluish olive with a scarlet border along the top. The leaf is about 4 cm long and 2 cm wide. Flowers in the form of spikelets consists of 5 flowers. Pedicel about 6 cm high.

Due to its grayish-blue hue, the echeveria succulent is called. But the inflorescences of this variety have an orange tint and are attached to the side.

This is a succulent perennial species with an overgrown rosette about 20 cm in diameter. The foliage is about 6 cm in length, and due to its matte coating it has an almost white tint. The inflorescences are large, unlike other varieties, about two centimeters. The flowers have an orange hue, also with some bloom.

This is a bush species. The shoots are very small or absent. The poured almost spherical rosettes present almost a hundred dark olive-colored leaves. The leaves are shaped like a spatula with a sharp end. The leaf length is 9 cm and the width is about 3 cm. Flowering occurs on summer time. The color of the flower is yellowish-orange.

This is a succulent plant with a fleshy rosette up to 15 cm in diameter. The leaves have a slight green tint. Inflorescences are presented in lateral five-membered structures. The color of the flower is scarlet-chocolate or orange and is located on a high stem.

Perennial species with a neat rosette with bluish leaves. Over the years, the plant develops creeping shoots. The color of the flower is yellow-orange. Flowering occurs in mid-summer.

It has elongated dense leaves with a scarlet edging. Star-shaped rosette.

Represents leaves with pointed ends. This species has a varied shade of bluish, scarlet, pink or yellow. Appearance The flower resembles a lotus.

Or nodular has a shoot of about 20 cm. The leaves have a red edging along the edge. The inflorescences are scarlet brown and bloom in March.

Echeveria care at home

The plant needs bright, diffused lighting and in sufficient quantities, that is, all daylight hours. With sufficient lighting, the plant's leaves become denser, and the edges of the leaves become reddish.

It is preferable to grow echeveria in a south-facing location indoors. If you just bought a plant, then you should accustom it to the sun gradually so that the plant does not get sunburn on the leaves. The plant prefers an air temperature of about 25 degrees in summer, and in winter period not lower than 6 degrees.

How to water echeveria

You should not moisten the plant with a spray bottle, as the leaves may begin to rot. Echeveria tolerates dry indoor air well.

In the warm season, the plant is watered as needed, when the soil in the pot dries to the very bottom. Moderate watering is required.

In winter, if the air temperature is low, watering should be reduced to a minimum. But if the air temperature is normal, then you should water constantly as needed. Water for irrigation must be settled. When watering, avoid getting water on the rosette itself with leaves, otherwise rotting will not be avoided.

Soil for echeveria

For the plant, you can purchase ready-made soil for cacti. Or mix mole soil, coarse sand in equal proportions and a little broken stone as drainage to the bottom or expanded clay.

During active development, the plant is fed with cactus fertilizer. But take half the amount indicated on the package so as not to damage the plant. In the cold season, the plant is not fertilized at all.

How to replant echeveria

The plant should be replanted every year. The container for echeveria should be selected wide and not deep. Since the rhizome of the plant is located on the surface. Replanting should be done carefully so as not to damage the leaves of the plant.

Echeveria is transplanted after purchase, after about a few weeks. Before transplanting, the plant must stop watering completely. The plant must be moved to another container with a completely dry lump of soil, and after replanting it must be watered.

Echeveria leaf propagation

This type of propagation is carried out by separating a leaf from the mother plant. Then the leaf needs to be dried to avoid rotting in the soil for about a week.

After this, the outer side of the leaf should be placed on moist soil and the temperature for rooting should be maintained at about 25 degrees. After a small rosette appears, the plants should be planted in separate containers.

Propagation of echeveria by rosettes

More popular breeding method. To do this, the daughter rosette is separated from the adult plant and the cut is treated with crushed charcoal and dried for about half a day.

After this, they are planted in coarse wet sand for rooting. This propagation method is advantageous due to the early appearance of flower stalks.

Echeveria propagation by cuttings

In echeveria, propagation by cuttings is not labor-intensive. To do this you need to take leaf cutting and after the plant has withered, it must be rooted in soil or sand.

After about a month, the plant takes root.

Diseases and pests

Most often the plant damaged by scale insects . For prevention, the plant must be treated with an insecticide.
The leaves are turning yellow the cause may be stagnation of water in the soil.
The leaves are withering The reason for this is insufficient watering of the plant.
Echeveria's lower leaves dry out . This happens most often in winter time, and after the leaves fall, new babies appear.
The leaves have dropped and are starting to fall , the cause may be stagnation of moisture during the cold season.
If the foliage on the plant turns and becomes smaller , the reason is incorrectly selected insecticides.

If you follow all the rules for caring for the plant, you will not have problems with growing it.

Succulents are my weakness and echeveria is one of them. This flower has many types of different shapes and colors, each beautiful and interesting in its own way. I love combining them into compositions, and over the 1.5 years of my passion for succulents, I have collected some species that I will show in this review.

This photo does not show my entire collection, just part of it:

I usually buy them at exhibitions in my city, and in regular stores you can find some representatives of succulents (for example, Silpo or Epicenter), although there are mostly banal varieties there.

Care.

Plants are absolutely not whimsical and require a minimum of attention, the main thing is to provide them with comfortable conditions. The main ones are sufficient lighting and the south side of the window. But despite this, they grow well in my northern region, though in the winter season, with short daylight hours, I always turn on special LED lamps for them. They can be purchased at any garden center or on Aliexpress. Otherwise, the flowers will lose their decorative effect, i.e. bright color, and they will trample sharply upward, leaving behind a bare stick and sparse leaves. The more light, the brighter and more beautiful the plant will be. They are not afraid of direct sunlight.

Watering.

Echeverias require infrequent watering. In the warm season, once a week, in winter even less often. Many people recommend not watering them in cold weather for up to a month, but I don’t wait that long and my flowers are fine with watering about once every 10 days. True, I don’t specifically calculate this period, but look at the condition of the flower and soil. If the soil is dry a few centimeters deep and the flower begins to wrinkle slightly, the time for watering has come.

Soil and planting/transplanting.

After the purchase, I always change the soil for my flowers and replant them in another pot, collecting various compositions from succulents. I buy ready-made soil for succulents and add some sand to it (you can buy it at an aquarium store) along with crushed charcoal. I can’t tell you the proportions, I do it by eye. You also need a good layer of drainage and wide holes at the bottom of the pot to prevent stagnation of water. Before planting in a new substrate, I make sure to dry the cut (if the flower was cut and not dug up with roots). Watering after transplantation is not recommended for 3-5 days..

Reproduction.

The plant is very easy to take cuttings and propagate. From time to time I prune them as they lose their decorative value, so that the bare trunk does not stick out after the lower leaves fall off.(This natural process). I simply cut the flower to the desired level, dry the cut in the air for a day and insert it into the ground. Echeveria takes root extremely quickly and easily. If you want to propagate a plant, it’s even simpler here. Just break off any leaf from a flower(preferably the bottom one) and place it directly on the ground, no need to water it. Quite quickly it will give roots and a new flower. It looks something like this:

Well, I want to show the evolution of my flowers from the moment of purchase and transplantation into a common pot until today. In these photos it is presented in company with other succulents. She is lilac in color.

There are two echeverias in this composition: Topsy Turvy(the smallest with green-blue coating) and Lau(the largest is blue). The second one I received was in terrible condition, without a hint of decorativeness, but I brought it into a more neat appearance and now it has sprouted an arrow with a future flower.