We return for another day with a gardening article in which we will teach you everything you need to know about growing and caring for a plant.
Our protagonist today is part of the world of succulents and is one of the most used in decoration. Native to America, with fleshy leaves and rosette-shaped growth.
Does Echeveria sound familiar to you ?
Yes, that’s right, today we will talk about the cultivation and care that this very special succulent plant will need. Once you’re done reading, you can get to work on your garden.
Table of Contents
The care your echeveria needs.
Although today we are going to focus on the cultivation of echeveria, it is worth knowing what the basic characteristics of this plant are, as this will determine the maintenance and cultivation requirements.
So, what is echeveria?
The echeveria is a genus of succulent plants that make up the Crassulaceae family . To its credit, nothing more and nothing less than approximately 400 different species, distributed throughout the American continent and originating (most) from Mexico.
The most popular species, among others, are Echeveria elegans , Echeveria glauca , Echeveria agavoides , Echeveria setosa and Echeveria runyionii , the first being the most cultivated.
And what is its appearance?
Generally, these succulent plants do not have a stem, in fact , they grow forming a rosette . Its leaves, like the good succulents that they are, are characterized by storing water and nutrients (fleshy), flattened, of various shades ( Echeveria elegans for example has bluish foliage) and perennial in nature.
The flowers grow from a long stem developed in the center of the rosette and are generally very showy. Flowering occurs from spring and usually lasts until the end of summer.
The cultivation of Echeveria
Echeveria, whatever the species, is usually a resistant vegetation with care that does not go beyond the basics. And by basic we are referring to great lighting, periodic watering or maintenance pruning.
Whatever variety you have, the care that we will show you below is general for all the species that make up this genus of succulents. This way you won’t have any problems with your plant.
Location, light and temperatures
Echeverias will need to be placed in a brightly lit space with some daily period of direct sunlight . We say “some period” because if they receive a lot of direct sun, their leaves can burn.
Our recommendation is that you grow them in an outside window or balcony with some protection from the sun, wind and rain.
Echeverias are outdoor plants (although they can be located indoors), so you can place them in the garden, on the terrace or, as we have told you, on a balcony. Currently they are used to cover complex areas with little land, such as rockeries .
And the temperatures?
Well, the ideal is that, in spring and summer, the temperature does not exceed 27 ⁰C ( 21 ⁰C-27 ⁰C ). In winter, these can drop to 15⁰C without your echeveria “suffering”. And, although it can withstand temperatures below zero, it is advisable that you keep it indoors.
As for humidity, it is best that it be between 40-50%.
The risks
Regarding watering the echeveria, you should know that it is best to water it only when the surface of the earth is completely dry , as it is a plant that does not tolerate waterlogging.
Too much water can cause root rot, so be careful with this.
A common way to water, given that the echeveria grows very compactly, taking up all the space in the pot, is to water by immersion , that is, submerging the pot for a few minutes in water so that the soil can absorb what it needs.
As with other plants, watering should be increased in the hottest season and then reduced in winter.
Substratum
The type of substrate will depend on the medium in which you plant it, that is, whether you are going to grow it in a pot or directly in the garden. Therefore, you should know:
Pot : for echeverias in pots, use sandy substrates or, failing that, universal growing soil mixed with perlite.
Garden : For garden plants, it is best to grow them in soil that drains well from irrigation and rainwater. It is capable of surviving in more or less poor lands, but what it will never tolerate are waterlogging. Ideally, use a mixture of sand and leaf mulc
Pruning
The echeveria does not need to be pruned, it will only require that you eliminate those parts that are in poor condition. Come on, what has been a maintenance pruning .And that’s it for our today’s article. We hope that it has been of help to you when it comes to growing your echevaria.