Growing Echeverias
A word of warning to the gardener who is developing a liking for echeverias. If you start collecting them you’re heading down a slippery slope where you’ll be left wanting more!
Echeveria is a large genus of succulents belonging to the Crassulaceae family, which is native to the semi-desert areas of central America, the North Western regions of South America and Mexico. The genus is named after the Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeveria Y Godoy.
Attempting to make sense out of the names of the species and many hybrids of this popular super-genus seems to be an exercise in futility. There are so many variations and so many ‘nicknames’. In some cases, Echeverias bare quite a resemblance to other genera in the family like Graptopetalum (leatherpetal) and Sempervivum (houseleek), which does not make it any easier.
A very general description is the perfect construction and lovely texture of these rosette-forming plants. Holding a single rosette of the common Echeveria elegans (Mexican snowball or rock rose) in your hands, for instance, you cannot but marvel at the mathematical genius and design skills behind its construction.
The leaves are smooth and neatly arranged to form a symmetrical rosette reminiscent of an open rose. Each rosette is heavy and sturdy because the fleshy leaves store water, allowing them to survive during dry periods.
Using Echeverias in the garden
Echeverias are ideal border plants for big beds containing other plants that require a medium amount of water. They will happily grow between stones and are really pretty when planted en masse in rock and gravel gardens. You can also use them to fill the hollows of concrete blocks in retaining walls with flair. They are desirable potted plants as they are generally no-fuss.
Due to the echeveria’s popularity as a fashionable and easy-to-grow plant, South African nurserymen are constantly importing and growing new hybrids for us to enjoy.
Interesting fact: Most of the ‘modern’ echeveria hybrids available today were created in California by the notable plant breeder Dick Wright in the 1960’s.
READ MORE: If you want to keep succulents indoors, here are some suitable options.
Collect these Echeverias
It’s important to note that the leaf colours can depend on exposure to sun, temperatures and growing conditions.
‘Afterglow’ has large rosettes (30cm) of powdery lavender-pink leaves adorned with bright pink edges.
‘Arlie Wright’ has extravagantly ruffled leaves ranging from tan and green to rose-pink.
‘Cante’ has solitary rosettes (30cm) of blue-green leaves covered with a thick, powdery, whitish-lavender.
‘Crinoline’ features green solitary rosettes (30 – 40cm) with ruffled pink edges.
‘Zorro’ has large rosette with frilly-edged, chocolate-covered leaves.
‘Domingo’ has solitary large rosettes with uniformly bluish leaves. The leaves are coated in a white waxy covering that gives it the blue hue.
‘Etna’ has solitary rosettes of frosty bluish-violet leaves that have ‘caruncles’ on the top surface of the leaves.
‘Frills’ has frilly solitary rosettes in a blur of pink wavy edges.
‘Mauna Loa’ is a clumping, cabbage-like echeveria. It has large fleshy leaves that crinkle and frill at the edges, forming rosettes up to 30cm in diameter. The rosettes are pale green when young and then develop into shades of blue and pink with age. If grown in the sun the edges can turn red to burgundy.
‘Raindrops’ has solitary rosettes up to 15cm across. It has pale green rounded leaves with reddish margins. Each leaf has a single globular blue-green bump in the middle that becomes larger with age.
Pieter’s tips for growing these echeverias
Remove the flowers
The number one tip for growing these beautiful frilly or cabbage-type echeverias is: NEVER let them flower! Flowering exhausts the plant, reducing its overall size and distorts its symmetry. Plus, flowers are an aphid magnet, and the nectar dripping from the flowers encourages sooty mould on the leaves. Carefully prune any emerging flower stems as soon as they appear.
No spraying
Never spray them with harsh chemicals as these can burn and disfigure the leaves. Rather apply a systematic insecticide to the root-zone as a preventative measure against aphids and mealy bugs.
Hygiene and air circulation
Copper-based fungicides can be applied as a remedy against fungal and bacterial rot, but it needs to be administered carefully to prevent damage. To this end, prevention is better than cure.
- Keep plants clean by regularly removing dead leaves at the base of rosettes.
- Ensure good air circulation by not squeezing your plants too close together.
- Do not overwater, and avoid watering during the heat of the day as water trapped in the crown of the plant can cause rot.
Mind the sun!
Although echeverias are generally perceived as desert plants, these Mexican natives inhabit a wide variety of localities from partially shaded cliff faces and slopes to growing in the dappled shade of trees. Therefore, very few echeverias are adapted to thrive in the harsh South African sun from dawn to dusk.
Most will appreciate at least a little bit of protection during the warmest part of the day (a 30 – 40% shade net works well for us in the nursery). In a garden or in containers they should be planted where they receive lots of morning sun, but light shade during the afternoon.
READ MORE: If your succulents have become leggy, here is how you can help them.
Water and drainage
Contrary to the general belief that waterwise plants don’t need water, echeverias actually prefer to be watered regularly ensuring a constant source of moisture, the key being excellent drainage so that the soil never becomes waterlogged and is aerated properly.
Although echeverias will survive being deprived of moisture for extended periods of time, faster growth is obtained when they are watered regularly during the hot summer months. Plants should be kept drier during the winter months as the combination of cold and drought will enhance their colours further.
Note: Folks in the winter-rainfall areas should not stress! If your soil is sandy or has a high organic content, winter rain will not kill them off.
Feed your Echeverias
Another hotly contended belief is that echeverias should not be fertilised. We strongly believe in everything in moderation and this certainly applies to fertilising echeverias. Conservative applications of organic or chemical fertilisers throughout the growing season (spring and summer) will speed up the growth of plants. Too much fertiliser, water or shade will cause your plants to grow too vigorously and they will lose their attractive shape and colour, resulting in unrecognisable, bland green plants.
Growing mediums
Soil mixtures for echeverias are as varied as the gardeners who collect them, and depend much on the environmental factors of your growing area as well as your particular watering habits. But as already mentioned, drainage and aeration are the keys to success. We recommend using a good quality potting soil cut with very sharp river sand (swimming pool filter sand works well) blended with a little of whatever fertiliser you prefer.
Beware the frost
Most frilly echeveria hybrids are sensitive to severe frost and should be planted in a sheltered position or covered with frost protection during cold winter nights. If left unprotected, the leaf edges will get frostbite and turn brown and unsightly. As echeverias are rather slow-growing plants, it can take a whole season for a plant to recover fully after a frost freeze.
Hard maintenance means renewal
Apart from removing dead leaves, emerging flower stems and the periodic application of a little fertiliser, echeverias are generally hassle-free plants to keep. They will, however, require beheading every 2 – 4 years (depending on how well they are grown). As the plant ages the central stem grows longer and longer and starts to lose vigour, causing the pretty rosette to shrink. At this point it is time to get out the heavy artillery and go: ‘off with their heads!’
Using a sharp blade, carefully sever the head (rosette) just below the lowest leaf on the stem. Rest the severed head in light shade for a week or two until it has calloused and is ready to be replanted. The decapitated stem will usually go on to produce a few offsets so don’t discard it.
Sources:
Pieter van der Walt at Aqua Flora SA – info@aquaflora.co.za.
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