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The genus Echeveria is a group of succulent perennials which are found mostly in Mexico, with their range extending northward to Texas and southward into Central America and down along the Andes Mountains in South America. They belong to the family Crassulaceae, sometimes called the Stonecrop Family. This is one of the few plant families whose members are almost exclusively succulents. Echeverias are generally found growing on rock crevices, cliffs, slopes and recent lava flows. Some even grow epiphytically. These plants are usually found at altitudes between 3,000 and 14,000 feet. Their succulent nature enables them to survive periods of drought, but many of them receive ample rain during their growing season. They are generally summer growers.
Echeverias are popular in the Bay Area due to their beautiful colors and the arrangement of the leaves in an attractive rosette. These plants are mostly easy to grow and propagate, and they thrive even in foggy coastal areas, which provide an environment similar to the mountain mist-zones in which many of them are found in nature. Their bloom spikes are very attractive and generally appear in spring and summer, though some flower later in the year. Echeverias grow well in pots and enjoy transplanting with a fast-draining sandy loam soil mix in the spring. In the winter, watering should be reduced during their resting period.
There are about 150 species of Echeverias, and these range from tiny plants with one-inch rosettes to giants with rosettes over a foot across. The leaves may be smooth, coated with a powdery layer of wax or covered with short hairs. Some have markings on the leaves, or flushes of color on the margins or tips, and the leaves come in an amazing array of colors, including red, orange, pink and glaucous blue.
This schedule works for me in unheated greenhouses in an inland location with cold winters and hot summers, but your location and conditions may require a different one.
February: Late in the month when my plants look their worst, I behead the long-stemmed ones whose rosettes are beginning to shrink, unpot any others that may have lost their roots and set these rosettes on empty pots to dry and start new roots. The idea here is to have the rosette supported by the sides of the pot, while the cut-off stem dangles in the darkness of the pot’s interior. Rootone may encourage the formation of roots, but often this isn’t necessary. I place the remaining stumps in the shade and hope for offsets. While the rosettes dry I turn them over often to search for any bugs.
March/April: As soon as the rosettes begin to develop roots, I set them gently on a mound of new mix in a clean pot, taking care not to pack the mix down. At this time I begin watering from the bottom in a saucer under the pot to avoid getting the base of the rosette wet.
May: As the plants begin to wake up and show new growth I begin feeding them with half-strength liquid fertilizer (like Schultz’s) with every watering until August, by which time they don’t need any further feeding until the next season. They do need plenty of water and ventilation (depending on your location and weather) while growing actively. Unfortunately the bugs grow right along with them, so I have to be vigilant with a spray of 50% isopropyl alcohol, being careful as this can burn new leaves and buds.
June–August: I allow one flower spike per rosette, removing others to spare the plant. Large spikes can be rooted like a cutting and will sometimes produce offsets themselves.
September: I spray with a dilute mix of baking soda and water, which helps prevent mildew later in the fall and winter.
October–February: I only give limited water every couple of weeks on warm, dry days and try to keep them free of dead leaves until it’s time to start over again. Keeping the plants dry and protected goes a long way to getting through the winter. But ventilation is still important, and for me that means opening up the greenhouses on clear days and closing them up every night to keep the frost off them.
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