The echeveria plant, also called alabaster rose, is actually a whole genus of succulent plants that is part of the Crassulaceae family. However, when we talk about the alabaster rose or the echeveria plant, we usually refer to the Echeveria elegansthe most common in gardening thanks to both its beauty and its great resistance.
If you want to learn what are the echeveria plant care to have it at home, join us in this EcologíaVerde article where you will find a very practical guide.
Characteristics of the echeveria plant and types
The main characteristics of the echeveria plant are the following:
- It is a genus of succulents, originating in Mexico and Brazil, with about 400 species.
- Very resistant to drought conditions.
- It also resists great thermal variations very well.
- Its succulent blue-green leaves form a rosette about 8 cm in diameter, from which it receives its nickname of alabaster rose.
- Its stems reach heights of up to 20 cm.
- It produces pink or yellowish flowers, from winter to spring.
Some of the main types of echeveria plant are:
- Echeveria elegans
- echeveria pilosa
- echeveria glauca
- Echeveria plvinata
- Echeveria agavoides
- Echeveria gibbiflora
- Echeveria runyonii
The echeveria plant is one of the plants that can change color easily. Here you can discover How to grow colored succulents.
Echeveria plant: care – practical guide
In a short summary, we can indicate that these are the main care of the echeveria plant:
- Light: the ideal is a very bright place with a few hours of soft direct light.
- Location: they can be located indoors, but the ideal is outdoors.
- Climate: they can easily withstand temperatures of up to 27ºC and mild frosts.
- Irrigation: only when the substrate dries, by immersion.
- Substrate: specific for succulents, with very good drainage.
light and location
The echeverías are a plant that needs to be in a space with lots of lightingbut they may not tolerate direct exposure to the sun well in very hot climates or with high intensity light.
Therefore, it is best place them outside, in an area with great lighting and where they receive a few hours of direct light, either in the early morning or in the afternoon, outside the hours of greatest sunshine at noon. In the garden, they are very commonly used to fill complicated spaces for other plants, with little soil or in rocky areas. Indoors, it is best to place them in a very well lit roompreferably near a window or light source that provides a few hours of mild sunlight.
Climate
In principle, echeveria is a temperate climate plant. This means that the ideal is for the temperature to remain between 21ºC and 27ºC in the warm months, and that it does not drop much below 15 ºC in winter, at least for a long time. Occasionally, it can withstand higher temperatures (although its leaves may burn if they receive too much sun) or much lower temperatures, even mild frosts. These won’t be fatal or overly damaging as long as they’re fleeting, but long exposures can do a lot of damage to echeveria.
Irrigation of the echeveria plant
As with virtually all succulents, overwatering can become one of its main threats. The usual thing is to water once the surface layer of the substrate has been completely dry. Overwatering can cause your plant’s roots to rot, leading to death or extensive damage. A very common practice in this type of plants is the immersion irrigationthat is, put the entire pot in water for a few minutes, so that the plant takes the water it needs and the rest is filtered without further ado.
In addition, we recommend you read this other post about When to water the plants.
Substrate for the echeveria succulent plant
It is vital that the echeveria substrate offer a very good drainage, especially if we are going to water it by immersion, which is highly recommended. Use succulent plant mix and add perlite, or make your own mix with sand and perlite. Outdoors, place it where rainwater does not accumulate, always avoiding puddles.
Here we explain how to make substrate for cacti and succulents.
Transplant and maintenance
Like most plants, echeveria will need an occasional transplant. A good sign to know that this moment has arrived, is when the roots of the plant stick out through the holes in the pot for drainage. We explain more about when and how to transplant succulents in this other article as a practical guide.
Regarding maintenance, the echeveria does not need pruning or special care, since, as we have said, it is a fairly resistant plant. Simply make sure that the drainage holes in the pot do not get clogged so that you can remove excess water without problems and pay attention if dry or diseased parts appear to remove them immediately.
To finish, you can take a look at this other EcologíaVerde post in which we explain a little more about Growing succulent or succulent plants and, in addition, watch this summary video from our YouTube channel on the care of echeverias.
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