All about exotic succulent echeveria: popular species, breeding methods and photos

Thanks to its exotic appearance, Echeveria adorns homes and offices. Also often use a flower on alpine hills, florariums, in group plantings and even in compositions - bouquets. This amazing flower every year is gaining more and more popularity among gardeners.

Today in our article we will talk in detail about the features and types of this amazing succulent. You will learn how to properly grow and propagate it, what kind of care he needs. You can also watch a useful video on this topic.

Botanical description of Echeveria

Echeveria (Echeveria) - evergreen succulent (succulent) - perennial of the Tolstyankov family. In the scientific literature, Echeveria has the synonymous name Echeveria.. Due to the structure and arrangement of leaves, the flower is called a stone rose, a stone flower.

• Echeveria grows with a squat shrub, the height of an adult plant is 30-50 cm.
• The stem is practically absent. The trunk is small, soft, lodging.
• Outlets are numerous, growing rapidly. The diameter of the outlet is 15 - 20 cm.
• The leaves are dense, fleshy, bright green, varieties have a bronze, bluish, blue hue. Variegated leaf coloring, with a reddish or white border, is noted. The leaves are pointed or rounded in shape, 5-15 cm long, up to 5-10 cm wide, depending on the variety species. The leaves are arranged in a spiral, forming a dense rosette in the shape of a flower.
• All varieties have a protective coating against direct sun - wax coating or light bluish pubescence.
• The root is superficial, branched.

We recommend watching a video about the features of echeveria:

Does the plant belong to cacti and where does it live?

Echeveria in nature lives in Mexico, Central Africa, South America. The genus is numerous, there are up to 200 varieties of wild and hatched varieties. In nature, it grows among stones, rocks and desert sands.

In science, this genus was described in the 19th century. Echeveria inherited the name of the famous Mexican artist A. Echeverria, who illustrated the encyclopedias of the flora of Mexico.

Echeveria does not belong to cacti, although it is a succulent - perennials. These plants belong to different families and genera.

Differences from Younger

For the appearance of similarity, some varieties of echeveria are confused with juvenile. These are two completely different plants. Echeveria is grown as an indoor ornamental plant, does not tolerate cooling, cannot stay in the flowerbed for the winter.

Attention: Young growth refers mainly to garden species of succulents, a winter-hardy species. Young growth, unlike echeveria, grows well in soil with humus and compost. Echeveria needs sandy-loamy, not organic fertilized soil.

Chemical composition and medicinal properties of a flower

Echeveria includes mineral compounds of chlorine and iron, polysaccharides, ascorbic acid, various amino acids and flavonoids. The flower has disinfecting properties, it is applied to festering wounds and inflamed areas on the skin.

In folk medicine it is important - boils and acne eruptions are treated with flower leaves. The tincture of their flowers is used by herbalists in the treatment of nervous disorders. Diluted Echeveria juice treats colds, coughs, bronchitis. Based on the juice of the plant, preparations are made for the treatment of renal diseases.

Popular types and varieties of succulents

Agave

Grows in a compact bush up to 20 cm tall without a stem. It features light green leaves with a reddish coating on the edges. The leaves are fleshy, dense, wide, pointed at the edges. Leaves grow up to 7-8 cm in length and 5-6 cm in width.

Rosettes grow symmetrically, spherical, widely deployed, similar in shape to water lilies, up to 15 cm in diameter. Peduncles are long, up to 30 - 35 cm in height. Yellow flowers with a reddish tint, collected in numerous inflorescences - umbrellas.

Miranda

Echeveria Miranda

A hybrid variety of agave-shaped eheveria native to South America. The height of the bush is 15 - 20 cm. The rosette is symmetrical, well open, has the shape of a lotus. The leaves are bright green, dense, shiny, covered with a glossy coating. Leaves grow in a spiral, symmetrically.

Graceful

Mexican raspberry, refers to herbaceous plants. The stem is small, up to 5 cm. The height of the bush is up to 10 - 15 cm. The rosettes are dense, located on the sides of the stem. Central outlet sessile. The leaves are light green, oblong, covered with a white - blue waxy coating.

They grow up to 4 - 6 cm in length, narrow, up to 1 cm wide. The tops of the leaves are pointed, lowered to the center. Peduncles thin, long, branched. Inflorescences are formed on the tops - brushes from pinkish-yellow flowers.

Other species and varieties of Echeveria can be found in this article.

Can I keep at home?

Is there any benefit and harm to the plant while growing it at home? Echeveria is not at all dangerous. The juice contains no toxic substances, so it can not cause harm when grown at home. In ancient times, the flower was used as a medicinal plant, as a softening, refreshing agent.

How to care for this plant?

1. Temperature. Echeveria tolerates heat and heat well up to 27 - 29 ºС. During dormancy, in winter, it is necessary to reduce the temperature of the content to 15 - 16 ºС.
Important: For echeveria, it is unacceptable to lower the temperature to 6 - 8 ºС.
2. Watering. Echeveria is a succulent that stores water well. Frequent watering is contraindicated in a flower. In winter, at low temperatures, the substrate is moistened 1 time per month through the lower watering in the pan. In the summer, the flower is watered once every 2 weeks. The soil between watering should dry well.
3. Shine. Echeveria loves the light, grows beautifully on the south side of the apartment. Young seedlings are best grown in diffused light, gradually accustoming to the active sun.
4. Pruning. Echeveria bushes are cut to update and to obtain planting material. For planting, lateral processes are cut off - stems and tops of strongly elongated bushes. Places of cuts are processed by crushed charcoal. After flowering, wilted peduncles are cut to the ground.
5. Top dressing. Fertilizer should be applied only in spring and summer through watering once every 2 weeks. It is recommended to use mineral complex top dressing for succulents. During dormancy, top dressing ceases. Organic fertilizers for the flower are not suitable, they cause infection of the substrate with harmful bacteria.
6. Pot selection. It is desirable to choose containers ceramic. For adult flowers, a shallow spacious pot with a volume of up to 1.5 - 2 liters is required. The diameter of the pot must match the size of the outlet. The pot or planting containers should have openings for water drainage and ventilation.

Learn more about caring for Echeveria at home here.

Breeding

Seeds

The most difficult way. Special conditions are required for flowering Echeveria, artificial pollination of flowers, proper preparation of seeds. Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil in an acidic, light substrate without deepening.

We recommend watching a video about the propagation of echeveria seeds:

Leaf

The process of propagation by leaf cuttings is convenient and simple, the most affordable for many varieties of flower. It is recommended to use young leaves of apical shoots.

Planting leaves take root and form new rosettes in a light, infertile substrate, with low humidity and moderate watering. The time of growing young seedlings from the leaf is 3-4 months.

Tip: Leaves are dried before planting, are not buried in the soil, laid on the surface with an edge. The base of the leaf - the kidney should be on the surface.

We recommend watching a video about the propagation of echeveria leaf:

Tops and rosettes

Echeveria over the year grows well in diameter, gives a lot of side outlets - kids. When trimming, the elongated tops are also cut for further reproduction.

The main rule - before rooting, planting material must be dried in a bright, warm place.

The stems are buried in a sandy substrate. Rooting takes place quickly, within 2-3 weeks. Young seedlings dive into small pots with a diameter of 6 cm for growth. A month later, young bushes planted in permanent containers. The air temperature for rooting is not less than 20 - 22 ° С. Watering is moderate.

You will learn all the secrets of Echeveria breeding here.

Bloom

For flowering, it is necessary to provide the plant with a dormant period - lowering the temperature to 15 - 17 ° C and sufficient lighting. In winter, additional lights should be used.

Echeveria blooms in spring or summer, releasing long peduncles from side outlets. Inflorescences - umbrellas connect many bell-shaped flowers. Flowers can be pink, reddish and yellow. Flowering is long, lasts 3 to 4 weeks. In more detail about how Echeveria blooms, how to achieve the release of the arrow and what to do next, when it has faded, we talked in this material.

We recommend watching a video about flowering echeveria:

Disease

1. If the flower grows slowly, the leaves become smaller, it is necessary to feed the substrate with mineral fertilizers and transplant the plant into a larger pot. All the nuances of plant transplantation and subsequent care for it can be found in this article.
2. When wrinkling the leaves, grinding them, you need to moisten the substrate, rearrange the pots in a cool place.
3. If the leaves and stems are blackened, an urgent transplant, pruning of rotten leaves and roots is required. Pots need to be rearranged in a warmer place, watering temporarily cease.
4. The treatment of the bushes with a soap or alcohol solution will help get rid of the root and mealybug, with severe damage, treatment with phytoderm is required.

Conclusion

For flowering Echeveria, maintaining the shape of the bush, successful propagation and cultivation, you should follow the simple rules for caring for this decorative succulent.

Watch the video: Dying Succulents Different Colors: Test 1 (May 2024).