Echeveria, or Echeveria, is a genus of succulent plants that is a member of the Crassulaceae family. Such indoor flower is gradually gaining popularity among amateur flower growers, thanks to its ease of care and its spectacular appearance. Thoughtful compositions or alpine coaster, combining several varieties of echeveria, become a real highlight in the design of any room or apartment.

Growing and caring for a succulent will not cause difficulties or troubles even for novice gardeners.

General information about the plant

Echeveria or translated from Latin, the genus Echeveria is one of the plants of the Crassulaceae family (Latin: C rassulaceae). Today, the exact number of varieties of such flowers is not known; according to data from various sources, we can conclude that their approximate number is one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty species.

Most members of this genus are native to the southern United States and Mexico. Some varieties can be found on the South American mainland, mainly in Peru. The plant prefers to live on plains and low mountains, where the weather is hot and sunny in the summer, and winter frosts are infrequent and insignificant.

The genus Echeveria received its name thanks to the Mexican artist of the nineteenth century - Atanasio Echeverría Godoy. Atanasio, in addition to paintings and, was engaged in botany, and also compiled reference books on the flora of his native country, and supplemented them with illustrations of his own. Given Echeverría's vigorous activity in the field of botany, it was decided to name the plant in his honor.

Characteristic feature This species is considered to be the ability of plants to interspecific crossbreeding. Thanks to these capabilities of echeveria, breeders were able to obtain several hybrid varieties. Of these, a hybrid with pachyphytum should be distinguished, which was called pachyviria, graptoveria - product of crossing Echeveria with Graptopetalum.

Description

All varieties and types of echeveria are typical succulent plants. This genus includes evergreen subshrubs and herbaceous perennials that have one main common feature - the absence of a stem. Instead, the plant has a very short, thick and fleshy trunk, which branches intensively throughout its life.

Flower growers value echeveria for her unusual leaves, it was thanks to their memorable appearance that the decision was made to cultivate such plants. They are as fleshy and smooth to the touch as the trunk of the flower. A characteristic feature of Echeveria foliage is its protective layer, which is designed to save the plant from direct sunlight. It may look like a whitish, grayish or silvery coating, or like a light fluff that is velvety to the touch. The plant is very well adapted to life under the scorching sun. The hotter the weather gets, the thicker the protective layer becomes. Because of this, the plant acquires a blue tint, and a reddish border is formed along the edges of the leaves.

In its appearance, echeveria is very reminiscent of roses, with thick petals. This shape is due to the special arrangement of the leaves - they grow from the stem very often and strictly in a spiral, forming dense rosettes. From a distance they can really be mistaken for flowers with an unusual color. It is usually pale green and often has a translucent additional shade of purple, red or gray. Because of this feature, echeveria is popularly called “stone flower” or “ stone rose».

IN natural conditions Echeveria leaves often grow up to thirty centimeters in length and fifteen in width. Cultivated specimens grown at home cannot boast of such sizes. As a rule, they are at least two times smaller than their “wild” counterparts.

The peduncle of echeveria is located much higher than the plant itself. It grows from the very middle of the rosette, and can reach up to thirty-five to eighty-five centimeters in length. The length of the peduncle largely depends on the species it belongs to. The inflorescences have the shape of an umbrella, spikelet or brush. They consist of many small flowers, resembling bells in their shape. The flowers can be colored in all shades of orange and yellow, often having a reddish or greenish tint.

The outer part of the inflorescences is much brighter than the inner. Under natural conditions, the flowering period of plants occurs in late spring or summer, but several species prefer to enter this phase in mid-winter. Flowering of echeveria lasts about fifteen to twenty days. With natural or artificial pollination, after the inflorescences wither, fruits form in their place. They look like boxes with four compartments in which small seeds of a muted brown color ripen.

The root system of Echeveria is fibrous and branched. It is located almost on the surface of the earth to absorb water faster and easier.

Echeveria - species for home cultivation

Of the great variety of representatives of this genus, most are suitable for growing at home. But for some reason, only a few dozen species are the most popular.

Let's take a closer look at the four most common types.

Echeveria elegans

Echeveria elegans is a herbaceous perennial. It has very light, almost white leaves, with green tint. They have a pointed, sometimes prickly tip and thin, almost transparent edges. A characteristic feature of this variety is its highly branched peduncle. Drooping inflorescences have the shape of small one-sided racemes. They consist of small flowers of a crimson hue, gradually turning into yellow.

Echeveria agavoides

This is a bush-like succulent, reaching twenty-five to thirty centimeters in height. A special feature of this species is its very short stem or complete absence. The leaves have a delicate light green tint and a translucent reddish border. When growing at home the leaves of this species can reach four to ten centimeters in length and five to six centimeters in width.

It begins to bloom in late spring. The inflorescences are very small, only a centimeter or one and a half. They can be painted in all shades of yellow-red. In rare cases, some flowers are pink.

Echeveria derenbergii (Derenbergii)

This is a herbaceous plant with shoots creeping along the ground. The leaves form small five-centimeter rosettes located at the tops of the shoots. The width of the leaves is two and a half centimeters, it is almost equal to their length - seven centimeters.

The foliage is covered with a bluish coating , and the edges and tips have a reddish tint. The inflorescences are quite short, only five or six centimeters, and have the shape of spikelets. They consist of red or yellow-orange flowers.

Echeveria miranda (Miranda)

Echeveria miranda is a very showy plant consisting of small and neat leafy rosettes. Their shape resembles a lotus flower.

Breeders have developed varieties of Miranda with blue, pink, silver, yellow, purple and scarlet colors.

Optimal conditions for keeping

If you decide to purchase echeveria, you should know how to choose the right place to keep it and ensure the necessary conditions for good health.

Echeveria - home care

In nature, echeveria grows under the scorching sun and prefers rocky soils, from which we can conclude - she doesn't need special care . Frequent feeding, abundant watering - all this is not for echeveria.

The main thing you should know when growing similar flower at home - do not overwater or overfeed such plants.

Watering

In spring and summer, echeveria is watered no more than once every seven to ten days; the watering regime directly depends on the weather and the appearance of the flower. Always pay attention on the edge of the foliage, the thicker it is, the less moisture the plant requires. For irrigation, use soft water, after letting it sit for at least a day. Echeveria prefers filtered and distilled water.

Between waterings there should be as much time as it takes for the earthen coma to dry thoroughly. But you shouldn’t let the soil dry out when it begins to move away from the pot. The main sign of deficiency moisture causes wrinkles on the leaves.

With the onset of August, the frequency of watering is gradually reduced. This is necessary in order to prepare the plant for wintering. The interval between waterings should be approximately doubled.

When watering, do not allow moisture to get on the leaves or inside the outlet. In the first case, this can lead to burns of the foliage, and in the second, to the beginning of rotting of the flower. It is better to use the bottom watering method, that is, fill the tray of the pot with water, and after waiting fifteen to twenty minutes, drain the remaining moisture from it.

Top dressing

During the period active growth It is enough to fertilize the echeveria succulent once a month. For these purposes, prepare a solution of water and liquid mineral fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

The proportions indicated on the packaging should be halved. Fertilizer is added to the water and the plant is watered.

Bloom

Typically, echeveria begins to bloom in spring or summer, not taking into account species that prefer to bloom in winter. But many gardeners use this that this succulent belongs to plants short day and achieve flowering at the right time.

To do this you need to create special conditions and in two months the echeveria will bloom:

• Provide the plant with twelve hours of daylight.
• Maintain the temperature at 16–18 degrees above zero.

Errors in care

Echeveria is an undemanding and unpretentious plant, but mistakes in caring for it can only result in a flower with decorative qualities.

Let's look at what problems can happen with the “stone rose” and what could lead to similar consequences:

Echeveria or echeverria is named after the Mexican artist Atanasio Echeverría. He illustrated a botanical guide to Mexican plants. Up to 160 varieties of the plant are known, which are distinguished by color, height, and leaf shape. It is echeveria, which is easy to care for at home, that attracts lovers of indoor floriculture.

This perennial herbaceous plant attracts with its appearance: low-growing, with a basal rosette of fleshy leaves. Their spiral arrangement, color and shape look unusual. Among the echeverias there are many flowering forms that send out a long peduncle covered with bell-shaped flowers, ranging from yellow to brown shades. The echeveria flower changes color depending on the weather. The “stone flower” does not grow very quickly, throwing out several leaves and small rosettes per year.

Note: There is a waxy coating or pubescence on the surface of the leaves. This is a way to protect against moisture loss, because their habitat is hot countries. The brighter the sun's rays, the thinner the wax coating.

The most interesting species

Agave: forms a bush, the stem of which is not visible, since it is surrounded by a rosette of leaves with a red-yellow edging along the edges. The triangular-shaped leaves are protected by a waxy coating.

Graceful: surrounded by a light green cascade of leaves with a silvery bloom. Blooms with pale pink drooping flowers. Echeveria elegans is the most common species in indoor floriculture.

White-haired: on the leaves there are a thick layer of hairs, similar to fluff. The rosette consists of lanceolate leaves, the tops of which are surrounded by a brown border. In spring time it begins abundant flowering and echeveria throws out an arrow with red-brown flowers.

Lau: has a rosette of leaves that reaches 20 cm in diameter. The leaves are wide and oval, slightly pointed at the end. The leaves are protected by a thick waxy layer. They are interesting because the large flowers also have an orange waxy coating, and the tops are scarlet in color.

Derenberg: unusual for creeping shoots with a leaf rosette at the top. Is different interesting leaf, resembling a spatula, light green in color with a red border. Flowering occurs at the beginning of summer, the flowers are bell-shaped, red-yellow.

Mix: characterized by a dense, spiral rosette of leaves and small size. the leaf blade is covered with a gray-white coating. Echeveria mix looks beautiful in compositions with low-growing succulents planted in one wide container.

And this is far from full list varieties of "stone flower". The types of echeveria are extremely diverse, among them there are atropurpurea with elongated purple leaves, nodular with striped colors, and shavoyskaya, which resembles cabbage. Echeveria black prince is interesting, combining two different colors. Echeveria graceful - clear example, how to care for other species.

Home care

Having bought a succulent, you need to immediately create conditions comfortable for the culture, then in further care will not be burdensome. Echeveria, which is easy to care for at home, requires extremely careful handling, since each leaf is “lubricated” with a thin layer of wax. This film is needed to retain moisture and substances beneficial to the plant. If the shell is broken, which will happen from any touch, Echeveria disease is inevitable.

Important: If the wax film is broken when caring for the crop, then the echeveria is placed under a glass dome or covered with a bag until recovery occurs.

Lighting and temperature

The most important condition to maintain this culture - good lighting. “Stone Flower” loves a lot of light and tolerates direct rays of the sun well. In bright light on southern windows, the wax coating thickens and the color of the plant becomes more saturated. But on the north window it will stretch out, fade and lose its decorative appearance.

The plant is thermophilic and summer temperature regime is +22-+28С. Optimal conditions– +24C. At the same time, the leaves quickly form a dense rosette. In hot weather, the echeveria is taken outside. It does not need to be shaded, but it will have to be hidden from the rain.

In winter it feels great at +22C, patiently tolerating +10C. Echeveria succulents grow slowly in winter but still need plenty of light. Additional lighting may be required so that the flower does not lose its decorative effect over the winter.

Note: After purchasing a succulent, do not immediately place it in bright sunlight. Get used to the sun gradually so that burns and spots do not appear on the leaves. gray.

Watering and air humidity

During the growing season, the plant needs regular watering. The gap between them can be tracked by the drying of the top layer of the earthen clod. If there is a lack of moisture in the “stone flower,” the leaves curl and become flabby. And excess moisture completely destroys the plant. Golden Rule which should be observed, the lower the temperature, the less frequent the watering. IN winter time their number must be kept to a minimum.

Water for irrigation should be soft, the abundance of salts in it leads to death ornamental plant. Water should not get into the middle of the rosette, which will lead to rotting of the leaf blades. That's why best watering– lower: immersing the pot in water, when the earthen ball is moistened through the drainage holes.

Echeveria thorn is a lover of dry climates. She doesn't need high humidity air, and it does not need spraying. Spraying is contraindicated for furry species that have hairs on the surface. They retain drops of moisture, which can cause burns in bright light.

Soil and fertilizing

More often they use a purchased mixture of soil for succulents, but you can prepare the soil yourself by mixing:

• 1 part sand
• 2 parts compost
• 2 parts crushed stone.

Drainage is required, through which excess moisture will escape, otherwise the root system will suffer.

Because they are succulents herbaceous plants, then they do not need rich soils. For fertilizing, minimal dosages of fertilizers are used. Echeveria is fed during the growing season with special fertilizers for cacti. Moreover, they are diluted in minimal concentration. In winter, feeding is stopped. Excess quantity nutrients leads to loss of decorative qualities.

Transfer

Echeveria is transplanted at home into spring period, once a year. In the pot, 1/3 of the pot should be occupied by the drainage layer. Use a shallow pot since the plant has a shallow root system.

When replanting, the integrity of the leaves must not be damaged, so moving from a pot to another container is carried out extremely carefully. There is no need to replant the crop when it blooms.

Important: In nature, echeveria blooms in February, in indoor culture- starting in April. The echeveria flower seems waxy, not real, so it attracts Special attention. But try not to touch it again. After flowering, do not cut off the peduncle until it is completely dry.

Reproduction methods

Reproduction is possible in three ways: seeds, leaf and stem cuttings. Echeveria thorn is difficult to reproduce in any way, so get young plant not so easy.

Seeds

After flowering, fruit-pods containing seeds ripen. Before planting, they are placed in damp peat for several days (for better germination). Suitable soil for sowing is sand and peat mixed in equal proportions. To create an internal microclimate, the crops are covered with a jar. The planting environment should be moist, but it must be ventilated.

Further stages of growth:

1. Shoots appear after 2 weeks.

2. After the formation of 3 sheets, transplantation is carried out into separate containers with the soil composition: sand and leaf soil (1:2).

3. A young succulent is considered mature when the rosette of leaves measures 3 cm in diameter.

This method of propagation is considered the most difficult, since you need to manually pollinate the flowers and monitor when the seeds ripen. They germinate poorly and not together.

Stem cuttings

It is recommended to cut stem cuttings during the period of active growth. After cutting, they are dried a little and then planted in a soil mixture of sand and compost soil. Cuttings root faster at a temperature of +22-24C. Then they are transplanted into separate containers for further growth.

Note: Echeveria needs to be propagated by stem cuttings if lower leaves dry out or fall off, but grow well from above. Then the succulent bends, losing its decorative qualities.

Leaf cuttings

Echeveria is capable of reproduction by leaves. The lower leaves are separated from the shoot and rooted, laid sideways, in sand with compost. A special microclimate is created for the planted leaves by covering them with a glass dome and periodically spraying them. This is a long process: the first roots appear after 3-4 months. The signal for transplantation is the dried mother leaf. The rooted plant is transplanted into a separate container.

Possible difficulties during cultivation

In rare cases, echeveria is damaged by pests. A mealybug settles on it, and damage by a root-knot nematode is possible. Insecticides are used to control pests. Sometimes a soap solution is used, but it is usually ineffective.

In the process of growing a succulent, problems may arise:

1. Gray spots appear on the leaves. This may be due to droplets of water falling on the surface of the leaf blade, or careless handling and damage to the wax layer.
2. The leaves have become brittle and gray in color. These signs are caused by abundant watering and low temperatures.
3. Changes in the shape of leaves, their deformation. The reason for this may be hard water containing a lot of salts, or excess fertilizer.
4. The rosette is loose, the leaf is pale. Such factors indicate a violation of the light regime. A lack of light does not lead to stretching of the plant, but to a loss of bright colors and decorativeness. Change the light regime gradually so that the echeveria has time to adapt to new conditions.
5. The leaf rosette is not large due to the small leaves. This is due to infrequent watering or very poor soil. The plant should be replanted and the watering regime changed.

All difficulties encountered during care can be easily eliminated if you observe the plant and at the first signs of disease associated with improper care, take first aid measures.

“Stone flower” will not create any special difficulties when growing. Therefore, choose the view you like, place it in a well-lit place and admire amazing plant, which can only be found in the vastness of Mexico.

Echeveria (lat. Echeveria), or echeveria- a genus of succulent herbaceous perennials of the Crassulaceae family. There are about 170 species in the genus, most of which are distributed in Mexico, but some are found in the United States and South America. The name of the genus was given in honor of Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, a Mexican artist who illustrated books about flora Mexico. The Aborigines call this plant “stone flower” or “stone rose”.

Planting and caring for echeveria (in brief)

• Bloom: about 3 weeks in spring or summer.
• Lighting: bright sunlight, bright diffused light, partial shade.
• Temperature: from spring to autumn - usual for living quarters, in winter - 9-10 ºC.
• Watering: regular, but rare: only after the substrate has completely dried.
• Air humidity: doesn't matter.
• Feeding: during the period of active growth - once a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer for cacti and succulents. During the rest of the year, no fertilizing is applied.
• Rest period: in winter.
• Transfer: young plants - every spring, adults - once every 3-4 years at the beginning of the growing season.
• Reproduction: stem or leaf cuttings, less often seeds.
• Diseases: fungal infections.
• Pests: the plant is resistant.

Read more about growing echeveria below.

Echeveria flower - description

The echeveria succulent forms dense rosettes with a diameter of 3 to 40 cm from fleshy, juicy, hard, moisture-filled leaves. Representatives of the genus can be stemless or have long shoots and leaves different types Echeverias differ in shape, color and size. Five-membered small yellow, red-brown or red-orange flowers with succulent sepals and petals, collected in an erect lateral inflorescence, are located on a long lateral or vertical peduncle.

The intensity of flower color often depends on the quality of lighting: flowers that develop in cloudy weather usually yellow color, and those formed under the sun have a red tint.

Echeverias form interspecific and intergeneric forms well, of which the most famous are sediveria, pachiveria and graptoveria. Echeveria is widespread in indoor culture.

Caring for echeveria at home

Growing Echeveria from Seeds

Propagating echeveria by seeds is the most difficult way to get a new plant: you need to pollinate the flower yourself during flowering, watch the seeds ripen and collect them in time. Then the seeds are laid out on the surface of the sand-peat substrate, lightly pressed without covering them, and kept in a bright place at a temperature of 20-25 ˚C in conditions of high air humidity, for which the crops are covered with film or glass.

As a container for growing seedlings, it is advisable to use a container with drainage holes through which excess moisture will flow out.

If you are attentive and careful, then in 2-3 weeks you will have a lot of sprouts, and when they develop three true leaves, you can plant them in separate pots and place them on the brightest windowsill in the apartment.

The echeveria plant is not afraid of heat, dry air, or direct sunlight, so it grows, develops and blooms well on windowsills oriented to the south. From spring to autumn, homemade echeveria feels comfortable at the usual room temperature for the season, but in winter you need to find a room for it where the temperature will not rise above 10˚C. If this is not possible, and the plant will overwinter in warm room, then at least try to ensure that it gets enough light: some lovers complain that over the winter their echeveria has stretched out and its stems have become bare, and the reason for this trouble is poor lighting high temperature air.

Watering and feeding echeveria

Water the echeveria with settled or filtered water. room temperature when the substrate in the pot is completely dry. With more frequent watering, there is a risk of rotting of the lower leaves and roots of the echeveria.

Make sure that water does not stagnate at the stem and that excess flows freely from the pot. If echeveria at home begins to feel thirsty, its leaves will become soft and begin to wrinkle.

As for air humidity, echeveria, like all succulents, is indifferent to this indicator. She does not need and even harm both spraying and washing in the shower.

In the photo: Growing echeveria in a pot in an apartment

Care must be taken when feeding echeveria, since excess fertilizer in the substrate stimulates putrefactive processes in the leaves. Mineral complexes for cacti in the form of solutions they are added to the substrate once a month during the period of active growth. At the beginning of autumn, feeding is stopped. If you often update the soil in the pot, then you don’t have to fertilize it at all.

Transplantation and propagation of echeveria

Young echeverias need to change the pot and substrate every spring; for adult plants, it is enough to change the pot and soil once every 3-4 years. Echeveria pots must have drainage holes. First, a layer of drainage material - pebbles or expanded clay - is placed in a shallow pot, after which the plant is transferred from the old pot to a new one and the free space is filled with a soil mixture consisting of loamy soil(3 parts), peat (1 part), expanded clay (1 part) and charcoal (a handful).

If echeveria has already settled in your apartment, you can propagate it using vegetative methods, which are easier to implement and more reliable than growing from seeds. For example, with stem cuttings: in mid-March apical cuttings with several leaf rosettes, they are separated from the mother plant and easily pressed into soil made of sand and a small amount of compost soil. Keep rooting cuttings in bright light and a temperature of 22-24 ° C, moistening the soil from time to time. Echeveria cuttings take root in 7-10 days, after which they are transplanted into permanent pots.

In indoor floriculture, propagation of echeveria by leaf is also practiced, but this method requires experience and skill, because you need to be able to separate the large lower leaves from the plant without damage. The leaves are dried for several hours, then placed horizontally on the sand and the soil is regularly moistened, preventing it from becoming waterlogged. The roots will begin to appear in a month, but a full-fledged plant will form only after 3-4 months.

Echeveria pests and diseases

Echeveria diseases and their treatment

In excessively wet soil, echeveria can suffer from fungal diseases. To prevent this from happening, try to balance the moisture content of the substrate by allowing the Echeveria soil to dry out between waterings.

All other troubles that may arise are also a consequence of incorrect content or poor care. For example, fragile stems which have begun to turn gray or even black - a sign of excessive soil moisture against the background of low air temperature in the room; an elongated, loose rosette is a symptom of poor lighting.

If Echeveria leaves began to shrink, then this may be due to lack of moisture and lack of nutrients in the soil.

Shriveled leaves And sockets- a sign that the plant was not watered in extreme heat.

Types and varieties of echeveria

We offer you an introduction to the most commonly grown species and varieties of echeveria. The following types are popular in indoor culture:

A herbaceous Mexican perennial up to 15 cm high with oblong silvery-light green leaves up to 9 cm wide, collected in a dense rosette. The tips of the leaves are red.

In the photo: Echeveria agavoides

Also a Mexican succulent shrub, reaching a height of 15-20 cm. It forms a loose rosette of oblanceolate leaves covered with thick white hair with reddish-brown tips. The length of the leaves is from 6 to 10, and the width is up to 2.5 cm. The stem of the plant is covered with felt pubescence of a reddish hue.

In the photo: White-haired Echeveria (Echeveria leucotricha)

A plant with velvety leaves of a lush green color and orange-yellow flowers located on powerful peduncles. In the pubescence of the leaves and the color of the stem, this species resembles Echeveria alba, but differs from it in the obovate shape of the leaves, which can reach 6.5 cm in length and 4 cm in width.

In the photo: Echeveria pulvinata

Echeveria pilosa

A plant with a bare stem and leaves covered with delicate hair.

It reaches a height of 70 cm. Its leaves, covered with soft hair, are located along the length of the entire stem. Their undersides and edges take on a purple hue when exposed to the sun.

In the photo: Echeveria coccinea

A weakly branching succulent shrub native to Mexico, forming on the stem aerial roots in the leaf scar zone. The rosette leaves, 2 to 4 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, have an oblong-rhombic shape and are covered with soft pubescence. The edges of the upper part of the leaves are bordered with red. Red flowers with yellow petal edges reach a length of 3 cm.

In the photo: Echeveria harmsii

Echeveria desmetiana

Forms a rosette of bluish leaves. With age, its long stem becomes ampelous. In mid-summer, yellow-orange flowers appear on the lateral petioles of the plant. This species has relative shade tolerance and the ability to withstand regular waterlogging.

Mexican herbaceous perennial with lateral daughter rosettes. Its stem reaches a height of 5 cm, the leaves are oblong, up to 6 cm long and up to 1 cm wide, light green in color with a bluish waxy coating. The flowers are red-yellow.

In the photo: Echeveria elegans

Discovered in Mexico in 1976. This is a slow-growing, stemless species, forming a rosette up to 20 cm in diameter from beautiful and succulent leaves, bluish-white in color due to a thick waxy coating. The leaves reach 6 cm in length and 3 cm in width. Large orange flowers are also covered with a waxy coating.

In the photo: Echeveria laui

Mexican highly branched shrub up to 20 cm high with a loose rosette of obovate dark green leaves, reddening at the edges, up to 2.5 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide. The flowers of this plant are from 10 to 13 cm long, they are red on the outside and yellow on the inside. .

In the photo: Echeveria multicaulis

A succulent up to half a meter high with a loose rosette of bright green on top and pink on the underside obovate leaves up to 8 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. There are red stripes along the upper side and along the edges of the leaves. The flowers, yellow on top and red on the inside, can reach a length of 17 cm.

In the photo: Echeveria nodulosa

A plant with flat and not so fleshy leaves with a wavy edge. The stem of this species is shortened, the leaves are tightly pressed to each other: the flower resembles a head of cabbage. In mid-summer, up to several dozen flowers open in turn on 2-3 peduncles.

In the photo: Echeveria shaviana

Echeveria setosa

A herbaceous perennial, the stem of which reaches a height of 10 cm, and the rosette with a diameter of up to 15 cm consists of oblanceolate bright green leaves up to 5 cm long and up to 2 cm wide. The leaves are covered with long, sparse white hairs. The flowers of this species are yellow-red.

Echeveria, perhaps the best option For home grown, if the conditions are such that there is little space but a lot of sunlight. Plant several species in one wide flat pot or florarium - and they will create an attractive composition that will decorate a minimalist interior and will not require complex care.

Stone Flower

In the century before last, the book “Flora of Mexico” was published, illustrations for which were made by the artist Anastasio Echcheverria. And among the other flowers, this one stood out - it looked like a stone rose. In modern books on botany it is now named after the artist - echeveria (echeveria).

Echeveria belongs to the genus of succulents of the Crassulaceae family. Its dense leaves are collected in a low rosette from 5 to 30 cm in diameter. In nature, there are about 200 species of this plant; the main difference from each other is the shape of the leaves and their covering.

The leaves in the rosette can be either flat or convex, with a waxy coating or fluff that protects from the sun and frost. In addition, species of echeveria with purple leaf color are quite common.

Since the homeland of the plant is Mexico with its bright on sunny days, then wild species are almost all low with a short stem. In an apartment without a suitable light regime, echeveria can stretch out and lose its decorative effect.

Very often, echeveria is confused with a similar related plant, rejuvenated, whose homeland is Europe, the Caucasus and Asia. It is also called stone rose. Outwardly, it can indeed be difficult to distinguish them, but juveniles are much more frost-resistant and can be grown outdoors, unlike echeveria, which dies at temperatures below 6 degrees. Also, juveniles, compared to echeveria, have practically no stem.

Types of Echeveria and their main differences

Among the miniature species (up to 10 cm), the following common varieties can be distinguished:

• Echeveria graceful - a light green rosette of leaves and a peduncle of the same color with red-yellow flowers.
• Echeveria Derenberga - beautiful blooms orange flowers, and its leaves attract attention with their red edging.
• Echeveria bristlecone is a miniature plant whose leaves are covered with white bristles.

Among the high ones, the most common are:

• Echeveria crimson - distinguished by a strong stem, at the top of which there is a rosette of pubescent leaves, blooms with red flowers with yellow edges.
• Echeveria humpback flower - the stem is very strong and can grow up to 65 cm in height.

The most frost-resistant is Echeveria glaucosa.

In addition to these species, nature and man have created other beautiful forms of echeveria.

Photo gallery: Elegant Echeveria and other popular varieties

In adulthood, Echeveria humpback flower grows up to 65 cm in height. Echeveria crimson is distinguished by its large size and two-color leaves Echeveria bristlecone - a cute rosette of leaves with white fluff Echeveria Derenberg leaves have red edges. Echeveria Runyon's leaves have intricately curved leaves. Echeveria graceful is also called elegans Echeveria blue will withstand even light frosts

Home growing conditions - table

Planting after purchase and replanting

When purchasing a plant, choose healthy bushes, with a compact rosette, without signs of elongation or the presence of diseases. Since sellers grow the majority of plants in peat mixtures, it is best to immediately transplant echeveria into loose and light soil for succulents after purchase.

The root system of echeveria is superficial, so there is no need for deep pots - it is better to take a wide flat container. There must be drainage holes and/or a drainage layer of pebbles, broken bricks or expanded clay at the bottom - at least 2 cm.

It is better to use light soil for cacti and succulents, or prepare it yourself from 3 parts turf soil, 1 part sand and 1 part fine expanded clay.

Be sure to disinfect the soil, for example, pour boiling water over it and cool.

Young plants are replanted every spring, using the same soil, and the pot is only 1–2 cm wider.

During transplantation, you can propagate the plant by cutting off the lateral daughter rosettes and mature leaf blades.

Florarium with a mix of echeveria, juveniles or other succulents

A composition of several miniature succulents in a florarium will look very beautiful. You can make it yourself or buy it ready-made. As part of the composition, you can use not only echeveria of different types, but also cacti, Kalanchoe, crassula, and young.

Operating procedure:

1. Disinfect the glass container with alcohol.

   If the container and soil are not disinfected, the plants will be at risk of fungal infections, which develop very quickly in the limited space of the florarium.

2. Place a layer of fine drainage on the bottom (a quarter of the height of the container), then the same layer of soil, compact it a little.
3. Place the plants on the ground. Sprinkle the roots with soil and tamp down gently.
4. Place pre-boiled and cooled decorative pebbles, sand (you can buy colored sand) or pebbles for aquariums on top of the ground.
5. Decorate the composition with figurines or plant decorative elements.
6. Place the florarium in a place with bright light. Water less frequently than succulents open pots without allowing the soil to become waterlogged.

Care

Light and temperature

The most important factor for growing is sunlight. There should be a lot of it in summer and winter, otherwise echeveria will lose its decorative effect.

The plant is quite undemanding to temperature. In winter, it is advisable to lower the temperature to 15 degrees, but it can withstand lower temperatures, down to 6 degrees Celsius.

In summer, it is advisable to place echeveria on the balcony in direct sunlight - it is not afraid of burns due to a waxy coating or pubescence of the leaves.

It is worth feeding the stone rose once a month in spring and summer, using fertilizers for cacti and succulents according to the instructions. No fertilizing is needed in autumn and winter.

Watering and fertilizing

Although echeveria is a succulent, it must be watered frequently in the summer, preferably using the bottom watering method, through a tray, trying not to get any drops on the leaves. In winter, when the temperature in the room drops and there is a lack of light, watering is reduced to once a month or less.

Echeveria is fed only in spring. summer period liquid complex fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

Dormant period and flowering

Echeveria does not have a clearly defined dormant period; in winter it simply grows more slowly. But if you want to encourage flowering, be sure to give your rock rose a fall/winter rest with cool temperatures and little to no watering. Echeveria blooms mainly in summer, producing one or more peduncles with bell-shaped flowers.

If you do not collect seeds, remove the peduncle after flowering so as not to deplete the flower.

If the stem is stretched or the leaves are wrinkled, we eliminate errors in care

What to do if a flower is affected by diseases or pests

Echeveria is very rarely affected by pests, but in most cases it is a mealybug, which damages the leaf blades and eats up the roots of the plant. Insect colonies look like dirty cotton wool on the leaves. They are removed with alcohol-soaked cotton swabs or washed off with soap suds. In difficult cases, the plant and soil are sprayed with insecticides, for example, Aktara and Fitoverm are suitable.

If you overwater your succulent or there is a fungal infection in the soil, it will begin to wither and rot.. You can save the plant at the initial stage of infection by using Fitosporin or Trichodermin according to the instructions, but, unfortunately, it is usually possible to detect it only when it is no longer possible to help.

Reproduction

The simplest and in a reliable way reproduction is the separation of lateral daughter rosettes from the mother bush during spring transplantation. They are cut off with a sterilized knife, the sections are sprinkled with activated carbon, dried and planted in the ground the next day.

How to propagate echeveria from leaf or apical cuttings

If for some reason a stone rose does not form “babies”, it is propagated by cuttings: apical and leaf. The scheme of actions in these 2 cases is similar:

1. Cut off an older leaf from the mother bush as close to the trunk as possible, or cut off the top and free it from several lower leaves.

When growing echeveria from purchased seeds, problems usually do not arise either.

1. Plant the seeds in a mixture of sand and peat, deepening them no more than 4–5 mm.
2. Water with a spray bottle and cover the container with film.
3. Place the greenhouse in a warm, bright place with a temperature of 20–25 degrees. Periodically spray the soil with water and ventilate for half an hour every day.
4. After 2 weeks, sprouts usually appear.
5. In the phase of 2–3 true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots.

Echeveria blooming at seed propagation occurs at 3–4 years.

Echeveria is a succulent that can be grown indoors. People also know it as a stone rose or young rose (a garden flower from the same family, which can withstand low temperatures without problems, can winter outside). This flower is very unusual, it has many varieties that differ in the shape of the leaves, color scheme and coloring. There are more than 150 varieties of this unusual plant.

Description of echeveria and photo of an indoor flower at flowering time

General description of the Echeveria flower is a perennial plant with oval-shaped leaves, sharp at the top. Depending on the variety, they can be glossy, smooth, with fine pile. Flowering lasts approximately 31 days.

Family: Crassulaceae.

Homeland - Mexico, Argentina, South America, southern USA. Echeveria - succulent herbaceous plant indoor plant with a thick short stem. The leaves are juicy, fleshy, alternate, large, up to 15-30 cm long, which are often covered with a bluish-green waxy coating and form a rosette. The flowers are bell-shaped, numerous, yellow, orange, white or light red, collected in a complex racemose inflorescence. Blooms depending on the species from winter to summer

Inflorescences come in the form of a raceme, a spike, an umbrella, with many flowers that look like small bells. Flowering is quite long - 14–20 days. With natural or artificial pollination, fruit-boxes with 5 nests appear, in which small dark brown grains ripen.

Simple care and ease of propagation allow you to admire echeverias at home for a very long time. It is important to remember that you should handle them very carefully. Each leaf is covered with a transparent waxy film of sky-gray color; it is this film that absorbs all the beneficial substances and retains the liquid. If the shell is accidentally destroyed, the flower begins to hurt. But if this has already happened, and several leaves are damaged, you need to cover the plant plastic bag and keep it there until complete recovery.

Under natural conditions, echeveria begins to bloom at the end of winter; at this time the plants are very beautiful. Plants that are in room conditions, bloom around April. During flowering, the plant attracts great interest; the flowers look very impressive and unusual.

Echeveria is a fragile and vulnerable flower, quite unpretentious in care. If you follow the basic rules for its content, it will always please the eye and become the highlight of any composition.

Popular types and varieties of echeveria: photos, descriptions and names of varieties

In nature, there are many varieties of echeveria plants, up to 170. The most famous varieties:

Echeveria hump-flowered “Pearl of Nuremberg” (E. gibbiflora ‘Perle von Nurnberg’). Hybrid variety Echeveria humpback flower has leaves with a pinkish-gray tint, and over time creates an erect stem. Does not bloom indoors.

Echeveria "Black Prince" (E. 'Black Prince'). The hybrid variety of echeveria “Black Prince” is a rather demanding plant. light mode, often affected mealybug. The leaves are red-brown in color, flower stalks appear closer to autumn.

Unfortunately, not all echeverias can be grown at home.

Below are types of plants that do well indoors.

The most popular types:

Echeveria agave (E. agavoides)

Echeveria white-haired (E. leucotricha)

Echeveria Garms (E. harmsii)

Echeveria humpback-flowered (E. gibbiflora)

Echeveria blue (E. glauca)

Echeveria nodosum (E. nodulosa)

Echeveria bristles (E. setosa).

Take a look below at the photo with the names of Echeveria species.

Echeveria agave - this is a species that grows in one rosette 29 cm in diameter, has no shoots, or they are insignificant.

The leaves are long, triangle-shaped, with a smooth and shimmering surface. They have an intense malachite hue, with a scarlet color along the edge. In the middle of the rosette there is a yellowish-red peduncle up to 40 cm high.

Echeveria white-haired - a flower with silvery hair, which becomes brownish over time and reaches a height of up to 21 cm.

The leaves are thick, fleshy, rounded at the ends and collected in rosettes. The flowers reach a length of up to 2 cm and are orange-red in color.

Echeveria Garms - an indoor flower with small leaves in the shape of a rounded diamond. Each end of the leaf blade is covered in red. The flowers are small, reddish-yellow in color.

Echeveria humpback flower is a plant that resembles a small tree.

The stems are straight, sometimes slightly branched. At the top of the shoots there are rosettes with fairly large grayish-green leaves. Leaf plate convex below and slightly concave above. In August, a tall peduncle grows, almost 1 m, similar to a spike. The flowers have a yellow center and a dark scarlet border. It is from this plant species that many hybrids have been bred.

Echeveria blue - a small plant with many small rosettes. Wedge-shaped leaves, gray-blue color. The flowers of this species have a tangerine hue and are located on the side.

Echeveria nodosum is a flower with diamond-shaped leaves that are striped purple-green in color.

Echeveria bristles - a bush-shaped succulent on which it forms a large number of processes.

The rosettes are spherical in shape, in the middle of which there are many dark green leaves covered with white bristles. The peduncle reaches a height of 30 cm, and the flowers resemble small yellow-orange tulips.

Look at the photo, which shows the types and varieties of echeveria plants:

How to care for echeveria: watering, fertilizing, planting and replanting

Echeveria - attractive and unpretentious plant. A bright, sunny location is required throughout the year. In winter they are kept at a temperature of 10-14 °C. In summer, be sure to take it out into the air. Does not require high humidity. Substrate - ready-made soil for cacti or sandy soil with the addition of lime and leaf soil.

Watering is moderate. Echeveria does not tolerate excess moisture. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum. During the growth period, from March to August, the plants are fed with fertilizers for cacti.

Agricultural care for growing echeveria is quite simple. Plants need 12 hours of daily bright light. If there is enough of it, the leaves acquire a dense thickness with a red edge. The south side of the room is considered the most suitable for growing plants. If the plant was recently purchased, then it needs to be adapted to the sun's rays gradually to avoid burns on the leaves. In summer, the room temperature should be about 24°C, in winter – not lower than 7°C.

You should not use a sprayer to moisten, this can lead to rotting of the leaves on top. The plant prefers to be in a room with dry air. In the hot season, water as needed, when the soil in the pot is not wet. In winter, at low temperatures, watering should be reduced. If the air is warm, water as needed; the water used must be settled or filtered. The main thing is not to forget that when watering it is necessary to avoid getting liquid on the rosette with leaves, this can lead to its rotting.

Can already be used as soil ready mixture for cacti. Or mix river sand and ordinary soil in equal proportions, and use expanded clay or small stone as drainage. In the active growth phase, the flower can be fed. To do this, use special fertilizers for cacti. When it's winter outside, the plant doesn't need it.

Wide, not deep containers are used for planting echeveria flowers, since the root system of the plant is not deep in the soil.

Every year they need to be replanted, this must be done quite carefully, because you can accidentally damage the leaves if you touch them with your hands. If the plant is recently acquired, it is recommended to place it in another pot after a couple of weeks. Before transferring the flower to a new container, it does not need to be watered for several days. After transplanting, water the indoor echeveria with filtered water.

Propagation of echeveria by cuttings, leaves, rosettes and seeds

Propagation is carried out by cuttings, root rosettes, seeds and leaves.

Echeveria can be successfully propagated by cuttings. The leaf cuttings must be rooted in moist soil or coarse sand. After about 30 days, the flower will begin to take root.

Echeveria is quite successfully grown as a leaf plant. You need to separate the leaf from the mother plant. To prevent it from festering, let it dry for about a week. After this procedure, place the sheet outside on damp soil, in a room with a temperature of 25°C. When a small rosette appears, the plants need to be planted in different pots.

Echeveria can be propagated using rosettes. Separate the rosette from an adult flower and treat it with crushed coal, then dry it for 12 hours. Then plant it in wet sand. This type of reproduction is characterized by the earlier appearance of flower stalks.

Echeveria can be grown from seeds; this method is considered the most difficult. When the plant blooms, pollinate the flowers and collect the seeds from them when they are ripe. Next, you need to prepare the acidic soil for planting the seeds. They need to be placed superficially on the soil, not covered with soil. Place the container with the seeds in a sunny, cool place. The temperature must be at least 25°C, and high humidity is required. It is best to germinate grains in a container with a transparent lid and a good drainage system. Thanks to this method of propagation, you can immediately get many sprouts.

Look what an echeveria flower looks like in the photo:

Why do echeveria leaves turn yellow: diseases and pests (with video)

For preventive purposes, the flower can be treated with insecticides, which will help save it from pests such as scale insects. If the stem, leaves, roots become loose and soft to the touch and darken, then this may be a disease root rot. The leaves begin to shrink, turn yellow and crumble, and the plant dies. A very rotten flower cannot be saved; you can only throw it away, leaving more or less healthy parts in advance so that you can try to root them later.

To transplant a flower, you must definitely sterilize the container and new soil. Cut off all of the plant with a sharp knife. root system, stems, leaves even with slight traces of blackness, occupying 4 cm, which look healthy, most likely there are fungal spores there too. Sprinkle the cuttings with activated carbon, then dry the plant for about 6 hours and plant again.

Sometimes echeveria leaves begin to turn yellow. Most often this happens because there is stagnant water in the soil. If the lower leaves turn yellow, then there is no need to worry - this is a normal natural process. The leaves are simply replaced, the flower is preparing to grow new ones, and discards the old ones.

In winter, the leaves of the plant can sometimes dry out from below. When they fall off, new babies usually grow. If this does not happen, then most likely the reason is moisture that has accumulated in the soil. Sometimes the leaves curl, which may indicate improperly selected fertilizers.

Look detailed information about echeveria in the video: