Echeveria Elegans Plant Care

Imagine if it could snow in Mexico well. It does with the Mexican snowballs or Echeveria elegans. No, it does not snow, but when you see this succulent plant growing close together, it does look like snow.

Still, the Echeveria species is cute and looks great in desert succulent gardens. The best part is growing the hen of chickens, yet another name, as an indoor plant.

About Echeveria Elegans

The Echeveria elegans have a recognizable appearance featuring leaves in different shades, from light, silvery-green, to a purplish tint. The Echeveria plant grows a tight rosette with shoots up to one foot tall with a pinkish-red stem.

It gives a showy display of pink with yellow-tipped flowers resembling the shape of a lantern in late winter to spring. Many gardeners also refer to it as the Mexican gem. It is one show-stopping cold-hardy plant.

It spreads when you grow the Echeveria plant outdoors, creating a rosette’s carpeted ground cover. Therefore, it is an excellent plant to place in rock gardens or grow indoor containers. So, are you interested in taking care of this rare plant?

Then stay a bit longer as we provide you with some insightful tips on care for Echeveria plants?

How to Care for Echeveria Eelegans?

The Echeveria plant loves full sun with partial shade and can grow up to eight inches tall and 12 inches wide. The Echeveria genus is also deer-tolerant, but the leaves are very fragile, so handle with care.

Potting Mix for Succulent Plants

cactus soil mix

The most crucial part of growing Echeveria is the soil. We recommend using a cactus mix as it drains well and provides the essential nutrients your plant needs. We also recommend adding perlite to the mix for well-draining soil as the Echeveria elegans do not like wet feet.

But if you prefer making your potting mix, it helps to use one part potting soil with two parts perlite and enough coarse sand. The soil will hold enough moisture and prevent root rot from taking place.

Lighting Requirements for Echeveria Succulent Plant

Echeveria Elegans lighting condition

The Mexican snowball can grow in different light exposures, but it needs bright indirect sunlight to partial shade for optimal growth. Outdoors your succulent grows well in at least six hours of direct sun with shade most of the day.

Yet, full sun is not recommended in scorching climates as the leaves dry and the color fades. Indoor growing your plant can thrive in bright indirect light, but you can move them to brighter light if you notice stunted growth.

Watering Needs to Grow Echeveria Elegans

Compared to other succulents, the hens and chicks are drought-tolerant and low maintenance. Thus, your plant does not need much water to remain healthy. The best is to check the soil moisture before you water Echeveria.

Your succulents go dormant during the winter months and do not need much water. Nevertheless, we recommend watering your plant in the morning or the evening as the waxy coating on the leaves is sensitive to light.

Furthermore, when it comes to Echeveria care and water, you may find they need more watering in the growing season.

Temperature and Humidity

Echeveria Elegans indoor temperature requirement

The Mexican snowballs are hardy plants that can grow in different temperatures and humidity. Your plant will do best in moderate temperatures found in the home. Yet, never expose your Echeveria elegans to extreme heat or cold for a long time as it can damage your plants.

For optimal daytime temperature for your evergreen succulent, ranges between 55°F and 75°F are ideal. For nighttime temperatures, it should not drop below 45°F. A humidity level of 40% to 80% is perfect.

Fertilizing Echeveria Elegans

organic fertilizer

One thing your Mexican snowballs do not need is much fertilizing but will need feeding as they grow. We recommend feeding your succulents in early winter or summer. You can use a slow-release organic fertilizer at the base and water them well.

If you decide to use an all-purpose granule feed in spring, do not overfeed as it can result in fertilizer burn at the root ball.

Repotting and Pruning

When growing indoors in cactus soil, ensure there are enough drainage holes. For Echeveria care, you need to re-pot when you notice the roots poking through the drainage holes. Then, you can remove the plant but keep as much of the soil intact and transplant it to a new container filled with well-draining soil.

The Echeveria is a slow-growing plant, and pruning is not needed compared to other succulents. Still, you can trim your plant to give it a more compact shape, and best done in summer. We recommend removing one-thrid of the old leaves using sterilized scissors.

Propagation Mexican Snowballs

The Mexican snowballs you can quickly propagate from the offsets or cutting leaves.

leaf cutting propagation

Leaf Cuttings

  1. Select a healthy leaf from the firm parent plant. You can remove it with a twisting motion or a gentle tug.

  2. Also, try to remove the leaves with most of the stem attached.

  3. Leave the leaf for a few days to dry, fill a pot with soil, and water it.

  4. Place the leaves on the top of the soil and water sparingly when you see the soil dry.

  5. Once the roots develop and the rosette forms and the mother leaves withered away you can replant the new plant.

Using Offsets

  • Your Echeveria grows small offsets around the base, and you need to remove them from the soil.

  • Set them aside for the day to dry.

  • Fill a pot with soil and enough drainage and wet well and plant the dried offsets in a shallow hole.

  • Keep them moist and place them in bright indirect light and care.

Echeveria Elegans Varieties

In the Echeveria species, you find hundreds of varieties, but these are some well-known ones:

Echeveria Violet Queen

Echeveria Black Prince

This is a fast-growing Echeveria with silvery pointing leaves looking like a lotus. When stressed, the tips of the leaves turn pink. It can grow up to 20 different rosettes with white or grey-green flowers.

Echeveria Black Prince

everia Black Prince

The rosette form of the Black Prince is a deep green to brownish color, and you can quickly grow it indoors. But it can lose the black tint if it does not receive enough light and blooms a red flower in fall.

Mexican Firecracker

Mexican Firecracker

It is another slow-growing Echeveria with green leaves covered in tiny hairs. It spreads out like a mat when growing. It also blooms tall yellow to red flowers in spring.

Echeveria Elegans Diseases & Pests

While not susceptible to many insects and diseases, it can become the home of aphids and mealybugs in the soil. Both these pests suck out the nutrients in the plant, and the leaves can become black and sooty.

The best is to remove the plant and parts infecting your Mexican snowballs. Place your succulents in fresh soil and a clean container. You can remove aphids by hand, or you can use insecticidal soap.

Frequently Asked Questions

The lifespan of the succulent can range from three years to decades, depending on the condition it grows.

The lifespan of the succulent can range from three years to decades, depending on the condition it grows.

You can grow the Mexican snowballs indoors in a container, even if it is an outdoor plant.

The good news is even if it is a rare plant, you can find them at online nurseries or right here at Plantly. The best part is you can have it delivered to your home quickly.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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