The right one The Echeveria Elegans - a special plant The Echeveria Elegans not only convinces with the overwhelming color and shape of the leaf rosettes, with its thick fleshy leaves it is also able to be easily cared for

The Echeveria Elegans - a special plant

The Echeveria Elegans not only impresses with the overwhelming color and shape of the leaf rosettes, with its thick fleshy leaves it is also able to store an incredibly large amount of water and can therefore easily survive in dry locations. Despite its low water requirement, you should pay attention to a few things when caring for Echeveria elegans. In this article everything is explained to you step by step.

History of Echeveria Elegans

In English, Echeveria Elegans is known by its elegant names. The thick-leaved plant is also called Mexican Snowball, Mexican Gem or white Mexican rose.

As the name suggests, Echeveria Elegans comes from the Mexican desert. It was described and named by Joseph Nelson Rose in 1905. The Echeveria genus includes a little over 150 different species and belongs to the Crassulaceae family. The species differ primarily in their size and leaf coloration.

The appearance of the Echeveria Elegans

This evergreen shrub with soft, hairy branches can grow up to 40cm tall. The leaves of the Echeveria reach a length of 2 to 5 cm, they look amazingly similar to a spade and are particularly striking due to their light blue-green colour. If the Echeveria Elegans feels comfortable with you, it forms an elongated, exotic flower between March and July. The Echeveria flower is pink.

The correct Echeveria Elegans location

When caring for Echeveria Elegans, the optimal location is very important. Due to the weather in Mexico, the Echeveria Elegans is used to a sunny and warm location. It is best to place them in sunlight for at least 4 hours a day during the growth phase from March to October. A south-facing window would be ideal here. The Echeveria is very sensitive to moisture, so a location in the bathroom or kitchen is unfavorable.

Tip: If your apartment is too dark and you still don't want to do without the fascinating Echeveria, try turning corners with little light into an eye-catcher with modern plant lamps.

Easy Echeveria care? Of course!

The Echeveria Elegans care does not differ much from the other Echeveria species. Here we present everything you should pay attention to when caring for it in detail:

Echeveria elegans substrate: Like in the desert

Echeveria elegans, which loves warmth and drought, needs loose and well-drained soil that is still rich in nutrients. cactussoil is particularly suitable here. If you don't want to buy cactus soil, you can mix 2 parts potting soil with 1 part sand and gravel or clay granules.

Tip: To prevent mold and rot when the rosettes are placed, you can apply an approx. 1 cm thick layer of bird sand or gravel to the substrate.

Echeveria Elegans Gießen: Just ignore it

Since the Echeveria is very sensitive to moisture, you should pay attention to a few things here. The soil should dry well between waterings. Fading leaf color is a sign you're keeping them too wet.

It is best to always water the Echeveria from below, this way you avoid water getting directly onto the leaves and thus prevent rot. Limescale tap water or rainwater is very suitable for Echeveria Elegans care.

What should be considered when fertilizing the Echeveria Elegans

Not only watering is important when caring for Echeveria Elegans, but also fertilizing.If you have just planted the Echeveria in the ground, you don't need to fertilize them at first

Echeveria only need fertilization from the second year onwards. Liquid fertilizer is suitable for this, which you can pour directly into the irrigation water. About every third to fifth time, you can give a weak concentration of fertilizer. Fertilization should be done from April to September.

Tip: You can also use some pond water as a natural fertilizer, the high nutrient content of the algae it contains can help your Echeveria grow

Does the Echeveria Elegans have to be cut

No, you don't have to cut an Echeveria. You can simply pull out dry leaves, you should cut off faded inflorescences with a knife. This makes caring for the Echeveria elegans all the easier.

Be careful! The sap of the Echeveria is poisonous, wear gloves to avoid getting the sap on your skin.

Repot Echeveria Elegans properly

You should repot young Echeveria into slightly larger pots every spring to encourage root growth and give the plant new life. You can comfortably leave older plants in the same pot for 2-3 years.

An indication that you need to repot them slowly would be the side shoots and offshoots growing to the edge of the pot. Newly planted plants should be pressed firmly into the substrate with great care, making sure not to damage the roots. You can find more about repotting here.

Propagating Echeveria Elegans? It couldn't be easier

So far so good, optimal Echeveria Elegans care also includes propagation. You can do this almost as if by magic, since the rosettes or offshoots are almost fully developed plants.

Propagation by offshoots

Step 1: Carefully detach the rosettes from the mother plant when it has a diameter of 2 to 3 cm. You should remove the lower leaves of the rosette so that they do not rot later on the substrate. Cut back the rosette stems to a length of about 2cm.

Step 2: Then put them in a pot with moistened succulent substrate. To promote rooting, you can sprinkle a thin layer of quartz sand on the surface.

Step 3: Place the freshly planted Echeveria Elegans in a bright, not completely sunny spot and water them just enough to keep the substrate slightly moist. After 2-3 weeks, the offshoots and rosettes are already rooting.

Propagation by cuttings

Step 1: You can also propagate the Echeveria Elegans with leaf cuttings. You use a leaf that looks healthy and fleshy and carefully separate it from the mother plant with a very sharp knife.

Step 2: Now place it in a flat bowl with a slightly damp substrate and sprinkle an approx. 1cm layer of quartz sand.

Step 3: Finally, place the cuttings uncovered in a bright spot out of direct sunlight and water enough so that the soil doesn't dry out completely. After about 2-3 weeks you will see small roots penetrating the substrate at the base of the leaf. After about 6 weeks you can put the young plants in a sunny spot.

Is Echeveria Elegans poisonous?

The sap of the Echeveria elegans in particular is poisonous, so you have to be careful when cutting and breaking off the fleshy leaves that the sap doesn't get on your bare skin. Unpleasant inflammation can result.So put the plant out of the reach of children and animals

The right room for your Echeveria Elegans

The most important thing in Echeveria Elegans care is the right place. It makes sense to place the Echeveria Elegans in a light-flooded and dry room. Depending on the brightness, place your Echeveria in the living room or bedroom with temperatures between 18 and 28°C. The bathroom and the kitchen are rather unsuitable, since the Echeveria does not tolerate excessive humidity.

What to do if your Echeveria Elegans is not well?

If your Echeveria's leaves are losing their color, you've probably watered them too often, too much, or are in a too dark place. Just let it dry completely and put it in a lighter place, it will recover there in no time.

As you can see, caring for the Echeveria Elegans is very easy, you don't need to cut them, you don't have to water them a lot and you can easily propagate them. Shouldn't your Echeveria Elegans stand alone on the sunny windowsill? Then take a look at our site and get inspired.

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