echeveria checkup?
hello!
about a month ago, i purchased some new plants and i am just wondering if this echeveria is healthy?
when i purchased it, it was suffering from etoliation and had elongated leaves. since then, i’ve bought a grow light bulb (my home doesn’t have access to direct sunlight) and have been using it everyday. the previously drooping leaves started to stand up and are continuing to do so everyday.
is this a good thing or should i do something to make my plant happier?
thanks!!
about a month ago, i purchased some new plants and i am just wondering if this echeveria is healthy?
when i purchased it, it was suffering from etoliation and had elongated leaves. since then, i’ve bought a grow light bulb (my home doesn’t have access to direct sunlight) and have been using it everyday. the previously drooping leaves started to stand up and are continuing to do so everyday.
is this a good thing or should i do something to make my plant happier?
thanks!!
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@planterplanter Welcome to the Greg community! Well it seems as if you have already figured out what the main cause is for the etoliation of your Echeveria! Great job! What to do if your Echeveria is already etiolated:
Move to brighter light: Immediately move the plant to a location with more sunlight.
"Beheading": For severely etiolated plants, you can cut off the top portion (the rosette) and re-root it to encourage new, compact growth.
Propagation: Take cuttings from the healthy parts of the plant and propagate them to grow new, healthy Echeverias. Happy Growing!
Move to brighter light: Immediately move the plant to a location with more sunlight.
"Beheading": For severely etiolated plants, you can cut off the top portion (the rosette) and re-root it to encourage new, compact growth.
Propagation: Take cuttings from the healthy parts of the plant and propagate them to grow new, healthy Echeverias. Happy Growing!
@Ms.Persnickety thanks so much!
i don’t mind how it looks, as in longer leaves, but is it the best choice to propagate it and/or behead it?
just want to know what the healthiest option is for my plant 😊
this is also one of the first plants i have ever had, so i’m not very experienced with propagation or removing parts of the plant 😅😅
i don’t mind how it looks, as in longer leaves, but is it the best choice to propagate it and/or behead it?
just want to know what the healthiest option is for my plant 😊
this is also one of the first plants i have ever had, so i’m not very experienced with propagation or removing parts of the plant 😅😅
@planterplanter No worries Succulents are very easy to propagate. Well the easiest propagation is of course leave propagation. But if you go the stem cutting route you can use the leaves that will be left and use them as well. It’s a win win!! Here are a few tips. Key points about propagating Echeveria with leaf cuttings:
Harvest leaves: Gently pull healthy leaves from the rosette at the base of the plant.
Let them callous: Allow the cut end of the leaf to dry for a few days to form a callus.
Plant in soil: Place the leaf cuttings on top of well-draining succulent potting mix, ensuring the cut end is lightly touching the soil.
Light and moisture: Keep the cuttings in bright, indirect light and water sparingly until roots develop. Other methods include: Offsets or pups: Carefully remove small plantlets that grow around the base of the mother plant and pot them individually.
Stem cuttings: Can be used for leggy plants, but may not be as successful as leaf cuttings.
Seed propagation: Possible, but considered a more complex and time-consuming method. I hope this helps! I‘m keeping my fingers crossed 🤞!!
Harvest leaves: Gently pull healthy leaves from the rosette at the base of the plant.
Let them callous: Allow the cut end of the leaf to dry for a few days to form a callus.
Plant in soil: Place the leaf cuttings on top of well-draining succulent potting mix, ensuring the cut end is lightly touching the soil.
Light and moisture: Keep the cuttings in bright, indirect light and water sparingly until roots develop. Other methods include: Offsets or pups: Carefully remove small plantlets that grow around the base of the mother plant and pot them individually.
Stem cuttings: Can be used for leggy plants, but may not be as successful as leaf cuttings.
Seed propagation: Possible, but considered a more complex and time-consuming method. I hope this helps! I‘m keeping my fingers crossed 🤞!!
@planterplanter the long leaves are just the way the plant grows, not a sign of etiolation. Etiolation causes the stem to elongate and increases space between the leaves.
@planterplanter per the droopy leaves at the bottom, since those are the oldest leaves they will eventually whither and die. You can remove them when they start to go south by gripping the base of the leaf and gently twisting until it comes loose, or you can let them fall off on their own. Echeveria are VERY susceptible to leaf rot and powdery mildew, especially when the lowest leaves come into contact with soil, so I like to leave as much space as possibly between them at the soil. It's also best to bottom water echeveria for this reason. Air flow is also essential for minimizing the risk of rot/powdery mildew, so make sure it's not crowded too closely with other plants or right up against the glass of a window. Depending on the humidity level in your space, a small desk fan can really help 😊
@stephonicle thank you!! good to know!
as per your first comment about the leaves, is it normal for them to be raising like this after drooping (from lack of sunlight) ?
just want to know if i’m giving it enough (or too much) light!
as per your first comment about the leaves, is it normal for them to be raising like this after drooping (from lack of sunlight) ?
just want to know if i’m giving it enough (or too much) light!
@planterplanter honestly, it would be difficult to give an echeveria too much light, especially in the winter (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere). They're summer growers/winter dormant, and one of the most sun-loving of all succulents. In fact, the way people achieve super colorful echeveria in rich, stunning shades of purple, blue, orange, and so on is by "sun stressing" the heck out of them lol. So no worries in that department 😜
Issues like your echeveria's droopiness aren't typically caused by just one factor. Soil moisture, humidity level, temperature, air flow, light, etc. all play a role. Winter can be rough for summer-growing echeveria (because of them, I no longer view succulents as "low maintenance" plants lol). Good call on the grow light, for spaces with limited sunlight they're an absolute must. I recommend running them 24/7 and positioning them no more than 5-6 inches above your plant. You picked the ideal pot (terracotta, more wide than tall), so my only suggestion is to bottom water when the soil dries out (place pot in a saucer that comes up at least an inch on the sides, fill with the normal amount of water, dump out any water left in saucer after 30 min).
Issues like your echeveria's droopiness aren't typically caused by just one factor. Soil moisture, humidity level, temperature, air flow, light, etc. all play a role. Winter can be rough for summer-growing echeveria (because of them, I no longer view succulents as "low maintenance" plants lol). Good call on the grow light, for spaces with limited sunlight they're an absolute must. I recommend running them 24/7 and positioning them no more than 5-6 inches above your plant. You picked the ideal pot (terracotta, more wide than tall), so my only suggestion is to bottom water when the soil dries out (place pot in a saucer that comes up at least an inch on the sides, fill with the normal amount of water, dump out any water left in saucer after 30 min).
@stephonicle sounds good! thank you so much for the help 😊