Echeveria care: keeping the rosette tight

Echeveria keeps its tight rosette only in sun: give it 4–6 hours of direct light, water by soaking and then letting the soil dry completely, and grow it in a gritty mix. Water under the rosette, never into it, because water in the center rots the growing point. Winter is best cool and bright at 50–60°F with water every 3–5 weeks. It propagates easily from leaves or offsets, and ASPCA lists it as safe for cats and dogs.

What echeveria is

Echeverias are succulents in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae) from Mexico and Central America. The NC State Extension Plant Toolbox puts the genus at nearly 200 species plus many hybrids. Leaves are fleshy, arranged in a rosette and often covered in a powdery blue-gray wax. Per the RHS, most potted echeverias reach 4–20 inches in height and spread.

"Hens and chicks" is also used for sempervivum, a cold-hardy outdoor rosette; the care below is for indoor echeveria. General group rules are on our succulents page; this page covers what is specific to echeveria.

Light: the key to a tight rosette

The Missouri Botanical Garden succulent factsheet gives at least 4 hours of bright direct light a day as the minimum. RHS, writing for darker British conditions, asks for bright light and warns that warmth in winter makes rosettes weak and spindly.

MBG cautions that a plant moved from shade straight into full sun bleaches and burns; make the change over 1–2 weeks. Turn the pot every week or two so the rosette doesn't lean. In winter a grow light 6–12 inches above the rosette makes up the difference. More in our light guide.

Watering: under the rosette, only when dry

The soil must dry completely between waterings. MBG names overwatering as the most frequent cause of succulent problems and recommends no more than one watering a month in winter.

1. Push a wooden skewer to the bottom of the pot; it should come out dry.
2. Pour water at the rim until it drains, or set the pot in a tray of water for 15–20 minutes.
3. Empty the saucer.
4. If water lands in the rosette, blot it with a paper towel.

RHS notes that fluoride in tap water can damage the leaves and suggests rainwater where possible; distilled water also works. Water sooner if the lower leaves soften slightly and the pot feels light; later if it is cloudy, cool or freshly repotted. More in watering.

Temperature and winter

A cool, dry winter keeps the rosette compact and helps some species bloom. Cold plus wet soil is far more dangerous than cold plus dry, so the cooler the sill, the less you water. Echeverias can summer outdoors in a bright, sheltered spot, but bring them in before nights drop to 50°F, and protect them from rain, which collects in rosettes. See winter care.

The powdery coating and red edges

Blue-gray echeverias are covered in a matte wax called farina. It reduces water loss and protects against sunburn, and once rubbed off it does not return on that leaf. So don't wipe, mist or handle the leaves more than necessary.

Red tips and edges in sun and cool weather are protective pigment, not disease. The same plant in shade is plain green or gray.

Why echeveria stretches and how to fix it

Stretching is permanent: an elongated stem never gets shorter. The fix is to behead and re-root.

1. In spring, move the plant to its sunniest spot.
2. With a clean sharp knife, cut the rosette off with 1/2–1 inch of stem.
3. Snap off lower leaves that get in the way; use them for propagation.
4. Let the cut dry 3–7 days until sealed.
5. Set the rosette on dry gritty mix; first watering after 7–10 days.
6. Leave the stump in the sun: it often sprouts 2–5 new rosettes.

Causes and fixes for all plants are under leggy plants.

Propagation from leaves and offsets

MBG suggests letting offsets dry a couple of days after removing them and then keeping the mix lightly moist for about 4 weeks. For leaves:

1. Rock a healthy lower leaf side to side so it comes off whole, base included.
2. Let it dry 2–7 days in bright light without direct sun.
3. Lay leaves on dry gritty mix, base touching the surface, not buried.
4. Once roots appear, mist the soil surface every 3–5 days.
5. A rosette forms at the base in 1–2 months; the mother leaf dries up on its own.
6. Pot up babies when the rosette reaches about an inch.

Roots usually appear in 2–4 weeks; slower in winter. A leaf torn halfway, without its base, usually fails. Offsets at the base of the rosette can be cut off in spring once they have 6–8 leaves, dried 1–2 days and potted separately. More in propagation.

Soil, pots and repotting

RHS recommends a gritty, fast-draining cactus compost and a pot with plenty of drainage holes; MBG suggests two parts sand to one part potting mix. A practical mix is cactus soil and perlite or pumice half and half. See soil.

1. Repot in spring every 2–3 years or when the rosette reaches the pot edge.
2. Use a shallow pot about 1 inch wider than the old one, as MBG suggests.
3. Repot a dry plant into dry mix.
4. Remove old dry lower leaves and check roots for root mealybugs.
5. Wait 5–7 days before the first watering.

General technique in repotting and pots.

Fertilizer

MBG recommends feeding succulents only from March to October at one quarter to one half of the usual houseplant rate. For echeveria, a cactus and succulent fertilizer once a month is plenty. No fertilizer in winter or right after repotting. Extra nitrogen makes the rosette loose and green. See fertilizer.

Crown rot and root rot

As long as the top or a few firm leaves survive, the plant can be restarted. If the whole rosette and stem are black, start over from leaves. More in root rot.

Flowering

RHS describes echeveria flowers as small bells, usually yellow or pink, on a long stalk. E. elegans blooms with pink bells tipped yellow on stalks up to 10 inches; other species and hybrids bloom anywhere from winter to summer. Bright light and a cool, dry winter trigger blooms.

The stalk grows from a leaf axil, not the center, so the rosette survives flowering. Cut the spent stalk at its base. On a weak plant, cut the stalk early so it doesn't spend energy.

Normal or a problem?

Care by season

After buying

1. Remove dry lower leaves and inspect the rosette for mealybugs.
2. Check the soil: nursery peat is often wet inside. Hold off watering 1–2 weeks.
3. Acclimate to sun over 1–2 weeks.
4. In spring, repot into gritty mix if it came in plain peat.

Pests

The main echeveria pest is mealybug, including the root form. It hides between leaves and under dead lower leaves, so remove those regularly. UC IPM notes that the mealybug's waxy coating shields it from many sprays. Remove a few with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; for heavy infestations use a labeled systemic product per the label, with gloves and good ventilation. See mealybugs.

Common mistakes

• Watering into the rosette: crown rot in days.
• A winter watering schedule: roots and stem rot in cold wet mix.
• A shady shelf "for decor": stretched within 1–2 months.
• Moving straight into full sun after winter: white burn patches.
• Wiping or misting leaves: farina rubs off and leaves spot.
• A deep pot of peat: the mix never dries.
• A closed terrarium: humidity rots the rosette.

What does not work

• Cutting the stem shorter without removing the rosette. The only fix is to re-root the top.
• Misting for humidity. Echeveria doesn't need it, and drops in the rosette are dangerous.
• Fertilizer for stretching. The cause is light; feeding only loosens the rosette more.

How long until you see results

New leaves grow tighter within 3–6 weeks of moving into sun, but the stretched stem stays. A beheaded rosette roots in 2–4 weeks. A leaf-grown rosette reaches 1–2 inches in about a season.

Is echeveria safe for pets?

Yes. ASPCA lists hens and chickens (Echeveria elegans) as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. There is no separate data for every hybrid, but the genus is generally regarded as safe. Look-alike kalanchoes and euphorbias are toxic, so identify the plant. If a pet eats an unknown plant, call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435. More choices in pet-safe plants and succulents.