19/10/2022
Caring for our Hybridised Echeverias.
Firstly all our Hybridised Echeverias don't do well in full sun or completely shaded areas. 5-6 hours of morning sun would be ideal.
It's very possible for them to flower twice a year, after the heat has past with daytime temperatures of 24C or 75F, & again once the temperature starts to warm up.
Don't plant them or have them in pots where the frost can severely damage the Echeveria or even kill the plant. If you are in a frost or snow area I highly recommend bringing the plants inside under grow lights & then return them after the weather starts to warm up.
Flowers appear on cymes(stalks) but are very small, most growers cut the cymes off as close as possible to the leaves to put the plants energy back into the plant. Well it's the leaves that are the beautiful thing about Echeverias.
The flowers will attract bees & butterflies if left to bloom.
Echeverias are draught tolerant. Rule of thumb when it comes to watering. when the soil is dry give them a watering, this can be every 5 days when the weather is hot, in moderate temperatures which is the Echeverias growing times 7 to 10 days will be fine, during the colder months you may only need to water every 14 to 30 days.
Above all check before watering that the soil is dry, if you think the soil is slightly damp, check again in 2-3 days. They will handle being dry than to wet, as root rot will appear very quickly.
Propagation can be done with a leaf taken off carefully or when pups start to grow at the base & of course by seed.
So how do we pot up our hybridised Echeverias?
We re-pot with bulk materials but this's how an enthusiast should do it with materials you can easily buy.
So
1▪︎ buy yourself a 20kg bag of coarse sand. If it's washed sand, great, but wash it again.
2▪︎ buy a bag of Cacti & Succulent mix.
3▪︎ buy a bag of Perlite.
4▪︎ buy a bag of seed raising mix.
You can buy all these at a nursery or even at Bunnings.
So grab a pot that fits into the bag.
The ratio you'll need is;
3 scoops of sand
1 scoop of Cacti & Succulent mix
1 scoop of Seed Raising mix
1 scoop of Perlite
Now that you've made your mix you will need to sterilise the mix.
You can do this via oven or microwave.
Oven: Place in baking dish & cover with foil. Bake at 110C or 230F for 30 minutes or until soil reaches 80C or 180F.
Make sure the soil is cool before potting with.
Now put this in a clean sterilised container or a sterilised wheelbarrow.
Give the soil a bot of a spray with water from your spray bottle or if you have a hose attachment with a misting nozzle. Not wet just so it's damp.
Give it a good mix, don't forget the edges & corners.
Fill your pot to the top, don't compact it in,
Make a hole with your finger,
Trim the roots, we trim root to half the mass,
Place in hole, use your thumbs on each side of your plant, now press done so the soil now holds the plant firmly.
Place plant out of direct sunlight for 7 days, DON'T WATER.
After 7 days give them a drink of water but not from the top but around the plant. If water has made its way onto the leaves, grab your succulent puffer or you can just blow the water off.
Don't wipe it off with your fingers or a cloth. This could damage the plant.
Place in a shaded position or under shade cloth with a grade of 50% for 5 to 6 weeks, then they're ready for the filtered light position or 30% shade cloth.
With hybridised Echeverias they become more sensitive to the sun, they'll burn a lot easier than the average Echeveria.
Happy hybridised planting👍
