Echeveria SIMULANS, La Joya

Echeveria SIMULANS, La Joya - Similar echeveria, Echeveria simulans, Echeveria simulans 'La Joya'.

Echeveria is a large genus in the family Crassulaceae, comprising about 150 species of succulent perennials distributed in semi-arid regions of Central America, Mexico, and northwestern South America - from Texas to Argentina. The center of species diversity is concentrated in Mexico. Most species inhabit rocky slopes, screes, dry gorges, and mountain plateaus with good drainage and intense sunlight.

Echeverias are evergreen rosette succulents without a true stem or with a short leafy stem. The leaves are fleshy, with a waxy or powdery coating (farina), ranging from rounded to lanceolate, often with a colored tip or margin. In many species, lateral offshoots form over time, earning the plants the folk name 'hen and chicks'. The plants are polycarpic - blooming and fruiting repeatedly throughout their life.

The inflorescence is a single- or many-flowered cincinnus on an arched flower stalk rising from the center or base of the rosette. Flowers are tubular, nodding, usually in red, orange, or yellow shades, pollinated primarily by hummingbirds and insects. The fruits are small follicles; seeds are tiny and numerous.

Similar echeveria is a stemless, perennial, herbaceous, low-growing plant. The densely arranged leaves form a rosette and are covered with a grayish-pink coating. The flowers are numerous.

Echeveria seeds are small, brownish-yellow, dust-like, enclosed in small follicles. In view of the dust-like size of the seeds, rinsing and soaking are impractical - the substrate itself is disinfected before sowing: it is drenched with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried out. Additionally, after sowing, the substrate can be sprayed with a solution of growth stimulant (SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon). Scarification and stratification are not required. Seeds of cultivar plants do not reproduce the mother form true to type - the seed method is primarily used in hybridization.

Sowing is carried out in a soilless loose substrate for succulents (peat-based soil diluted 50% with coarse river or quartz sand) or a mixture of perlite with fine sand. The seeds are dust-like, so they are mixed with a pinch of fine sand for uniform distribution and spread over the surface without burying - seeds need light to germinate. The substrate is moistened from below via the drip tray or carefully with a spray bottle. The crops are covered with film or placed in a mini-greenhouse and kept at a temperature of 18-20 °C (64-68 °F) in bright diffused light. Temperatures above 21 °C (70 °F) reduce germination. The substrate is kept constantly moist; waterlogging is unacceptable. Daily ventilation is mandatory - seedlings are prone to fungal diseases.

Seedlings appear within 14-21 days, the minimum period being about 10 days under optimal conditions, with the maximum possible being up to 3 months. After germination, the cover is removed gradually over 1-2 weeks. The substrate is kept slightly moist - seedlings require more moisture than mature plants. Pricking out is performed after the formation of 3-4 true leaves, at 6-8 weeks after germination, into individual small pots with cactus substrate while preserving the root ball.

© Greeniverse. All rights reserved.

Echeveria is grown in the brightest possible light - full sun or very bright diffused light. Optimal placement is a south or southeast window; east and west are acceptable. With a lack of light, the rosette stretches, leaves become sparser, and farina fades. On hot summer middays behind glass, sunburn is possible - provide shading during the hours of most intense sun if necessary. Water is not poured into the center of the rosette - stagnant moisture causes crown rot.

The optimal temperature during active growth is 18-27 °C (64-81 °F). In winter, a slight drop to 10-15 °C (50-59 °F) is permissible, which promotes compact rosette formation and stimulates flowering - a cool maintenance period with day-to-night temperature fluctuations is necessary for flower bud initiation. Mature plants can tolerate brief drops down to -2 to -3 °C (27 to 28 °F), but prolonged frost is fatal. It does not tolerate freezing.

Watering by the 'soak and dry' method: the substrate dries out completely between waterings - the upper 2-3 cm (0.8-1.2 in) must be thoroughly dry. Water used should be soft, settled, and at room temperature. After watering, excess water is drained from the drip tray - stagnant moisture at the roots leads to rot. Species with pubescent leaves are watered via the drip tray to prevent water from contacting leaf surfaces. In winter, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a month, merely to prevent leaf shriveling. Air humidity does not play a significant role - the plant is adapted to dry air. Leaves are not moistened by spraying - this ruins the farina and provokes spotting.

A very loose, well-drained substrate is used: ready-made cactus potting mix with the addition of perlite or coarse sand (50-70% mineral components). The pot must have drainage holes, be shallow, and only slightly wider than the rosette diameter - echeverias prefer snug containers. The drainage layer at the bottom accounts for at least 1/3 of the pot volume. Repotting is carried out once every 1-2 years in spring; during repotting, lower dead leaves are removed. Fertilizers are applied once a month during active growth (spring-summer) with half-diluted fertilizer for cacti and succulents with low nitrogen content. No feeding is done in autumn and winter. Routine pruning is not required; spent flower stalks are removed at the base.

Vegetative propagation: leaf cuttings are removed with a clean twisting motion without tearing at the base, dried for 2-3 days until callus forms, and laid onto the surface of moist substrate without burying. Daughter offshoot rosettes are separated from the mother plant with a sharp sterile knife, dried for 1-2 days, and potted into individual containers.