Echeveria AGAVOIDES, Villa Zaragoza

Echeveria AGAVOIDES, Villa Zaragoza - Echeveria agavoides 'Villa Zaragoza', Echeveria agavoides Villa Zaragoza.

Echeveria is a large genus in the family Crassulaceae, numbering 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 illumination.

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 daughter offsets form over time, for which the plants received the popular name "hen and chicks". The plants are polycarpic - blooming and fruiting repeatedly throughout their entire life.

The inflorescence is a single- or multi-flowered winding cyme on an arched peduncle rising from the center or base of the rosette. The flowers are tubular, nodding, usually in red, orange, or yellow shades, pollinated predominantly by hummingbirds and insects. The fruits are small follicles; the seeds are small and numerous.

Echeveria agavoides is a succulent shrubby plant with a strongly shortened or completely absent stem, on which dense rosettes of light green leaves with a red tint are formed. Triangular-oval leaves, 3-9 cm (1.2-3.5 in) long and 5-6 cm (2-2.4 in) wide, are covered with a waxy coating, pointed at the tips, and with translucent margins. In late spring to early summer, Echeveria agavoides produces numerous red-yellow rounded-bell-shaped flowers up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long, gathered in terminal inflorescences 30-40 cm (12-16 in) high, emerging from the very center of the rosettes.

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

Sowing is performed in a soil-free loose substrate for succulents (peat-based soil is diluted by 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 even distribution and laid out over the surface without burying - seeds need light for germination. The substrate is moistened from below through a tray or carefully from a spray bottle. Sowings are covered with film or placed in a mini-greenhouse and kept at a temperature of 18-20 °C (64-68 °F) in bright indirect light. Temperatures above 21 °C (70 °F) reduce germination. The substrate is kept constantly moist; waterlogging is impermissible. Daily ventilation is mandatory - seedlings are prone to fungal diseases.

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

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Echeveria is grown in the brightest possible light - full sun or very bright indirect light. The optimal placement is a south or southeast window; eastern and western are acceptable. With a lack of light, the rosette stretches, leaves thin out, and the farina pales. In hot summer midday behind glass, sunburns are possible - shading during the hours of most intense sun if necessary. Water is not poured into the center of the rosette - stagnant moisture causes heart rot.

The optimal temperature during the period of active growth is 18-27 °C (64-81 °F). In winter, a slight decrease to 10-15 °C (50-59 °F) is permissible, which promotes the formation of a compact rosette and stimulates flowering - for bud initiation, a period of cool maintenance with temperature fluctuations between day and night is required. Adult plants tolerate short-term drops down to -2 to -3 °C (27-28 °F); however, prolonged frost is fatal. It does not tolerate frost.

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 completely dry. Water is soft, settled, at room temperature. After watering, excess water is drained from the drip tray - stagnant moisture at the roots leads to rotting. Species with pubescent leaves are watered through the tray so that water does not fall on the surface of the leaves. In winter, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a month, only to prevent wrinkling of leaves. Air humidity does not play a significant role - the plant is adapted to dry air. The leaves are not wetted by spraying - this spoils the farina and provokes spots.

The substrate used is very loose and well-drained: a ready-made substrate for cacti with the addition of perlite or coarse sand (50-70% mineral components). A pot with mandatory drainage holes, shallow, slightly larger than the diameter of the rosette - echeverias prefer somewhat cramped containers. The drainage layer at the bottom makes up 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. Feedings are applied once a month during the period of active growth (spring-summer) with fertilizer for cacti and succulents diluted by half, with low nitrogen content. In autumn and winter, they are not fed. Planned pruning is not required; faded peduncles 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 a callus forms, and placed on the surface of a moist substrate without burying. Daughter offsets are separated from the mother plant with a sharp sterile knife, dried for 1-2 days, and planted in individual pots.