The Echeveria Elegans “Mexican Snowball” is one of the most common and prettiest succulent or succulent plants in the world, so much so that it is known as alabaster rose.
And it really looks like an artificial flower, although she produces her own.
It grows quite quickly, and the most interesting thing is that it can be grown both in a pot and in the garden.
Oh, and it’s suitable for beginners
Origin and characteristics
Our protagonist is a crassulacea native to central Mexico, specifically the state of Hidalgo, whose scientific name is Echeveria Elegans.
It grows to form leafless leaf rosettes that reach up to 10 centimeters in diameter.
These leaves are round, fleshy, bluish-green and usually have a pink border.
The flowers are fleshy too, and they come out of a pink and very thin stem, and they are also pink.
The plant has a tendency to take little children, called stolons, so it is very easy to multiply it.
Let’s see how he takes care of himself.
Tips to take care of the Echeveria Elegans “Mexican Snowball”
Location
The Echeveria Elegans is a crass plant that should be outside, if possible in an area with direct sunlight throughout the day.
Now, you can have it in semi-shade as long as it is exposed to the sun directly at least four hours/day.
Of course, regardless of where you put it, accustom it gradually to the star king to prevent burning.
Indoors it does not grow well unless it is in an interior courtyard with a glazed ceiling, or in a very bright room (with natural light).
Soil
It can be both in a pot and in the garden the soil will be different in each case:
Pot: universal culture substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.
Garden: it has to have very good drainage.
If the land you have is very compact, do not worry. As it is a rather small plant you can make a hole large enough to fit a square block – of those that are hollow inside -, insert it into said hole and fill the hole with universal culture substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.
Watering
Crass plants such as Echeveria Elegans are very sensitive to excessive irrigation.
Your root system is not able to absorb so much water, not even to be in contact with it for too long.
For this reason, it is important that, especially if you do not have much experience taking care of succulents, you check the soil moisture before watering, since you have to let the soil dry completely between one irrigation and another.
How to do it
Introduce a thin wooden stick to the bottom:
If you take it out with a lot of adhered soil, you should not water it since this will indicate that it is still wet.
Weigh the pot once watered and again after a few days: the moist soil will always weigh more than the dry one, so this difference in weight will serve as an orientation.
Use a digital humidity meter: insert it closer to the plant and again further so that it is 100% reliable.
Dig about five centimeters around the plant: so if you see that the earth at that depth is darker than the surface, you will know that you should not water yet.
Anyway, to give you an idea, it is advisable to water twice a week at the hottest time of the year, and once a week the rest of the year.
During the winter you have to water less: once every 15 or 20 days.
Fertilizer
From the beginning of spring until the end of summer it must be paid with specific fertilizers for cacti and other succulents following the indications specified on the product package.
Propagation
Echeveria Elegans is multiplied by seeds, leaf cuttings, and stolons in spring-summer.
Let’s see how to proceed in each case:
Seeds
What you have to do is:
Fill a pot of about 10.5cm in diameter with universal culture substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.
Water consciously, soaking all the earth well.
Place the seeds on the surface, ensuring that they are slightly separated from each other.
Cover them with a thin layer of a substrate, and spray with water.
Place the pot in semi-shade.
Thus, they will germinate in 2 or 3 weeks.
Leaf cuttings
It is very easy to get a new copy from a sheet.
To do this, you have to take some leaves that are neither old nor new (that are from the center rows), let the wound dry for a couple of days and then lay them in a pot with a universal culture substrate mixed with 50% of perlite If you want, you can cover the area where the roots will come out, which is the one that was attached to the mother plant, with a little substrate.
In a matter of 1 to 2 weeks, they will emit their roots … and new little leaves.
Stolons
Stolons must be treated as cuttings.
You simply have to cut the ones that interest you and plant them in a pot with a universal growing substrate.
They will emit their roots in one or two weeks maximum.
Plagues and diseases
It is very resistant, but you have to be careful with mealybugs and mollusks, especially snails.
Both pests can be controlled manually: the first ones can be removed with a brush soaked in pharmacy alcohol, and the others can be taken and taken as far as possible (minimum 400 meters) from the garden, patio or terrace.
Temperature
From experience, I can tell you that it supports without specific frost problems of up to -1.5ºC, so it will surely hold up to -2ºC.
In the case of living in a colder area, it should be protected indoors.
Conclusion
The genus Echeveria, of the Crassulaceae family, is made up of almost 400 species of succulent plants originating in the area between Mexico and northern Brazil.
Its name is a tribute to the Mexican botanist Atanasio Echevarría (18th century).
Some species are: Echeveria elegans, Echeveria glauca, Echeveria runyonii, Echeveria agavoides, Echeveria pilosa, Echeveria pulvinata, Echeveria gibbiflora, Echeveria derenbergii, Echeveria setosa.
It is known by the vulgar names of Rosa de alabaster, Echeveria or Echeveria.
They are small plants without stem stalks that form rosettes of about 8 cm in diameter
It blooms from late winter to late spring.
They can be used to cover small surfaces, in a rockery or pots.
They are suitable for coastal gardens and large cities because of their tolerance to pollution.
Keep in mind that its growth is rather slow.
It is a very drought-resistant plant so the watering will be moderate waiting for the soil to dry very well before watering again. In winter minimize watering.
They do not need pruning or special subscribers.
The Elegans snowball is an easy succulent to manage, making it suitable for many uses outdoors.
As it produces a lot of offsets, it’s a great choice for a ground cover.
I hope this article was helpful if you have any questions please let me know.