Echeveria in the Flower of Life

The hot summer is the season when lotus flowers are in full bloom. Since ancient times, there has been a poem by Zhou Dunyi praising lotus: "I only love the lotus that grows out of the mud but is not stained, washes in the clear water but is not coquettish, is hollow inside and straight outside, has no vines or branches, and its fragrance becomes clearer as it spreads further away. It stands tall and clean. It can be viewed from afar but not played with." Its graceful flowers grow out of the mud without being stained, and its elegant character is admirable.

Among succulents, there are also many named "lotus", such as the Crassulaceae family has the genera Echeveria and Aeonium, and each genus has a series of varieties. Among them, the stone lotus is named after its rosette-shaped leaf disk that resembles a blooming lotus. It has many varieties and rich leaf colors. The unique leaf clusters resemble flowers but do not wither. They are like works of art yet have life. Stone lotus

Lotus in the fleshy world

characteristic

Echeveria is native to the dry areas of Mexico and northwestern Central and South America. It grows on the edge of the semi-plateau desert. It likes plenty of sunlight, a cool and dry environment, is drought-resistant, and is afraid of waterlogging. It has the habit of "dormant in the hot summer season and growing in the cool season" and is a "winter type" among succulents.

Growth habit

Plants grown in sunny places have compact shapes, thick and full leaves, bright leaf color, thick white powder and thick hairs on the leaves, and bright red on the tips or edges of the leaves, making them highly ornamental. When watering, follow the principle of "don't water unless the soil is dry, and water thoroughly when you do", avoid water accumulation in the potting soil, otherwise it will cause root rot. However, the air humidity can be slightly higher. When the air is dry, you can frequently sprinkle water around the plant to increase the air humidity, but water should not accumulate on the leaves, especially in the center of the leaf cluster, to avoid heart rot.

Avoid rain at all times, especially long-term rain, otherwise waterlogging in the soil will cause the plants to rot. During the growing season, apply decomposed thin liquid fertilizer or low-ammonia and high-phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer once every 20 days or so. Be careful not to splash fertilizer water onto the leaves. Fertilization is generally carried out in the morning or evening when the weather is clear, and water is poured thoroughly again in the evening of the same day or the next morning to dilute the residual fertilizer liquid in the soil.

Four-season care of succulent Echeveria plants

Spring and Autumn Maintenance

Spring and autumn are the main growing seasons for Echeveria plants, and they should be given sufficient light. Otherwise, the plants will grow too tall, the plant shape will become loose, the leaves will become thinner, and the leaf color will become dull. The varieties with white powder on the leaves, such as Snow Lotus, will have less white powder on them, and the varieties with hairs on the leaves, such as Jin Si Huang, will have less and shorter hairs on them. The red color of the varieties with red leaf tips or edges, such as Chiva Lotus and Jin Huang Xing, will fade or even disappear.

Summer and winter maintenance

During the high temperatures in summer, most varieties of stone lotus are in a dormant or semi-dormant state, and the plant growth is slow or completely stagnant. They can be placed in a well-ventilated place for maintenance, avoid exposure to the sun, control watering, stop fertilizing, and prevent the plant from rotting.

In winter, place it in a sunny place indoors. If the minimum temperature at night is around 10℃ and there is a certain temperature difference between day and night, you can water it appropriately and apply fertilizer as appropriate to allow the plant to continue growing. If you cannot maintain such a high temperature, control watering, keep the soil in the pot dry, stop fertilizing, and let the plant dormant. It can also withstand low temperatures of 5℃, and some varieties can even withstand low temperatures of 0℃.