Echeveria
Echeveria spp.also Echeveria elegans

Echeveria

Direct sunEasyPet-safe
6080°FComfort range
LowHumidity
Background

Echeveria is the classic rosette succulent — a tight, geometric whorl of plump leaves, often dusted with a pale farina you should avoid rubbing off. They ask for almost nothing except sun, and the most common way to kill one is kindness with the watering can.

Water only when the soil is bone dry, and always at the soil line — water sitting in the rosette is the fast route to rot. Stretched, reaching growth (etiolation) is the plant begging for more light; move it to your sunniest sill and the new growth will tighten back up.

Needs full sun on a windowsill. In low light the rosette stretches and the tight form collapses.

Care at a glance
LightDirect sun
WaterEvery 2–3 weeks; soak then dry completely
Soil mixGritty cactus/succulent mix for sharp drainage
HumidityLow
Temperature60–80°F
DifficultyEasy
HabitRosette
Mature size4–8 in across
PropagationLeaf or offset (pup) propagation
Watering & safety
How to water

Water the soil, never the rosette — trapped water rots the crown

Drought tolerance

Tolerant — forgives a missed watering and prefers to dry out.

Pet & child safety

Non-toxic and pet-safe.

The routine

Soak the soil, then leave it bone dry before watering again

every 2–3 weeks

Feed with a dilute succulent fertiliser

every 4–6 weeksGrowing season

Watch for stretching — a sign it needs more light

Check for mealybugs nestled between the leaves

Repot into gritty cactus mix when the rosette outgrows its pot

every 2 years
Watch for
MealybugsAphids