Mexican snowball

Identification and origin

Echeveria elegans belongs to the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae, along with sedums, jade plant, and kalanchoe. It is native to Mexico, from the northeast of the country south to Veracruz, where it grows in dry habitats. The genus honors Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, a botanical illustrator for the Flora Mexicana. It is sometimes found under the older name Echeveria perelegans.

It is an evergreen succulent perennial that forms a dense, round, very regular rosette. The thick, smooth, spoon-shaped leaves are up to 2 in long and 1 in wide; they are pale blue-green to silvery green, almost whitish, and the stems are covered with a grayish powdery bloom. Each rosette rarely exceeds 4 in in height; with its flower stalks the plant reaches 4–8 in. By producing many offsets at its base, it gradually forms a mound 4–20 in wide.

From late winter into spring, long, slender, arching stalks carry five to seven bell-shaped tubular flowers along one side, pink with yellow tips. They attract bees, butterflies, and, in the Americas, hummingbirds. The plant can bloom several times over its life. Among the selections, ‘Alba’ has pale green leaves that turn white with peachy-pink tints, ‘Hyaliana’ has leaves that shift to pink and purple, and ‘Super Clone’ has thicker foliage and larger flowers.

Light

Light is the key to success. Indoors it needs at least six hours of direct sun a day, in your sunniest window. Without it, the rosette stretches toward the light, opens up, and loses its compact shape; echeverias are especially prone to this. Full sun, on the other hand, intensifies the leaf color.

If no window is bright enough, a white fluorescent tube placed 6–12 in above the plants and left on fourteen to sixteen hours a day can supplement or replace natural light. In summer, behind south-facing glass, watch for a reddish-brown tinge on the leaves: that is sunburn, so move the pot a little farther from the window. Outdoors it does well in sun or partial shade.

Watering

Too much water is the most common cause of failure. During active growth, from spring through late summer, water thoroughly until water runs out of the bottom of the pot, then empty the saucer about fifteen minutes later. Then wait until the mix is completely dry before watering again; check it with a finger, well below the surface.

In winter the plant is resting: water only enough to keep the leaves from puckering. It does not need humidity, and misting should be avoided.

Potting mix

It needs a loose, very fast-draining mix close to the soils of its native habitat: a peat-free, soil-based mix with added grit, or a blend of potting soil and sand. A cactus mix also works, provided it has no fertilizer already added. pH matters little. The pot absolutely must have a drainage hole: the small decorative bowls without one, often used for succulent arrangements, hold water around the roots.

Its nutrient needs are low. During active growth only, apply a cactus or houseplant fertilizer at half strength two to four times, choosing one that is low in nitrogen.

Temperature

Ordinary household temperatures suit it: 61–75 °F during the day, with nights between 39 °F and 61 °F. It grows best when nights are noticeably cooler than days. In winter, give it a cooler rest, still in full light, with less water and no fertilizer.

It tolerates low temperatures but not freezing: in a pot, do not let it drop below 41 °F. In the ground it is grown only in USDA zones 9a to 11b; elsewhere, bring it indoors before the first frost. It handles heat and drought well.

In summer, a stay outdoors makes it more vigorous. Acclimate it gradually over two weeks, leaving it out a little longer each day and avoiding midday sun at first, and keep an eye on its water needs, which are higher outdoors.

Repotting

Repot when the clump of rosettes spills over the pot, preferably as growth resumes. This echeveria is most often grown in shallow pots, always with drainage; its roots are shallow and delicate, so handle them gently. In a mixed planting of succulents, one plant often ends up crowding out the others; separate any that are struggling or taking over and give them their own pot.

Pruning

No pruning is needed. With age, the lower leaves dry up and fall, and a bare stem appears beneath the rosette. To rejuvenate a plant that has grown leggy, cut off the rosette with a short piece of stem, let the cut dry, and replant it: it will root in a fast-draining mix.

Propagation

It is one of the easiest succulents to propagate, preferably in spring:

• Offsets: detach the small rosettes that form at the base of the mother plant and set them on a very fast-draining mix; they root readily.
• Rosette or stem cuttings: cut off a rosette with a short piece of stem, let the wound air-dry, then insert the base into barely moist sand.
• Leaf cuttings: remove a whole leaf and lay it on the mix. A small rosette forms at its base while the old leaf gradually withers.

Water very lightly until roots appear, then move the young plant into a succulent mix. It can also be grown from fresh seed sown as soon as it is ripe.

Common problems

• Stretched rosette, widely spaced leaves: not enough direct light.
• Plant suddenly collapses: root rot from overwatering or a mix that does not drain.
• Puckered leaves: lack of water, especially during active growth.
• Reddish-brown patches on exposed leaves: sunburn behind glass.
• Pests: mealybugs, aphids, and vine weevils; check the center of the rosettes and the base of the plant, and look at the roots when repotting.

The same symptom can have several causes: always look at light, watering, temperature, and the condition of the roots together. Planted in the ground in mild climates, its offsets can make it invasive, so keep it away from natural areas.

Toxicity

Mexican snowball is listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, and no toxicity to people has been reported.