Another beautiful succulent with thick brightly colored leaves, the Echeveria Benitsukasa is here to adorn your surroundings. The rosette-forming Japanese hybrid comes from the famous Nodulosa or the Painted Echeveria.
The bright green inherited leaves have prominent deep purple tones, differentiating the plant from its parent. Moreover, place them in full sun and see the rosettes turning prettier, with petals getting a complete reddish-purple shade.
This low-growing, medium-sized succulent form is a nice choice for pots and containers in both indoor and outdoor plantations. However, the low tolerance towards cold and frost makes them a preferable option for easily movable pots.
Want to know more? Keep reading for a summarized guide about the attractive Echeveria Nodulosa ‘Maruba Benitsukasa’ plant.
Echeveria Benitsukasa Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Order: Saxifragales
Genus: Echeveria
Species: E. nodulosa
Hybrid: Maruba Benitsukasa
Genus Echeveria:
This is a genus of around 150 beautiful flowering plants with particularly thick and fleshy foliage. The majority of the members are popular for both indoor and outdoor plantations.
These are relatively easy-to-care plants, suitable enough for beginners. Their easy nature along with their beautiful appearance makes them win the famous American horticulture award.
Echeveria Benitsukasa Plant Features
Size
This beautiful hybrid gets a mature rosette of about 8 to 10 cm.
Leaves
The thick fleshy leaves of Echeveria Benitsukasa can get about 3 to 4 cm in size. The leaves or the petals in the inner side of the rosette are relatively smaller than the lower ones.
Flower
Just like the parent, Nudolosa Echeveria, this hybrid blooms with beautiful flowers on warm days. These are typical Echeveria bell-shaped flowers, growing on long stalk-like stems.
The plants are polycarpic. This means they may bloom and produce seeds many times a year and thus several seasons in their lifetimes. Flowers consume good energy from the plant body. So, experts recommend removing the flower stalks from weak or sick plants.
Toxicity
Echeverias are generally non-toxic for both humans and animals. Howbeit, it is always better not to let kids and pets mingle with houseplants. Moreover, don’t delay getting emergency medical aid in case of ingestion.
Echeveria nodulosa Vs. Echeveria Benitsukasa
The Benitsukasa hybrid is pretty similar to its parent. The only difference between Nodulosa and Benitsukasa is the purplish tint on the green inherited leaves of the latter. Also, if placed in bright sun, the leaves turn fully purple. This makes it look like an entirely different plant.
Echeveria Benitsukasa Care
Just like the other member of the genus, these are easy-to-care plants. Just the basic Echeveria care and it will be good for everyone including the beginners and the busy chaps.
Quick Guide:
Water: Infrequent (soak thoroughly after the soil gets dry).
Sun: Filtered to bright light.
Humidity: Average.
Fertilizer: Monthly dose in spring and summer.
Let us have a detailed understanding of each requirement:
Watering Requirement
This plant does well with the basic Echeveria Care. Soak the soil thoroughly and let it drain from the drainage holes. afterward, let the soil dry out before watering again.
The water requirement of the Echeveria Benitsukasa plant depends upon the environmental factors of the area. For example, the soil will dry out quicker in hot and sunny weather. So, it is better to understand the drying pattern of the soil according to your climate.
Experts suggest watering the plant once to thrice a week in the warm days of spring and summer. On the other hand, the dormant plants of fall and winter come up with minimal water requirements. So, watering the plant once every three to four weeks is enough to keep the sleeping chap alive.
Important instructions:
- Over-watering is harmful to all Echeveria plants. It attracts problems like fungus, pests, and root rot. The key to ensuring proper avoiding is not to water the plant unless the soil gets dry. To be precise, you can check the upper layer of the soil with your finger or insert some pencil in it. If it comes out dry, you know the soil is dry and is waiting for the water.
- Another important feature here is the temperature of the water. Hot and chilled water can destroy the roots of the plant. Lukewarm water is considered to be ideal, especially in the cold season.
- Standing water at the internal base of rosettes has the potency to become the dwelling places of pests. So, make sure you always water the soil and never the plant body.
Light Requirements
Echeverias are a bit particular about their sun exposure. Generally, they like to stay in full sun to partial shade. The plant must get around 3 to 6 hours of direct sun to stay healthy. Howbeit, longer durations of direct exposure especially in peak hours and hotter climates are harmful to the plant. This can not only burn the foliage but can even kill the plant.
In winter, you can simply keep them in some warm spot with the mild sun. However, it gets a bit tricky when it comes to summer. A well-lit corner around some east-facing windows is a nice option for an indoor plantation.
On the other hand, the outdoor plants need some suitable spots with a few hours of direct sun. However, if you don’t find a particular spot, simply opt for a bright shade.
Now, coming towards people living in places where they lack a suitable shade. Consider using UV sheets and fabrics to combat the fierce sun. This way you can help the plant to avoid direct sun and live happily in bright shade.
Soil requirement
Quick-draining, chunky and fertile soil is the key to growing your Echeveria Benitsukasa plant. Simple cactus or succulent mixes are easily available in markets and nurseries. On the other hand, you can also opt for self-mixed options containing materials like peat moss and perlite.
Temperature Requirement
Mildly warm climates are what your succulents like to dwell in. A comfortable room temperature for you is simply fine for your succulent plant as well. Precisely, a temperature range between 50 to 85 F is ideal to keep the succulent happy.
Just like the majority of other succulents, this one too is a non-hardy plant. A temperature drop below 25 F can not only freeze but also kill the plant. Thus, don’t forget to shift the outdoor plant to some warm indoor spot before it turns cold in the fall. This is more important for people living in colder areas.
Humidity Requirement
The thick fleshy foliage of Bentisukasa succulent helps it to stay calm in different humidity levels. In average climate conditions, these peeps don’t need you to do any particular effort for their moisture. However, the cold and dry days of fall and winter can introduce a lack of moisture and result in dryness.
The heating systems of our places suck up the required moisture from the air. This dry environment can put a toll on your Echeveria Benitsukasa plant’s health. Thus, it is better to use a humidifier to enhance the overall moisture level of your room. Also, a Pebble-water tray placed under the plant pot is another common method to maintain good moisture for the plant.
Fertilization requirement
Echeverias love to have some added nutrients. The key is to use a good quality fertilizer, every two to three months in spring and summer. The concentration should be mild, preferably half of the stated dose. This will help you to avoid over-fertilization which can burn the foliage and can even kill the plant.
The other important part of avoiding over-fertilization is to stop feeding after the middle of the spring. The reason behind this is the minimum nutrient requirements of the plant on cold days. Moreover, fertilizing the dormant plant is a perfect recipe to destroy it. So, make sure you never fertilize after the end of summer.
Maintenance Requirement
This and all the other hybrids of the parent Nodulosa are generally known to be hardy succulents. However, some of the nasty little creatures like Aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs can attack the plant. Hence, make sure to keep a regular check on the plant to notice and combat any issue at the earliest.
The older leaves at the outer ends may get damaged. It is better to remove them helping your plant to feel and look healthy.
Echeveria Benitsukasa Propagation
Just like the other Echeverias, the Benitsukasa Echeveria is also easy to propagate succulents. Let us have a look at the common propagation methods.
- Propagation through leaf-cuttings
- Propagation through offsets
Season:
The middle of the spring is the ideal time to start some new Echeverias. Make sure you never disturb plants in fall and winter or you may get nothing except lose your original plant.
Propagation through leaf-cuttings:
This is the easiest method of enhancing your succulent collection. Pluck a few healthy leaves from the rosette, forming a u-shaped cut at the lower end. Let them stay in some safe place for a few days to callous over.
- Place these leaves on the top of the growing medium. Prefer keeping the u-shaped cut downward, while supporting the leaves with a come stick. This should make a 45 angle to the growing medium.
- Place the setup in bright indirect light.
- Wait for about two to three weeks to see roots spouting out from the lower ends. This will be followed by tiny leaves growing out from the mother leaf. Also, splash the medium with some water once or twice a week. This will help to maintain the moisture for the new peeps.
- Let the mother leaves stay with the roots unless they are naturally dry and shrivel up.
- At this stage, you can gently take the baby plants out and plant them at your desired place.
Propagation through offsets:
These are tiny plants growing around the base of an adult plant. Attached with the parent through roots, these are commonly called puppies, chicks, or simply offsets.
Once you see some baby plants growing around your succulents you can try cutting and replanting them.
- Gently remove the soil around the pup and cut the connecting root between it and the parent.
- Now, take the offset out and plant it in your desired place as an individual baby succulent.
- Pups can also be separated during the annual repotting.
- Place it in mild indirect sun. Also, splash the soil mildly in the initial few weeks to avoid washing out the soil.
- After about two months, you can follow the basic Echeveria care, as mentioned in the previous section.
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Summary
Echeveria nodulosa ‘Maruba Benitsukasa’ or simply Echeveria Benitsukasa is a Japanese hybrid. This rosette-forming succulent gets a diameter of about 10 cm large on maturity. The thick green leaves with bright purple undertones make it the most attractive among the other Nodulosa hybrids.
The typical Echeveria needs full sun to partial shade in a warm atmosphere with occasional watering. These plants are generally non-toxic. However, it is better to avoid ingestion and contact emergency medical aid in case of emergency.
