Another rosette succulent on our list! The Echeveria mensa, commonly known as the Echeveria Dark Desire. This is a rosette in bluish to purplish-grey leaves. However, the bright sun makes it look even prettier by adding a blushed effect. The petals are closely spaced with wide bases, elongated shapes, and pointed tips.
These are easy to care for and a nice choice for both indoor and outdoor plantations. Moreover, the large rosettes (around 8 inches in diameter) and dramatic shade make it an admired one among succulent lovers.
Want to know more? This article is a summarized guide about the care and maintenance of the Mensa Echeveria plant.
Echeveria Mensa Classification
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae
Genus: Echeveria.
Species: E. mensa
Other Names of Echeveria Mensa
This plant is commonly known by different names;
- Echeveria Dark Desire
- Neon Black Pride
Genus Echeveria:
This is one of the most popular genera of succulents. The beautiful appearance and thick petals make them win the love of a wide majority. This genus of about 150 flowering plant species was even awarded an American horticulture award back in the 18th century.
Features of Echeveria Mensa Plant
Size
It stands among the medium to large-sized rosettes. The average size gets up to a diameter of 8 inches (20 cm )on maturity.
Leaves
The mature leaves are about 2 to 3 inches long with pointed, rather thorny tips.
Echeveria Mensa Flower
Rarely though, these peeps do bloom in the warm season. Typical Echeveria flowers in pastel shades grow on long stalks coming out from the center of the rosette.
Toxicity
Just like other Echeverias, this one too is non-toxic for us and kids. However, these are inedible. So, make sure you avoid health risks by not letting kids and pets mingle with the plants.
Echeveria Mensa Care
Let us have a deeper understanding of How to take care of your Mensa Succulent.
Quick Guide:
Water: Infrequent (after the soil gets dry).
Sun: Full Sun to Partial shade.
Humidity: Average.
Fertilizer: Monthly dose in spring and summer.
Water Requirement
The key to watering the echeveria mensa succulent is to avoid over-watering. The popular ‘Soak and dry succulent watering principle’ works well here also. Just water the soil to soak it well and let it get dry before the next watering.
Now, let us talk about the frequency. It is easy to understand that it depends upon the weather and temperature. For example, a person living in South Africa will water it much more than the one living in Canada.
As a general guide, about once to thrice is good in spring and summer. Howbeit, the plants get dormant in winter. Thus, the watering frequency will not be more than once every three weeks.
Important Instructions:
- Use lukewarm water and avoid chilled and tap water especially in winter.
- Wet and soggy soil is a perfect path to fungus and root rot. So, avoid watering unless the soil gets dry.
- Water standing inside the base of the rosette attracts fungus and pests. So, water the soil and not the rosette.
Sunlight Requirement
Full to partial sun is what these peeps need. Choose a well-lit window for the indoor pot. On the other hand, outdoor ones should be at a place with about 3 hours of direct sun with a partial shade later.
Although a Mensa rosette grown under good light gets a pretty tint. However, they are not enough hardy for longer hours of direct sun, especially in summers.
Temperature Requirement
Echeveria mensa like to stay warm. An ideal temperature range that keeps them alive stands between 25 to 50F.
Coming towards lower ranges, they hate it. A temperature below 20 F can not only freeze but can also kill your Echeveria. So, make sure you bring those inwards before the winter. This is a special guide for people in frosty regions.
Humidity Requirement
Echeverias are not much specific about humidity. The average moisture level in your room and area is enough for them in every season. However, the heating systems eat up the required moisture in winters. So, using a mild humidifier will be good in case you feel dry.
Soil Requirement
Echeveria mensa likes to stand in quick-draining growing mixtures. You can use some clean healthy soil from your growing zone. Adding some gravel on the top to enhance the drainage will be a good idea. Alternatively, visit the nearest nursery and get some packed cactus or succulent mix. This will be a preferable option for indoor plantations.
Fertilizer Requirement
A good quality house plant fertilizer is good enough to provide the necessary nutrition. Give mild doses in spring and summer preferably once a month. Moreover, Echeverias go dormant in winter with minimal to nil requirements after the fall. So, stop fertilizing right after the summer ends.
Over-fertilization is quite harmful to almost all plants. Thus, experts advise using mild concentrations, like half of the stated dose. This will save you and your plant from burning or killing your plant due to over-feeding.
Maintenance Requirement
Keep an eye on the base of the rosettes to avoid any standing water at the base. Also, dead and damaged leaves should be removed from the outer side to keep the plant healthy. Howbeit, make sure you don’t remove more than two to three leaves at a day. The reason behind this is that you obliviously don’t want to stress out the plant.
Repotting Requirement
Let your echeveria mensa grow for a year or two in the same pot. Or unless you need to move it to some bigger one.
Repotting is always done in spring and summer and never in colder days.
Hardiness Zone
The majority of the members of the genus are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9b to 11 b.
Echeveria Mensa Propagation
Just like others, this is also pretty easy to propagate.
Common propagation methods are as under:
- Division of chicks.
- Rooting the leaves.
Propagation by Chicks:
Echeverias grow baby plants attached to the parent. These are known as chicks or pups. These are cut separate and replanted at the desired place to make new rosettes. The ideal season of propagation is spring and summer.
Initial Care:
The newly planted chicks should stand in dry soil. After a day or two just use mild splashes to moist the soil. Follow this routine about twice a week for the initial month. Afterward, you can simply follow the care as mentioned in the previous section.
Propagation by Leaf Cuttings:
This is a relatively slow method, as the leaves will root to form the rosettes.
- Take a few leaves and place them on moist well-draining soil.
- Cover the soil with a lid to conserve the moisture yet to let the air pass through. You can also use a cellophane sheet with a few holes in it.
- After about four to five weeks, you will see tiny roots growing out. Pick them up gently and plant them in your favorite pot.
- Here too, you just have to splash some water initially. After about one and a half months, you can increase the water according to the growth level of the rosette.
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Summary
Echeveria mensa is a large-sized rosette-forming succulent, commonly known as Dark desire or Neon Black Pride. The leaves are bluish-grey with sharp pointed ends. In bright sun, the plant gets a brighter tint, looking nothing but prettier than before.
Common Echeveria Care is enough to keep this easy peep happy. Main requirements include infrequent watering and full to partial shade. In spring or summer, you can separate the pups and replant them for propagation. Also, this easy-to-propagate peep will even form a rosette merely by rooting and planting a few leaves.
