Do you want to know about a low-maintenance, small rosette-forming succulent with beautiful rippled leaf edges? Just pay a little attention, because we are going to introduce a cute little rosette with artistic petals. Echeveria rosea is a small rosette-forming succulent plant popularly grown for its foliage.
The compact rosette has grey or greyish-green petals with pink shades on the ruffled lacy edges. The small pinkish bell-shaped flowers on a long stalk-like inflorescence make the rosette more attractive in the bloom season. This plant is a good choice for indoor decoration and will be a nice addition to your succulent collection. Let us learn more about the Echeveria Rosea succulent plant along with its care and propagation.
Echeveria Rosea Classification
Family: Crassulaceae.
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae.
Genus: Echeveria.
Species: E.rosea.
Genus Echeveria
Echevarria is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Crassulaceae. It was named after the famous Mexican artist of botany in 18th-century A.Echeverria Godoy and introduced by A.P.de Candolle in 1828. These plants are native to Mexico, Central, and Northwestern America. According to a report in the middle of 2018, the genus consists of about 150 species.
The plants are evergreen or deciduous in nature. Flowers arise on thick succulent and often prominently colored leaves. Additionally, the genus has been extensively cultivated and hybridized to form a vast range of plants. Moreover, a number of species and hybrids amongst the genus are winners of the Royal horticulture award.
Plant Features
- An average rosette is around 5 to10 inches in height and width.
- The leaves of the plant are small in size. A mature leaf is pentagonal in shape and around 2 to 5 inches in length with the same range of width. The edges are sometimes fine but usually lacy in a beautiful zigzag pattern.
- The plants are monocarpic in nature and the flowering starts at the peak of the age.
- The growing speed of the plant is very slow.
Echeveria Rosea Flowers
- The inflorescence is large and showy. The flowers are non-succulent and a single plant may have several blooms. Numerous small bell-shaped flowers with thin and fibrous petals grow on a long stalk coming out tall near the center of the plant body.
- Each flower is around 1 to 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.
- The length of the stalk is about 3 to 8 inches.
- The season of bloom is spring and summer.
Reproduction of the Echeveria Rosea Plant
The majority of Echevaria members produce small baby plants around them, known as pups. These puppies are numerous in number and surround the mother plant, just as the chicks surround the mother hen. Thus, they give the particular name ‘hens and chicken’ to these succulents. The plant forms chicks or pups after its maturity or the peak of its life. These plants usually live a short life after the production of pups.
Echeveria Rosea Care
Being a typical succulent, the Rosea Echeveria plant does not need much of your attention. Let us have a look at the care and basic requirements of the plant.
Water Requirement
The plant needs an average to a little amount of water. Soak the soil by watering sparingly about twice a week in summer and once a week in winter. Be careful in winter and avoid giving cold water to the plant. Make sure the soil is dry before you water again. Don’t leave the plant wet for long as it will lead to plant issues like fungus and rot.
Succulents are usually drought tolerant. Thus, the plant can survive a good number of days without water.
Sunlight Requirement
Bright indirect light and partial shade are ideal for the plant. Avoid exposing the plant to too long hours of direct bright sunlight, as it may burn the foliage.
If you are transferring an indoor growing plant to an outdoor, expose it to gradually increasing intensities of sunlight. This will help the plant to adapt to bright light and will not scorch the plant.
A compact rosette is a sign of adequate sunlight exposure. In the absence of light, the plant body will be tall and spindly.
Temperature Requirement
The optimum temperature range for the plant is 65 to 75 F.
Generally, they don’t bear extreme temperatures and are not frost hardy. So, we recommend keeping them in a warm place indoors. They are outdoor winter hardy only in warmer zones.
Humidity Requirement
The plants can bear a range of humidity levels. However, they prefer moderate to low levels of humidity.
Substrate Requirement
Ordinary soil of the zone is suitable for the plant. The plant needs moist and well-drained soil for the plant. Alternatively, you can use a packed succulent soil mixture for your pot.
Fertilizer Requirement
Succulents usually grow great in soil without requiring any particular fertilizer. However, you can use a mild liquid succulent fertilizer in the growing season preferably when the plant is in bloom. It is better to avoid fertilizing the plant when it goes dormant in winter. In addition, you can also add organic matter like compost to your soil.
Growth Zone
The E. Rosea belongs to USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11.
Echeveria Rosea Propagation
These plants can be propagated by the following methods;
- Seeds.
- Pups.
- Leaf-cuttings.
Propagation by Seeds
The seeds can be collected by letting the flower head dry on the plant and collecting the seeds later. However, these slow-growing Rosea Echeveria plants will take more than a year to get a mature and decorative look.
Propagation by Division of Chicks/ Pups
The best method to propagate the Hen and Chickens succulents is by the division of the chicks or the pups. Just make sure the chick gets at least tow-third of the size of its mother before you separate them.
Gently cut the chicks from the plant and plant them in moist soil. Keep the plant in a warm place in indirect sunlight and frequently spray the plant. The baby plants need moist soil in the beginning. However, after about two to three months, you can reduce the watering up to once or twice a week according to the soil conditions.
Propagation by Leaf Cuttings
Just use the old leaves or cut fresh leaves and bury them in moist and well-drained soil. Roots will appear after about three to four weeks.
Echeveria Texensis Rosea
This is another plant belonging to the genus Echeveria. This plant usually forms a pink or greyish-rosette of 5 to 8 inches in size with thick succulent leaves having pinkish pointed tips. You can see this plant in different colors like light pink, light purple, or greyish-green. It is important to mention here, that the color of this plant varies widely among the species. The atmospheric conditions also affect the plant color.
Similar to the E.rosea, the plant has prominent inflorescence on a long stalk supporting 3 to 12 small flowers. The pink bell-shaped flowers have numerous close-grown fibrous petals.
The basic difference between the Echeveria Rosea and Echeveria texensis Rosea plant is their leaf pattern. The E.rosea has ruffled leaf edges while the Texensis leaves have plane edges with pointed tips. The Echeveria texensis Rosea Care and Propagation are somewhat similar to that of the E. Rosea plant.
Summary
Echeveria Rosea is a small rosette-forming succulent belonging to the genus Echeveria. The plant is popularly grown for its foliage. The 5 to 8 inches rosette is usually greyish-green in color with pink ruffled edges. The mature plant blooms flowers with long stalk-like inflorescence.
In addition, the plants produce attached baby plants or chicks which can be separated for propagation. Echeveria texensis Rosea is another plant with plane edges and pointed leaf tips. The texensis have somewhat similar care and basic requirements as that of the E.rosea plant.
