Echeveria Succulent Plants: The Golden Rules of Care
There's a reason Echeverias are a firm favourite among plant lovers. With their beautiful rosette shape and fleshy, colourful leaves, they are a true living work of art that brings a touch of desert elegance to any windowsill or desk. Echeverias are also fantastically low-maintenance, making them a brilliant choice for anyone just starting their plant journey or looking for a stunning addition that requires minimal fuss.
If you’ve recently welcomed one of our baby Echeveria succulents into your home, here is our simple guide to keeping it happy and thriving. Rather than giving you a list of how much it needs, it is time to develop some intuition.
The Golden Rules of Echeveria Care
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Light: The Secret to Colour & Form Echeverias are sun-worshippers! To maintain their compact, beautiful rosette shape and encourage the most vibrant colours, they need plenty of bright, direct sunlight. A south-facing windowsill is usually the perfect spot. If your Echeveria starts to "stretch" or get leggy, it's a sign it's not getting enough light and is reaching for the sun.
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Watering: Less is More This is the most important rule for any succulent. Echeverias are experts at storing water in their leaves, so they do not like to be overwatered. The best approach is to wait until the soil is completely dry to the touch before watering again. When you do water, do so thoroughly until water drains from the bottom of the pot. In the winter months, you can reduce watering even further.
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The Right Soil is Everything To avoid root rot—the number one killer of succulents—they must be in a well-draining soil mix. Our Echeverias come in a gritty, aerated mix that allows for good drainage. This ensures the roots don't sit in soggy conditions.
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Repotting: Don't Be in a Rush Our Echeverias are sold in 6cm "starter" pots, but they are happy to stay in this pot for a long time. These plants actually prefer to be slightly root-bound. You'll know it's time to repot when the plant has grown significantly larger than the pot, or you see roots coming out of the drainage holes. When you do repot, choose a pot that is only slightly larger than the old one to avoid giving the plant too much room and retaining excess moisture.
Final Thoughts
With a little bit of sun and a lot of care with watering, your Echeveria will flourish and continue to be a beautiful, resilient part of your plant collection.