Echeveria laui is a species of flowering succulent plant native to Mexico. It is a member of the Crassulaceae family, which includes a wide variety of popular succulent plants such as jade plants, stonecrops, and sedums. Echeveria laui is known for its attractive rosette shape and distinctive blue-gray leaves, which give it a unique appearance.
Description
Echeveria laui grows in a rosette shape, with leaves radiating out from a central point. The leaves are thick and fleshy, and have a blue-gray color with a powdery coating that gives them a silver or gray appearance. The plant grows slowly, and typically reaches a height of about 8 inches (20 cm) and a width of about 12 inches (30 cm). Echeveria laui produces small, pink or orange flowers that bloom on tall stalks. The flowers are usually about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and are held on stalks that can reach a height of up to 18 inches (45 cm).
Habitat and Care
Echeveria laui is native to Mexico, where it grows on rocky cliffs and slopes. In its native habitat, it is exposed to plenty of sunlight and grows in well-draining soil. When grown as a houseplant, Echeveria laui should be placed in a location with plenty of indirect sunlight. It will tolerate some shade, but it is important to give it enough light to maintain its attractive blue-gray color.
Echeveria laui is sensitive to overwatering, so it is important to be careful not to water the plant too frequently. The soil should be allowed to dry out completely between waterings, and the plant should be watered deeply but infrequently. Echeveria laui is not particularly sensitive to temperature, and it can be grown indoors or outdoors in a wide range of temperatures.
Propagation
Echeveria laui can be propagated by dividing the offsets that form around the base of the plant, or by taking stem cuttings. To divide offsets, gently separate them from the main plant and plant them in well-draining soil. The offsets can be planted in pots or in the ground, depending on the desired location. To take stem cuttings, cut a healthy stem from the plant and remove the lower leaves. Place the cutting in a rooting hormone, then plant it in well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and the cutting should root within a few weeks.
Definitely check out: How to Water Succulents So They Don’t Die
Pests and Diseases
Echeveria laui is generally resistant to pests, but it can be prone to mealybugs and aphids. These pests can be controlled by removing them by hand or using an insecticide. Echeveria laui can also be prone to rot if it is overwatered or if the soil does not drain well. To prevent rot, it is important to water the plant carefully and make sure the soil drains well.
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Conclusion
Echeveria laui is a beautiful and easy-to-care-for plant that is well-suited for growing as a houseplant. With proper care, Echeveria laui will thrive and produce attractive flowers. Its attractive rosette shape and distinctive blue-gray leaves make it a standout addition to any collection of succulent plants. Whether you are a seasoned plant collector or just starting out, Echeveria laui is a great choice.
Quick question: Should you mist succulents? Find that answer here.
Growing Season:
Summer
Dormant Season:
Winter
- Hardy to USDA Zone: 10a
- Size: Up to 12" wide
- Foliage: Densely covered in powdery farina. The leaves underneath the glaucous coating are actually reddish.
- Flower: Peach
- Propagation: Stem cuttings, leaves, seed
- Light: Full sun, bright shade
- Water: Drench & Dry very carefully
- Soil: Gritty, mostly inorganic, quickly draining
- Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico
About Echeveria laui
Echeveria laui is new to my collection as of August 2020. I’ve lusted over it for quite a while now, but had been reluctant to buy one because they were pricy, notoriously hard to care for and not available locally. Two of those things changed and they entered into my price range and local growers started selling their stock. I wanted to find one as unblemished as possible. The thick, powdery coating of farina on the Echeveria laui leaves is so very easily damaged by even a light touch.
Try not to get water on the leaves of your Echeveria laui as even water will damage the coating. Use a squirt bottle with a narrow tip to make sure you water the soil thoroughly when it is time. Be sure to follow the guide to watering succulents here.
Echeveria laui is mostly solitary which means it doesn’t really produce offsets like other species. It does propagate by leaf or stem cutting though.
Damage to the farinose coating on the leaves WILL happen during shipping. There’s really no way around it. The challenge for succulent collectors is to not touch the leaves at all once it is settled in its pot. E
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General Guide to Echeveria Care
These beauties are one of the most popular succulents for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. There are hundreds of echeveria species, hybrids and cultivars which makes them a fun succulent to collect. Their origin is mostly from Mexico and the rest from Central America, South America and the United States.
Echeveria Care Indoors - Try to Mimic the Outdoors
Indoor echeveria kept as houseplants generally won’t need watering as frequently as the ones kept outdoors. Water them once the soil dries out AND they show signs of thirst. In the winter, they can go longer in between waterings when they are dormant.
When caring for echeveria indoors, be sure to give them lots and lots of light- natural or supplemented by grow lights. Most echeverias aren’t the best succulent to grow indoors as house plants because they need so much sun to keep your echeveria from growing tall. They become weaker and unhealthy when they start to lose their compact rosette shape.
In addition to lots of light, be sure to provide your indoor echeveria with lots of ventilation. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to set a fan up near them to keep air flowing all the time. Stagnant air is the perfect environment for harmful bacteria and fungus which can lead to rot.
Best Soil for Echeveria
Never let the soil remain waterlogged by using a very porous, gritty, well draining soil in a pot with a drainage hole. Amend your soil with at least 50% inorganic amendment. Echeveria are sensitive to root rot when over watered. See the Guide to Soil for Succulents for more information about the different amendments that people use for succulents and where you can buy them. Echeveria can tolerate long periods without water as it is stored in their fleshy leaves and stem.
How to Water Echeveria
Water echeveria varieties a little more during their active summer growing season between March and September approximately. Be sure to let the soil dry out between waterings. Water sparingly in the winter when they are dormant. They will not be able to take in as much water through their roots when they are in a dormant state. In their natural habitat, they have long periods of drought between heavy rain events so try to mimic this when you are watering.
Always avoid getting the leaves wet especially in humid areas to keep water from remaining trapped between the leaves. This will lead to rot. Bottom watering works well in the case of potted echeveria. It takes a LOT longer to kill an echeveria from dehydration than overwatering, so always err on the side of underwatering.
Echeveria Sunlight Needs
The more light your echeveria gets, the more brilliant its colors will become. During the cooler months, their colors really get dramatic because you’ll be watering them less as well.
Bending leaves and stretching stems indicate low light levels. This is also known as etiolation. Bending and stretching are their way of trying to reach for more light by increasing their surface area. To fix this, gradually increase the amount of light over a few days to a week to avoid sunburn. Putting an echeveria in full sunlight abruptly will cause irreversible sun damage.
If the etiolation is severe, you will need to behead your echeveria, let the cut end callus and replant it in dry succulent soil. Give it the proper amount of light to avoid etiolation again. From there, you can propagate the lower leaves and babies will form on the remaining stem.
How to Propagate Echeveria
Propagation of your echeveria can happen by leaf, seeds and stem cuttings. Be sure that the leaves make a clean break from the stem node if propagating leaves. A mature echeveria will have more propagation success than a young one.
Do echeveria die after flowering?
Generally, no. Echeveria are not monocarpic like sempervivum, aeonium and agave. They will bloom yearly in the spring and summer with long arching flower stalks that have several flowers at the ends. Their small, brightly colored flowers will last for a few weeks and will attract hummingbirds and other pollinators to your outdoor succulent garden. The energy needed to create a flower stalk can be taxing on your echeveria, so you may notice the leaves starting to look a little shabby. This is normal and once the flower stalks are removed, your echeveria will begin to perk up again. I actually cut the bloom stalks off right before they flower because I prefer the energy to go to making new leaves rather than flowers. I also find that the leaves on bloom stalks are more likely to propagate successfully so I remove those as well. See my Guide to Propagating Leaves for my step-by-step leaf propagation process.
I did mention that they GENERALLY don’t die after flowering. On occasion, echeveria will throw out a terminal inflorescence (flower stalk) from the very very center of the plant. When this happens, the echeveria will die after flowering. In my experience, the echeveria varieties that have given me terminal blooms are Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ and E. ‘Blue Sky.’
Fertilizing Echeveria
Fertilize echeveria only during their summer growing period with a fertilizer low in nitrogen, balanced NPK numbers and diluted to at least half strength of what is recommended on the label.
Echeveria Pests & Problems
Echeveria are prone to mealy bugs. At the first sight of mealy bugs, pick them off with a small paintbrush dipped in isopropyl alcohol and treat the soil with a systemic insecticide. Quarantine any affected plants so the mealy bugs don’t spread. Most echeveria problems, however, are because of too much water and not enough light.
Echeveria Shape & Texture
Echeveria are rose shaped plants and can send out offsets horizontally from their stems via stolons. When planted in the ground, echeveria can form wide mounds around the mother plant.
There are many echeveria types and their thick foliage ranges from powdery, fuzzy, smooth edges, wrinkled edges to bumpy surfaces.
Echeveria Cold Hardiness
Echeveria can withstand temperatures down to about 20°F (USDA Zones 9-10) outdoors. They can handle a very light frost, but definitely can’t handle consistently freezing temperatures.
Origin of the Name
The name Echeveria comes from the Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeverria y Godoy by the French botanist Augustin Pyramus deCandolle. Echeverria y Godoy produced thousands of botanical illustrations while exploring Mexico and Central America.
(Source: https://www.smgrowers.com/)
