4 year-old Mystery Plant

by Bonnie
(Los Angeles, CA)

I received the guy on the left last year from a vendor at work, who said the plant was approx. 3 years old. In a year and a few months' time, it has become the plant on the right. How did the leaves become so smooth? And it seems to have grown at a rapid pace - do I have a succulent? At this age, would it be wise to behead it to make for a smaller plant?


Drought Smart Plants reply:
Hi Bonnie, what an incredible Echeveria! It is indeed a succulent. It's one of the kinds of Echeveria hybrids that have 'carunculations' or warty protuberances.

There are many different types that you can find in some specialty nurseries. You can see more of them here: Echeverias in Oz (this link opens in a new window)

To answer your question, I'm not sure why it's lost it's wartiness. I think if it's happier, it would again show that part of its character.

You should behead the top part, and re-root it, which will make much shorter. The bonus is that it's possible that the stem will produce some more small rosettes that you can remove to make even more of these fabulous plants.

Best of luck with your project!
Jacki


See more on How to grow Echeveria here.

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