by Ted Bogart
(Arlington, TX, USA)
Bought this little guy about a year ago, and has almost doubled in height on our kitchen windowsill since then. It seems to be sprouting new little leaves at the base of a larger one. Nice rosette pattern, which led me to believe it’s an echeveria of some kind. All the pics of echeverias I have found show much squattier, compact bodies, though. So I’m not sure. It also has recently begun to show small red concentric patterns on the main stem, which I hope is not indicative of some manner of illness. Any light you can shed on the matter would be most appreciated! Thanks.
Drought Smart Plants reply:
Hi Ted, you do indeed have some type of Echeveria, sorry I can’t 100% identify it, there are so many similar ones.
What you usually see on websites (mine included) are perfect specimens in good condition, at the right stage of growth – that’s why they look squatter and shorter.
The typical growth pattern is for the stem to keep getting longer, and eventually what you end up with is a bare stem with a rosette on the top.
If you do what I do and recommend, you’ll behead the top rosette and re root in a separate pot, either leaving the stem to sprout some new tiny rosettes for propagating, or simply discard it.
See the page on succulent plant propagation for more details.
As for the troubling red rings, I’m not sure what that would be. If you want to send me a closeup picture on the contact me page, I’ll see if I can get an idea. The biggest file of the picture that you can manage will allow me to see a highly magnified view.
There are some conditions such as using cold water that gets on the foliage, or water that has gone through a water softening unit that can cause some damage.
If you get a magnifying glass, sometimes you can see if there are any pests. The worst ones are aphids, mealy bugs and certain mites, which can be very small. See the succulent plant pests
If you want to try something in case this is the issue, use some insecticidal soap, and spray all surfaces several times in a couple of days. This can also damage the leaves, so it may take a while to grow out of it.
Other than that, your plant looks very healthy and happy. It’s important to make sure it’s getting enough light, which is crucial for plants that originate in sunny warm climates.
Jacki
Comments for A tall echeveria perhaps?
Sep 09, 2015
? ECHEVERIA ?
by: Marsupial
I BELIEVE THE PLANT IS A GRAPTOPETALUM
Mar 26, 2023
Light NEW
by: Penelope
Your plant is growing tall and lanky because it’s stretching for more light. That is exactly what this looks like and what happens to succulents when they need more light.
This person said something about pests, but forgot a major one that lines up with the markings and that is called “scale”.
Truly, this person that commented knows very little. There is a great succulent forum on Reddit if you want to post there and get real answers.
