Freakishly tall and skinny succulent plant

by Miko Alger
(Salt Lake City, UT USA)

Light green, new leaves point up around rosette end then older leaves curve down. It grows so fast and is getting too tall for me to handle.

The first picture is when I got it in October 2010, then July 2011 (with 2 other plants at the base). Now it is at the top of the curly stick.

What is it and how do I make it stop getting taller?

Thanks!


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Miko, once I stop laughing at the look of this character I'll be able to give you an answer!

Okay, all hilarity aside - what you appear to have is an Echeveria of some kind, which is in dire need of decapitation - behead it, just under the top most rosette, and it will re-root to make a really nice plant.

Discard the rest of the incredibly long stem, or cut it off close to the base, and it will most likely make a bunch more smaller rosettes.

Each of those can also make a smaller plant (do you have a lot of friends who like succulent plants?) or use them to fill in a lovely planter for your deck.

The rule to follow is 'be cruel to be kind' as these plants just don't have the ability to stop growing unless you take the top bud off.

Your plant also looks as though it needs more light, and this will keep it from getting so carried away.

See the pages on how to grow Echeveria, pruning succulent plants and succulent plant propagation for more information.

Happy Echeveria Growing!
Jacki