Echeveria Maintenance
As I've said previously I have always had a bit of an issue keeping houseplants alive. Until now it seems. I don't know if it's an age I've reached or if I've suddenly developed a better memory or what it is, but I'm managing to keep my plants alive for long enough now that I even know how to prune and repot them. Winner! This time it's echeveria getting a bit of tlc.
What you'll need. A sorry looking echeveria plant and some succulent compost. That's it. I never said I was perfect- I know this could have done with some love a fair while back. Better late than never eh?
First take it out of the pot. As you can see here some roots are exposed, there are some dead, dry leaves already fallen off and some of the bottom leaves are in a bit of a sad way.
If you press the leaves you want to remove downwards they should easily snap off. Focus on any discolored or particularly tough leaves first.
Here is the pile of leaves I removed from mine. Obviously you need to be careful not to take too much at once or it could shock the plant and it will end up dying. But a you can see here you can take a fair bit.
As the stalk will have been more exposed now, you may need to loosen off some compost from the bottom of the original root system so that you can fit the plant back into the pot neatly.
Lower the plant into the pot to make sure you can get it low enough that most of the stalk is contained and not above the pot rim.
Fill the pot with the succulent compost.
Give it a little water and that's it! A far more healthy and loved looking plant! I was so surprised by just how much better the colours looked simply by taking all the tired leaves off.
Comments
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I can kill plastic plants sooo don't go thinking that you've cornered the market.
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you can propagate each live leaf that you remove! Place them in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel until they grow roots. Then transplant to a small pot. They make great little Happy’s to give away.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I know this is a stupid question but...
Do you have to re-pot every time it gets 'leggy'..? Does the root-system stop getting larger at some point or will you have to re-pot into a larger pot once in awhile..?
(do you feel sorry for my houseplants now..? LOL)