Echeveria elegans

Echeveria elegans ‘Mexican Snowball’ 

How to Care for Echeveria elegans 

Do you love succulents for their amazing shapes, appearances and colors? Then Echeveria elegans would be a great pick for you.  

Echeveria elegans also known as Mexican Snowballs is one of the most beautiful-looking succulents. It has a unique appearance with its jewel-tone leaves and beautiful flower spikes. They make a great addition to indoor plantings and rock gardens. In cold winter regions, these succulents must be kept as houseplants.   

Home » Types of Succulents » Echeveria » Echeveria elegans ‘Mexican Snowball’

Care for Echeveria 

Echeveria elegans requires very low maintenance and thrives well even if neglected for a long time. It has very simple care requirements. Keep reading to learn how to keep them looking perfect. 

Light

Echeveria elegans requires several hours of bright direct sunlight to thrive well. Lack of enough sunlight causes the plant to become leggy or stretched out losing its normal shape. Indoor succulents must be kept near a bright sunny window where they get plenty of sunlight. If you do not have sufficient sunlight indoors you can keep your succulents under artificial grow lights. Outdoor succulents should be planted at a location that receives plenty of direct and partial light throughout the day. 

Watering

Echeveria elegans does not require a lot of water. It can tolerate a period of drought. They can survive months with little to no water. Echeveria elegans cannot tolerate overwatering at all. Overwatering is the worst enemy of Echeveria succulents it causes rotting and disintegration of roots. It is better to underwater Echeveria succulents than to overwater.  

A good rule of thumb is to water your succulents when the top couple of inches of the soil are completely dry. Water well and allow the soil to dry out completely before applying the next water. Reduce the watering frequency during the winter dormancy period. 

Potting Soil

Echeveria elegans thrives best in well-draining sandy soils. They can not survive in clayey soil because clayey soil tends to accumulate more water causing root rot. Also, avoid humus-rich soil because it holds water for a longer time. You can use a standard succulent or cactus potting mix that is readily available in the market. 

Temperature and Climate

Echeveria elegans likes to grow in hot dry weather. The temperature from 20 to 100 ℉ is suitable for this succulent. They are sensitive to cold weather. Exposure to below-freezing temperatures can cause chilling injury. Echeveria elegans grows as a hardy succulent in USDA hardiness zones 9a to 11b. If you are living in a zone colder than USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11, grow them in containers so they can be kept indoors during winter. If you are growing succulents outdoors cover them with frost clothes during winter to protect them from freezing injury. 

Humidity

Mexican snowballs prefer dry weather and do not thrive well under overly humid conditions. Generally, they work fine at the humidity at room temperature. 

Fertilization

Echeveria elegans does not require fertilization and gets plenty of nutrients from the potting soil. However, to encourage more blooming and healthier growth you can fertilize your succulents occasionally. They will get benefit from fertilization during the early to mid-spring season. Use a balanced all-purpose fertilizer to feed your succulents. 

Propagation

Echeveria elegans can be easily propagated through leaf and stem cuttings. It can also be propagated using offsets that can be separated from the parent plant and planted in new containers. 

To propagate Echeveria elegans from leaves gently twist off a healthy diseased free leaf from the succulent. Make sure it is a clean pull so that no part of the leaf remains attached to the stem. The base of the leaf should be intact. Keep the leaves at a warm dry location to develop callous over the cut edges for a couple of days. Place the leaf on the surface of well-draining succulent soil mix and set aside the containers at a location that receives plenty of bright indirect light. Keep misting the cuttings regularly several times a day for the first few days. 

The cuttings will start rooting within 2 to 3 weeks. If you feel resistance while pulling the leaf it is an indication that the cutting has started rooting. Now you can begin light watering and allow the soil to dry out completely between watering. 

After a few months, you will notice a baby Echeveria elegans growing from the end of the leaf. Continue caring for the baby succulent until the parent leaf dries up and falls off. Then you can move the new plant to a bright location where it receives plenty of direct light. 

Pruning

Generally, Echeveria elegans does not require pruning. However, you can do occasional pruning to remove dead or decaying leaves or flowers to encourage new growth and more blooming in the next growing season. You can also cut back your Mexican snowballs when they become leggy or stretched out to re-shape them into a compact flower-like arrangement. Cut back the leggy succulents and propagate new plants from them. Always use sharp pruning shears or scissors for taking cuttings to avoid any damage to the succulents.  

Potting and repotting

Mexican snowballs do not require frequent repotting and they can tolerate being rootbound. They can also thrive well in poor-quality potting soil; therefore, they do not require the soil to be frequently replaced. 

As a rule, it is best to repot Echeveria elegans when they have outgrown their containers. When the succulents become root-bound and the roots start growing out of the drainage holes it is an indication that it is time to repot. Make sure you use a container 2-3 inches larger than the previous one for repotting your Mexican snowballs. 

Pests/Diseases

Echeveria elegans is not frequently attacked by insect pests or diseases. Some common insect pests include aphids, mealybugs, mites, and thrips. They can invade your Mexican snowballs in indoor or outdoor conditions. Regularly inspect your succulents for the possible invasion of pests or diseases to apply preventive or curative measures on time. You can rub the leaves of the succulents with 70% alcohol solution or spray with a non-toxic insecticide to get rid of the bugs. 

Some other succulents similar to Echeveria elegans 

There are some other succulents that are similar to Echeveria elegans in appearance and care requirements. 

Other Types of Echeveria