Amid all house plants, succulents are the easiest to grow. They don’t need a lot of water, they tolerate dry weather conditions, and they don’t need pruning. Not to mention that they’re a living piece of art!
Echeveria Etna boasts a unique appearance. Most people think the leaves are damaged at first glance. However, that’s just the beauty of the succulent.
Read on to get a grasp of the plant and how to care for it.
Echeveria Etna Description
Echeveria Etna has an Italian name, although its origins are Mexican. It’s named after the most active volcano in Europe: Mount Etna, which lies in Sicily, Italy.
Etna’s leaves change appearance between winter and summer. In the hot months, they fold on each other, almost looking like spears. Meanwhile, they unfurl in winter to look flat. It’s mainly a way to get optimal light. The plant needs more light in winter, which explains the unfolding.
Etna is among the compact succulents, although the leaves are pretty large. However, the rosette as a whole is smaller than other plants.
The leaves grow smooth before forming tiny bumps known as carunculations. The spots grow near the leaf’s center and begin spreading as the leaf matures.
The Complete Care Guide of Echeveria Etna
Your Echeveria Etna should get the best care it could, and we’re here to help you with that. Here’s a complete care guide for the purple succulent.
Temperature
Echeveria Etna isn’t a fan of cold weather. It doesn’t do well in chilly winds, and it doesn’t resist frost. The succulent is ideal for growing in warm climates.
If you live somewhere wintery, it’s best to grow your Etna indoors. Generally, it thrives in temperature between 50° F and 70° F. It can live in a lower temperature, but 30° F is as far as you can go.
Bear in mind that If you grow it indoors, you’ll need to provide a place where there’s full or partial sunlight.
Light
Echeveria Etna needs around six hours of sunlight per day. It’s one of the succulents that require plenty of light to survive. Therefore, it’s not the best plant to grow in cloudy towns.
The best place to grow Etna is any sunspot that has partial shade. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can direct your plant toward the south or the west. That way, it’ll get optimal light, which will prevent it from stretching.
Watering
Like all succulents, Etna needs minimal water to survive. In fact, too much water can kill it. The best watering method is soaking its soil and leaving it to absorb the water. The best thing to do is wait until the soil is bone-dry before watering it again. This should take a couple of weeks, give or take.
However, you should note that an indoor Etna has different requirements than an outdoor one. For example, the water in indoor succulents won’t dry out as quickly as outdoor ones. So, it’s best to water the soil only and keep the leaves dry. An Etna leaf may rot if it’s wet for too long.
Most succulents will need watering once every two weeks. However, there are other affecting factors, such as climate and light. So, it’s best to wait until there isn’t any water left in the soil.
Fertilizer
Succulents grow well without fertilizing. But if you want your Etna to grow in a short time, you can use it. There’s one thing to keep in mind: too much fertilizer can result in rot. Therefore, it’s best to avoid overfeeding your plant.
Additionally, we recommend you stay away from high-nitrogen blends. They’re associated with a lot of leaf and root problems.
There are a lot of healthy fertilizers you can use, such as Miracle-Gro. It works for all succulents, including Jade and Cacti. There’s also a fertilizer from Easy Peasy Plants, which is formulated with 6-5-4 NPK ratio. It’s healthy for all kinds of succulents
Soil
Echeveria Etna needs an absorbent sandy mix of soil. This is an essential thing to pay attention to, so you can avoid overwatering. Bad soil is a primary reason for plants dying unexpectedly.
You can add any sand to your soil, but coarse sand is always preferred. On top of that, we don’t recommend using beach or garden sand. It may contain contaminants that’ll compromise the plant’s growth later on.
Propagation
Propagating an Echeveria Etna is a pretty easy process. You merely need to behead any mature rosette using a sterile pair of scissors. Then, remove the stem and leave it callous for a couple of days.
Afterward, plant it in a pot of porous sandy soil.
Pests
Generally, succulents rarely get infected with pests. However, Echeveria Etna is prone to mealybugs, especially if you don’t remove the dead leaves from the soil regularly. They’re tiny, but they act fast to weaken the plant.
If you see mealybugs on your Etna’s leaves, simply wipe the plant with rubbing alcohol. The bugs will appear as tiny insects, and they’ll likely leave behind a white-colored mess on the stems.
Additional Information
Here’s some additional information you’ll need to know about Echeveria Etna.
- USDA Zone: 10a: Minimum -1.1 °C or 30 °F
- Height: Up to 12 inches
- Width: Up to 12 inches
- Foliage Color: Purple
- Average growth: 7 inches a year
Extra Care Tips for Echeveria Etna
You should now be well-aware of all requirements of your Etna. As you can see, caring for it is pretty easy. Plus, it makes a beautiful decor item for your house, which is a bonus!
Echeveria Etna is a low-maintenance plant, so it doesn’t need pruning. However, you’ll want to remove the dead leaves every once in a while. They’re a primary cause for bugs, and they ruin the plant’s shape.
Furthermore, make sure to rotate your plant every occasionally. Succulents love direct sunlight. However, if you keep the Etna in one place for long, there’s a high chance one side isn’t getting enough light.
Lastly, avoid overcrowding the plant pot. Succulents love to have their space. Besides, a crowd of plants can encourage the growth of mold. Etna has exceptionally large leaves. Overcrowding can keep light from reaching some rosettes, which will compromise their growth.
Final Thoughts
Echeveria Etna is a unique plant to grow. It features a distinctive shape and a beautiful color. Besides, it requires minimal effort to take care of it.
As long as you give it the light it needs and keep the water at bay, it’ll keep thriving!
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