Echeveria derenbergii

I've started a collection of mainly echeverias which i've potted into clay pots and am keeping on a SE facing windowsill at the moment.
E. derenbergii has sent out a lot of side shoots recently and i'm wondering what eventual habit it has if these are left on, or is it best to remove them for propogation?

grateful for any advice :)

This is not my specialty, however, I like them in rosette clumps, especially in the garden. Do what appeals to you as it is your plant. Is the pot large enough for a clump. You may want to give it some fresh soil, the individual plant can grow rather large, it will have beautifull flowers. Norma

Thanks Norma. Do those shoots root to form a clump then? I'll have to keep it in a pot as it won't be hardy here to leave out in the garden. What sort of size pot do you reckon a clump will need?

each shoots are attached to the mother plant. eventually when u separate them they will develop their own roots. what i used to do when i want to separate individual plants to increase my stock was... take off one, allow the separated plant to callous for a day. plant them on fresh slightly damp soil and pot u use will commensurate to the size of the plant. water after a few days. in due time they will develop their own roots and their own clump/s. i like them when they form a rosette and clump up together. try not to use a pot bigger than the plant. they like to be snug. when u feel they have outgrown the pot, then move to one size bigger than the previous one.

if u allow them to dry between watering and expose to the sun the tips will be red and more pronounce. just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks heaps MVR - that's really helpful!

u're very welcome Philomel ;). i used to grow them since i was a child.

i used to use the Innes formula for succulents/cacti with a wee bit of bonemeal added to the soil. i substitute sand with pumice rock instead of using straight sand. the pumice rock is derive from lava rock which are porous and allow to aerate the soil. prevents the sand from being compact. adding the bonemeal in premixing the potting medium help cause the plant will be fed as it grow.

i do premix potting soil for specific needs of individual plant specie... add some bonemeal or superphosphate on the mixture to assure me that the plant is feed for its life on the potting medium it grows in... sort of allowing the plant to be self sufficient with the exception of watering.

please do not over water or the leaves will burst on u. always remember the leaves retains a lot of moisture.

Thanks again MVR. I've always admired succulents from afar, but this is my first attempt to grow them seriously and i really appreciate all your tips :)

BTW I've always believed in providing the right soils and conditions for different plants, so your tips on potting are very helpful

This message was edited Saturday, Jun 8th 3:48 AM

I believe you asked what size pot. I would recommend a full 6" pot to allow for the young plants to develope. Norma
Been away for a week on a lovely vacation. Don't want to bore you with the details, but found many new Sedum, and other succulents. Norma

Thanks Norma :)
And i wouldn't be bored (very rarely am!) Please tell where you've been and what you've found........

Hi Phil. We went into Canada, my hunsband always wanted to see the end of highway 99 we did go all the way + 200 miles more. Our friend had just moved onto 210 acres of land and is starting a mini dude ranch. What a beautiful sight, clean air, beavers, bear, elk, a stream, extra cabin for company, will have 4 rooms in the house for paying guest, it is four miles from green lake, no noise, no planes overhead, a large cactus collection of importance, she is an artist and photographer, and presents 3 D slide programs at our conventions, both come from Candada. They gave me a native Sedum that grows on their property. I visited Dr. Schwartz who write books on our plants, world known. I visted Marina Welham editor of the Amateur's digest. Visited Alice Waidhofer who treated us to a marveleous Chineses dinner in Stockton, we found out later that the place is Nationally famous. We visited Larry Lee of the Berkley Botanical Gardens and I will be exchanging plants with him. They are looking to hire someone to take care of the collection.

In Cal. can grow Echeveria in open run. Most of mine come from Myron Kimnach who is the plant collector from the Huntington Gardens. So most are species, other than hybrids. I think they have confused and muddled up the hybrid names already. I did take my collection down to Dick Wright who did most of the hybrids back in the 60tys. He told me mine were incorrect, and really tried to put on the correct names for me. It will take time but I intend to keep working on it. Make sure you do keep them very dry in the Winter months, then they will not drop their leaves so much and obtain better color. I have never been able to get new plants of Hybrids from the flower stem, and I don't know anyone else that has been that lucky. I just cut off the head and they then form around the cut. The head I wait until I actually see roots forming before I put it into the soil. We all work in a different manner and end up with the same results.

Oh yes, stopped at Chuck's clients, then took the beach route home, visited Antique shops, and purchased gifts for friends, stopped at nurseries in Canada, Washington, Oregon, picked up rocks all along hyway 1 and I'm still cleaning out the car. We ate and ate, met Marina's talking parrot, we couldn't shut it up. I really had competition. Loved the whole trip. My husband planned it well, and followed the schedule, we made all of our appointments right on time. Stayed at some lovely places, met great people for the first time that I had been writing to for the past four years. Norma

What a wonderful trip Norma. That ranch sounds pure bliss!
Must have been so good to meet all those people you've been corresponding with. I should imagine that's a spectacular route to travel too, though i'm afraid my geography of your part of the world is severely limited (unfortunately)

Thanks also for all the extra tips
Off on (a very short) trip of my own now, so must go, but thankyou so much for posting.

Hi Philomel, I forgot to tell you all I did get some E. elegans, yes they are elegant. Thinking it over, your pot should be 1" extra in size all around the outside of the plant. These plants love to clump, and are a sight to behold when it does clump. Would you like an E. elegans? The reason I have't been offering more plants is because my time is tied up during the summer months. My friend has his Echeveria all growing outside in open run. Rain and all, they seem to be able to take all kinds of weather. He plants them on raised mounds of soil, or raised beds of soil. Pots should be good as they are raised. It is important to use fast draining soil, in their native habitant they grow on rocky hill sides laying on their sides like Dudleya, during the summer months, I just lay my pots down on their sides so the Dudleya get very little water during the summer months, they are closly related to the Echeveria. Norma

Well, i would love one Norma, but i live in the UK so don't think it's allowed is it? There're several specialists here, so will have a look, they may have one.

Norma, and isn't our country beautiful??? Forget the horrible taxes!!!! You mentioned Green Lake(pretty country) glad you enjoyed!!! I have just returned from the UK and had the best trip..(Cornwall and the Cornish Coast)..saw the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project..wow???? There was a massive display of Scree, including all varieties of Succulents from around the world...This display was contained in one of Biome(Geodesic Domes)..a few weeks earlier they had just filmed part of the new James Bond movie, "Die another day" Elaine

Tell me more about this, I didn't know these places exhisted. I learn more every day. Where, what time of year. How to get there. I want to know more, thanks, Norma

I think this specie can be sent as a gift as it is not on te endangered list. Cactus must not be sent. I have sent Sedum, I just declare them. I do not send in quanity, small packages are okay. I used to send plants to my cousin, haven't done so for a year. He wants a special Aloe that I have finally found. When you get back send me a note again. Norma

My Echeveria are looking horrid. I think I will cut their flower stems off and not let them flower this year to give them the rest they deserve. I think they done themselfs in last year, they were glorious. I don't think they have the energy this year. I've started several new ones to my collection this year, a dear friend gave me several.
Dick Wright has been a great hybridizer for the past 30 years. He has been working on new miniature aloe this past 15 years
and has come up with several new small attractive hybrids all named for the old hybridizes of the past. You will be seeing a lot of these in the near future, one hundred of each will be needed to introduce each new ISI plant. (International Succulent Introductions) We have started working on them this past year, and they can't be started from leaves, offsets only. The Huntington will have an exclusive on these. Norma

I have noticed that if I leave the dead leaves on the plant that is where the new offsets form,under the leaves I guess they hide from our sun. I live in a very hot valley, where Johnny Carson was broadcasting from, Downtown Burbank. Just to give you a point of reference. Right along the Ventura freeway on the map. I have had many British guest and will be expecting one in October, just can't wait for him to arrive, he has been here once before, and he will always be welcome.

Thanks for that. I've been removing the dead leaves, so i'll leave them on and see what happens.

I think I can mail Echeveria, as long as no soil is attached. I will wash them off with soap. Now I must have your address. I also want to know exactly where in England is your town, how low does the temperatures dip and how how. The problem will be giving it enough sun, so it can grow tightly.
I have visited your country about 5 times now. I think I could spend the rest of my life in Great Britian, I loved it every time. So interesting, so much history, so many palaces, beautiful jewels, wonderful stained glass in the churches, art, even the sarcophagus are works of art and history. The churches all have wonderful church kneelers with needlepoint on top. Winston Churchills childhood home, Duke of Berfords palace called Glenheim admazed me, all the Chinese Ming jars, I even saw sculptures that I had only seen pictures of before, I want to visit again. Perhaps next year. Now send along your address please. Norma