How to Grow and Care for Echeveria amoena Indoors

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Botanical name: Echeveria amoena
Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sempervivoideae

Description

Echeveria amoena is an evergreen perennial succulent with a stem of about 8 cm long and grows in the form of a compact rosette, with fleshy, full-margin and accumulated apex leaves.

Echeveria amoena's inflorescence is simple, reddish zinc, with several alternate ascending, succulent, green, reddish or pink-orange bracts.

Echeveria amoena is a short plant which grows to a height of about 4 in. only and is easy to grow even for a beginner plant parent.

Echeveria amoena like other Echeverias rapidly produces a colony of small offsets (pups) at the base of the plant which can be separated from the parent plant for propagation purposes.

Origin

Echeveria amoena is endemic to semi-arid areas of the Mexican states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz and was was described by Edward Morren in 1875.

Toxicity

Echeveria amoena like other Echeveria are non-toxic to humans and pets as outlined by ASPCA. They are safe to grow indoors.

Echeveria Varieties

Many gorgeous hybrids have been developed and there is a wide selection to choose from. Their leaves are 1-3 in. long and each popular species or variety has its own distictive feature.

Some common varieties of Echeveria include Plush Plant (Echeveria harmsii), Echeveria amoena, Echeveria carnicolor, Peacock Echeveria (Echeveria desmetiana) and Painted Lady Echeveria (Echeveria derenbergii) among others.

Some Echeveria Plants are low growing as flattened rosettes and others grow as rosette-topped trees.

Where to Buy

If you would like to add these plants to your collection, they are available online on Etsy.

Buy Echeveria Plants from Etsy Shops

Echeveria amoena Care Indoors

Echeveria amoena are easy care plants which require bright light with some direct sunlight and moderately moist, fertile, well- drained soil coupled with fortnightly feeding during the growing season.

Echeveria amoena have no need for high humidity. However, they thrive in average warmth away from drafts. Keep reading for more on these growing conditions and how to achieve them.

Light Requirements

Echeveria amoena grows best in bright light with some morning ot late afternon direct sunlight to enhance the leaf color.

Avoid exposing the plant to too hot direct sunlight before acclimating it as it can get sun scorched.

Rotate the pot regularly to ensure that the plant receives light on all sides for uniform growth.

Echeveria amoena can also thrive under grow lights where the natural lighting is not sufficient. Check out these full spectrum grow lights on Amazon.

Watering

Water Echeveria amoena thoroughly during the growing season and allow the top 2-3 in. of soil to dry out between waterings to keep the soil moderately moist.

Reduce watering during the cold season to maintain the soil barely moist as growth is minimal at this time.

Avoid wetting the center of the rosette of leaves as it can lead to rotting; watering from the bottom is safer.

Use water that is at room temperature to avoid shocking the plant as it can result in reduced growth.

Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole to prevent the soil from getting soggy as it can lead to rotting.

Temperature and Humidity

Average warmth between 16-28⁰C during the growing season is ideal for Echeveria amoena. Keep it away from cold draughts to avoid sudden changes in temperature inorder to maintain a constantly warm temperature.

Average room humidity is ideal for Echeveria amoena. It has no need for high humidity. Ensure good air circulation to prevent fungal diseases.

Fertilizer

Feed Echeveria amoena every 2 weeks during the growing season with a succulents fertilizer but do not feed during the dormancy stage (cold season) as growth is minimal at this time.

Potting Soil

The best soil for Echeveria amoena should be rich in organic matter, loose and free-draining to avoid getting soggy soil. The soil should be loose enough to allow water to drain out fast enough like these Cactus and Succulents Soil available on Etsy.

Repotting

Echeveria amoena have a small root system so frequent repotting is not necessary. Repot the plant at the beginning of the growing season only when it becomes crowded in its current pot.

Use a pot 1 size larger and one that has a drainage hole to prevent the soil from getting soggy as it can lead to rotting and eventual death of the plant.

Use a shallow pot for repotting and be careful not to bury the stems to prevent rotting. Check out these succulents pots available on Amazon.

Pruning

Pruning Echeveria amoena is easy. Remove dead or diseased leaves as they act as a breeding ground for pests and diseases.

If the Echeveria amoena is straggly with a nice rosette sitting on top of a long woody stem; cut off the rosette, allow it to dry (callus) in dry potting soil and it will root and grow into a new plant.

The woody stem can also be used for propagation where plantlets will form at the top of the stem.

These plantlets can then be seperated from the stem when about 4-6 leaves have formed and grown in their own pots.

Propagation

Echeveria amoena can be propagated at the beginning of the growing season from offsets (pups) which form at the base of the plant or from leaf cuttings.

How to propagate Echeveria amoena from offsets

Carefully seperate the Echeveria amoena offsets from the mother plant and allow the offsets to dry for 1-3 days before potting. Use only an offset which has several leaves.

Pot each offset in its individual pot in moist free-draining soil.

Water the offsets sparingly, only when the soil is dry and avoid soggy soil as it can lead to rotting.

How to propagate Echeveria amoena from leaf cuttings

The leaf cuttings root easily and have no need for a rooting hormone. Take leaf cuttings from a healthy Echeveria amoena while ensuring that you are using the complete leaf as leaves whose base is broken may not root.

Allow the leaf cuttings to dry (callus) for 1-3 days to promote rooting and prevent rotting.

Lay the leaves on moist soil and do not allow the cut end to touch the soil.

Place the set up in a warm, well-lit place and maintain the soil moist by light misting.

Roots should grow into the moist soil and soon after, new plants will develop from the base of the leaf cutting.

Carefully lift the new plants and pot in individual pots while taking care not to damage the delicate roots.

Maintain the soil slightly moist until the new Echeveria amoena plants are well established after which routine care can begin.

Echeveria amoena Problems

Echeveria amoena problems include leaf loss, wilting, leggy growth, rotting, brown leaf tips, pests and diseases among others. Keep reading for more on these problems and how to fix them.

Pests

Common pests in Echeveria amoena are Mealy Bugs, Scale Insects and Spider Mites. Isolate the affected plant to prevent spread to other houseplants and treat it with appropriate products like neem oil or insecticidal soap among others.

Sudden leaf loss

Sudden leaf loss in Echeveria amoena may be caused by watering with very cold water. Very cold water will shock the plant causing sudden leaf loss.

Only water the plant with water that is at room temperature to avoid shocking this tropical plant.

Another cause of sudden leaf loss in Echeveria amoena is underwatering.

Water Echeveria amoena liberally during the growing season and allow the top 2-3 in. of soil to dry out between waterings.

Decrease watering in the cold period to keep the soil slightly moist but never allow the soil ball to dry out completely.

Wilted and discolored leaves

Wilted and discolored leaves in Echeveria amoena is due to overwatering during the cold period resulting in too much water in the soil.

Lessen watering during the cold season to maintain the soil barely moist as growth is minimal at this time.

In addition, ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil drains easily to prevent it from getting soggy.

Elongated stems and misshappen

Elongated stems and misshappen in Echeveria amoena is caused by too little light as it thrives in bright light with some direct sunlight.

Too little light will cause the plant to grow weak, elongated stems in an attempt to reach the light source.

Position the plant in a brighter spot where it will receive bright light with some direct sunlight or instal a grow light if the natural lighting is not adequate.

Brown leaf tips

Brown leaf tips in Echeveria amoena are due to underwatering. Water the plant thoroughly during the growing season while allowing the top 2-3 in. of soil to dry out between waterings to keep the soil moderately moist.

Cut down on watering in the cold period to maintain the soil barely moist but do not allow the soil to dry out completely.

Rot at the base followed by stem collapse

Rotting plant base and stems collapse in Echeveria amoena is an indication of basal stem rot disease which is brought about by overwet conditions.

At this point, the plant is too far gone and cannot be saved. Use the upper stem to propagate new plants and discard the infected parts.

Brown, soft leaf spots

Brown, soft leaf spots in Echeveria amoena are an indication of leaf spot disease which is enhanced by overwet conditions and poor sir circulation.

Avoid wetting the center of the rosette and improve ventilation to ensure good air circulation for the plant.

Isolate the affected plant to prevent spread to other houseplants and treat it appropriately for the leaf spot disease.

Diseases

Echeveria amoena is also prone to powdery mildew which is prevalent in stuffy, damp conditions.

Take care not to wet the leaves or water from the bottom instead. Also improve air circulation to discourage disease infestations.

Isolate the affected plant to prevent spread to other houseplants and treat it appropriately for the powdery mildew disease.