Echeveria shaviana in pot

Credit: Jean-Michel Moullec

Curly Echeveria in pot

Credit: Alandislands

Echeveria shaviana cultivar

Credit: Stephen Boisvert

Echeveria shaviana flowers

Credit: KHQ Flower guide

Echeveria shaviana, a curly succulent

Dreaming of adding a plant with original foliage to your collection, but unable to keep a Calathea (Goeppertia) alive? Adopt an Echeveria shaviana. This Crassulaceae endemic to Mexico attracts attention with its wavy, bluish foliage.

How to recognize Echeveria shaviana?

Echeveria shaviana is a succulent plant with a compact habit. Larger than echeveria pulidonis, it forms a rosette of leaves with a fifteen-centimetre spread and a height of 40 centimetres.

The plant appears stunted. But after a few years, the stem appears beneath the rosette. It measures barely two centimetres in height.

The fleshy, spatulate leaves are a glaucous green, almost blue in color. Covered in bloom, they take on a silvery sheen in sunlight. Their color is not the only curiosity of this variety. The leaf blades have a wavy edge. The oldest leaves are even curled, like on a salad!

While the foliage is a real eye-catcher, the flowering is not to be outdone. In summer, a long flowering spike rises from the heart of the rosette. It supports the flowers, which are pink bells on the outside and orange on the inside.

Echeveria shaviana is non-toxic, neither to us nor to our four-legged friends. So you can enjoy its colors without fear.

Our maintenance tips

Echeveria shaviana are non-hardy succulents. In most regions, they are grown indoors. But this succulent loves the sun. If you have a garden, a balcony or even a windowsill, put it outside in summer. It will appreciate gradual exposure to natural light. However, keep it out of direct sunlight, which can burn the leaves.

Watering

Echeveria shaviana come from arid regions. They can withstand drought, but that's no reason to neglect their water supply! If your succulent's leaves point downwards, it's thirsty.

Make sure the substrate is dry before watering. That way, you'll avoid overwatering. Once you've got your watering can, be generous. The plant prefers to be watered less frequently but abundantly than to receive frequent small quantities of water.

Half an hour after watering, remove any stagnant water from the dish. It will rot the roots.

Spray

Echeveria shaviana grow in arid regions and do not like humidity. No need to spray them.

Repotting

Every spring, repot your Echeveria shaviana to give it more space.

Choose a pierced terracotta pot two or three centimetres larger than the previous one. Place a bed of gravel or clay balls at the bottom to optimize drainage. Fill to within two or three centimetres of the rim with potting soil for cacti and succulents.

Before repotting your Echeveria shaviana, clean it: remove dry leaves from the base and wilted flowers. Make a hole in the center of the pot, using your fingers or a pen, and plant your succulent. All roots should be buried.

Press down to remove air bubbles. You can cover the surface with perlite or sand. This will prevent direct contact between substrate and foliage.

Fertilization

To promote the growth of your Echeveria shaviana, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.

Add cactus and succulent fertilizer to watering water.

If you're repotting every year, there's no need to add fertilizer. Your plant will find sufficient nutrients in its substrate.

Prune

Cut back the flowering stem after flowering.

Plantation

When the risk of frost has passed, it's time to plant.

Your Echeveria shaviana fears humidity. Plant it in a place where water doesn't stagnate, at the top of a slope, an embankment or in a rockery, for example.

Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball. You can place pebbles or clay balls at the bottom to improve drainage. Then lay down a layer of substrate. If your soil is light and chalky, you can use garden soil. If your soil is rich and heavy, use potting soil for cacti and succulents.

Plant your Echeveria shaviana and fill in with garden soil or substrate. Water to remove air bubbles and encourage rooting.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Remove the shoots that form at the base of the plant with their roots. Proceed delicately, with your hands or a clean knife, to avoid damaging the root system.

Choose a pierced pot suited to the size of your cuttings. Choose a terracotta model. This material promotes uniform drying of the soil and reduces the risk of root rot.

Line the bottom with a bed of clay balls or gravel. Then pour in a substrate made up of equal parts potting soil, garden soil and sand. Plant your cutting and tamp it down. You can add a layer of sand to the surface.

Place your cutting in a bright spot away from direct sunlight. The temperature should be at least 18 degrees.

Disease / Threat

Mealybug, accompanied by ants for its honeydew.

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Crassulaceae - Crassulaceae
Type	Echeveria - Echeveria
Species	Echeveria shaviana - Echeveria shaviana
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposures	Sun Half-shade
Substrats	Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots Planter
Categories	Flowery Succulent
Tags	Beginner Increvable
Origin	Central America
Hardiness (USDA)	9b
Leaf color
Flower colors