Echeveria Elegans Care: Growing The Mexican Snowball

thumbnail

Echeveria elegans [ech-eh-VER-ee-a ELL-eh-ganz] is a flowering, evergreen succulent type, native to the deserts of Mexico.

Its hardy characteristics and easy care have helped make it a popular succulent choice throughout North America.

 

Echeveria elegans growing in full sun in the landscape

It belongs to the Echeveria plant genus and the Crassulaceae family. The common names for “Elegans” is:

  • Mexican snowball
  • White Mexican rose

The plant features tight rosettes of silver-green or blue leaves.

Perfect for rock gardens, ground cover, or containers, the Mexican snowball is an easy plant to grow.

Echeveria Elegans Care

Echeveria Elegans Mexican Snowball Growth

Echeveria elegans is slow-growing and may take several years to mature. It produces tight rosettes, typically measuring about four inches wide in size.

These rosettes feature spoon-shaped leaves with a silver-green texture. However, they are occasionally blueish.

‘Elegans’ plants typically only reaches a height of 8” inches tall and may span about 12” inches.

However, it can spread quickly from the offsets that start to fill the area surrounding the plant.

When Does The ‘Mexican Snowball” Flower?

In late winter or early spring, Mexican rose plant may produce large stems.

These pinkish-red stems often reach up to 8”-12” inches in height and produce lantern-shaped pink flowers with yellow tips.

What Is The Best Lighting and Temperature for your mexican snowball

Find a spot with full sun or partial sun.

Echeveria Mexican snowball will handle some shade, but shouldn’t be kept completely in the shade, especially in coastal regions.

If you choose to grow it as a houseplant, keep it near a window that gets direct sunlight during a good portion of the day.

While the plant can tolerate a range of temperatures, it’s recommended for USDA hardiness zones 9a to 11b.

When it comes to colder temperatures, the minimum recommended range is 20° degrees Fahrenheit to 50° degrees Fahrenheit.

The plant can tolerate the cold better than most other varieties.

However, you should take the White Mexican rose indoors if you expect a harsh winter.

If temperatures regularly drop below freezing, the plant may not make it through the colder months.

 

Blue Echeveria "Mexican Snowball" (aka elegans) showing its colors

Mexican Snowball Watering and Feeding Tips

Watering isn’t a major requirement with this drought-tolerant succulent. During the summer, you may need to water it once per week.

During the winter, you may barely need to sprinkle the pot or ground with water.

Provide just enough to keep leaves from shriveling.

In fact, some people do not water the plant at all during the winter months.

However, you don’t want the succulents to frequently get completely dried out. Keep an eye on the soil and the leaves.

If the leaves start to develop spots or appear thinner, you may not be giving the plant enough water.

You can add a balanced fertilizer about two or three times during the spring and summer months. Try to space these feedings about one month apart.

What Type Of Soil Does ‘Elegans White Rose’ Need For Potting and Transplanting?

The plant grows easily in a sandy succulent soil mix. It should have good drainage and medium to dry moisture.

However, almost any soil with decent drainage should provide a suitable environment for this hardy plant. A simple soil mix of peat moss and perlite will work when growing indoors.

“Elegans” makes an excellent and attractive plant in a container or pot.

If you’re worried about drainage, add broken pot pieces to the bottom of your container or pot.

Does the mexican snowball Requires Any Special ‘Grooming’?

Grooming isn’t necessary. The ‘elegans’ produces small, compact rosettes that rarely exceed 8” to 12” inches in size.

Some succulent enthusiasts remove the tops of the succulents when they get too tall.

However, this is rarely an issue, especially when planting Elegans for covering the ground in the landscape.

How to Propagate Mexican Rose Succulents

Echeveria elegans produces offsets in the spring. These offsets can be removed and separately grown to propagate the plant.

These offsets are common for most varieties of this plant.

You can also propagate the plant by taking stem or leaf cuttings. Take these cuttings in the spring, allow them to dry for several days, and then plant them in a well-draining cactus mix or even sand..

What Pest or Disease or Problems Does The Mexican Snow Experience?

The plant is generally ‘disease resistant’ except for over-watering.

To avoid over-watering, which may damage the leaves, you should allow the soil of this drought tolerant plant to dry out between watering.

The bugs that you need to watch out for include vine weevils, aphids, and mealybugs.

Potted Elegans Echeveria growing in well-draining cactus soil

Potted Elegans Echeveria growing in well-draining cactus soil

 

What Are The Best Ways To Use Echeveria Elegans

The Elegans snowball is an easy succulent to manage, making it suitable for many uses outdoors.

As it produces a lot of offsets, it’s a great choice for a garden ground cover.

You can easily collect the offsets and plant them elsewhere to start a new colony of Mexican gems.

It also looks good in rock gardens.

Plant in containers as a stand-alone specimen or paired with taller cactus and succulents. They also make a nice addition to a succulent fountain planter!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top