The Echeveria Harmsii is a succulent plush plant with a remarkable leaf texture and bright, colorful flowers. These plush plants are easy to care for, with many growers choosing to propagate Echeveria Harmsii plants without difficulty.
As long as the right mix of soil substrate, water irrigation, and warm temperatures are fulfilled, even novice growers will find it extremely simple to nurture these plants.
Contents
What Is an Echeveria Harmsii?
The Echeveria Harmsii is an excellent indoor and outdoor plant grown for its amazing foliage and fiery blooms.
Easy to care for, the flowering Echeveria Harmsii plants are influenced by warm sunny weather that helps them develop their inflorescences.
Echeveria Harmsii Care
Growing the Echeveria Harmsii plant can be a job for beginner gardeners as long as its basic growing conditions are met and fulfilled. The beautifully furred leaves in deep red colorations are reward enough; it is of no surprise that many grow the plant for its gorgeous flowers.
– Water
The Echeveria Harmsii plant thrives in areas where the soil is not overly wet from excess water.
The succulent plant does not tolerate extended periods of dryness either, so a perfect middle ground should be found.
Soak and Dry Method
The ideal watering method for succulent plants like the Echeveria Harmsii is the “soak and dry” method, which works especially well for potted plants.
This technique involves the soil around the base of the plant being soaked with water until excess water drains out.
Once the water drains out, the potted Echeveria Harmsii plant is set aside and allowed to dry out until the substrate is almost dry.
The Echeveria Harmsii plant will require less watering during the winter, especially when grown in colder regions.
– Light
The Echeveria Harmsii succulent plant thrives in areas with prolonged exposure to bright light. The plant can tolerate full sun, although the ideal light condition is four to six hours of morning sun exposure. Harsh sun exposure could result in leaf burns to the plant.
When grown indoors, the Echeveria Harmsii plant is ideally located in an area where it receives bright indirect light for six hours. Supplementary grow lights can help the plant procure its required light exposure.
– Soil
The Echeveria Harmsii plant prefers to be planted in soil that is quick-drying. Quick-drying soil encourages water to pass through rapidly, keeping the roots of the plant slightly moist without stagnant water.
Ideal soil mixtures can be found commercially in the form of cactus soil mix or succulent soil mix.
Ideal Substrate Mix
For gardeners interested in making their soil mixtures, the most ideal substrate combination for the Echeveria Harmsii plant can be made easily. This means equal parts of coarse sand, gravel, perlite, bark, and some gardening soil.
When choosing containers for the Echeveria Harmsii plant, the ideal ones are made of unglazed terra cotta pots with excellent drainage holes to ensure that excess water drains freely.
– Temperature
The Echeveria Harmsii plant loves to be placed in areas where the temperatures are warm. The Echeveria Harmsii succulent plant thrives in temperatures of 65 F, while it can tolerate down to 50 F but not any lower.
In North America, the plant can be easily grown outdoors in USDA zones 10 to 11, although care should still be taken to ensure that the plant is not exposed to low temperatures at all.
When grown indoors, the potted Echeveria Harmsii plant can thrive well as the temperature can be easily regulated.
– Humidity
The Echeveria Harmsii plant prefers to live in arid environments. When the air moisture content is high, the plant may become susceptible to fungal growth and may perish from this condition. Air movement is also critical to keep the air flowing and prevent humidity.
– Fertilizer
The Echeveria Harmsii plant can benefit from fertilizer, although it does not require any in its native habitats. The plant may be fed during the warm seasons with a slow-release balanced fertilizer formulated for cactus or succulents.
When grown in colder regions with wintry temperatures, the Echeveria Harmsii plant should not be given fertilizers at all. Fertilizers are only ideally fed to the plants during the warmer and active growing seasons.
– Rest Period
The Echeveria Harmsii plant may undergo a dormancy stage when grown in regions with low temperatures.
In this period, the watering of the plant should be reduced to keep it from getting waterlogged. Fertilizer feedings during this period should be entirely stopped.
Propagation
The Echeveria Harmsii plant can be easily propagated in several ways, with some techniques yielding better results than others.
– By Offsets
The Echeveria Harmsii plant is easily grown from offsets, which are baby plants that grow from the base of the mother plant. These can be conveniently placed into a new pot with new potting soil and cultivated as usual.
– By Stem and Leaf Cuttings
Echeveria Harmsii stem and leaf cuttings are the second easiest way to propagate the plant. This involves cutting off the stems and leaves of the plant and allowing them to dry and callus over several days. The calloused plant parts are then placed in potting soil and watered similarly to the mother plant.
– By Seeds
The most challenging method involves growing Echeveria Harmsii plants from seeds. This can take a lot of time and patience and does not always guarantee viable results or yield.
Problems
The healthy Echeveria Harmsii plant normally does not suffer from health issues or pest concerns. The most serious condition it may face is root rot, which can be easily remedied.
Occasionally, the plant may become prone to pests like mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids. These conditions can be easily treated with commercial insecticides or homemade neem oil solutions.
Features of the Echeveria Harmsii
– Name Origins
The name Echeveria is in honor of Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, a Mexican botanist and illustrator in the 18th century who contributed significantly to several botanical texts.
The epithet harmsia or harmsii is usually given to plants in honor of Hermann August Theodor Harms, a German taxonomist and botanist in the late 19th century.
Other Names
The Echeveria Harmsii is also known by other names, such as the Plush Plant, Echeveria Harmsii Red Velvet, the Succulent Plush, the Red Echeveria, the Velvet Echeveria, and the Red Velvet Echeveria.
– Size
The Echeveria Harmsii plant can grow up to about 12 inches in height and diameter when fully mature.
Despite this size, the plant can be slow to develop, with some taking four to six years to reach full maturity.
– Leaves
The Echeveria Harmsii leaf normally reaches around an inch, especially on mature plants. The leaves form a petite rosette shape, with each leaf being plump, narrow, and slightly upturned.
The Echeveria Harmsii leaf is also covered in a soft velvet coat that gives the plant a dreamy velvet-like texture and appearance. This soft, velvety texture of the leaf is why the plant is most commonly called the Plush Plant.
Red Hues
The leaves of the Echeveria Harmsii plant are also tinged with a red hue at the tips and margins. When exposed to high levels of bright light, the red hues deepen and sometimes color half of the leaf. The furry texture and the deep saturation of the leaves inspire many to call the plant the Red Velvet Echeveria.
– Roots
The Echeveria Harmsii plant has thin fibrous roots that are relatively shallow compared to the overall plant size. Despite its size, the shallow root system is highly efficient in absorbing water even from minimal moisture sources.
The roots of the Echeveria Harmsii plant are quite sensitive to overexposure to stagnant water. This condition can cause the root system of the plant to go soft and eventually rot. If untended, this can cause the plant to perish.
– Flowers
The mature Echeveria Harmsii plant has a tendency to bloom several times in a year under optimal growing conditions. The flowers are produced from a slender raceme approximately four inches long. Flower buds eventually develop at the end of this stalk.
The flowers of the Echeveria Harmsii plant are bright red and shaped like bells. The crimson petals are often tipped with yellow margins.
Blooming Season
The flowering season usually starts around spring, when sun exposure starts to become longer.
– Habitat
The Echeveria Harmsii plant can be normally found in its local habitat and environment in Mexico’s warm and dry regions.
The plant is normally found in rocky areas, under trees, or in areas where the soil is sandy and quick-drying.
FAQ
How do you keep Echeveria Harmsii healthy?
Provide Echeveria Harmsii with well-draining soil, ample sunlight, and water sparingly to keep it healthy.
Does Echeveria Harmsii go dormant in winter?
Echeveria Harmsii may go dormant in winter, requiring reduced watering and protection from frost to maintain its health.
Is Echeveria Harmsii hard to grow?
Echeveria Harmsii is relatively easy to grow with proper care and suitable growing conditions.
Conclusion
The Plush Plant is always on top of many succulent growers’ lists. Here’s what we’ve learned so far about this velvety plant:
- The Echeveria Harmsii plant has typical succulent needs, such as quick-draining soil, specific watering techniques, and high levels of light and temperature.
- The Plush Plant is normally grown for its visual display of velvety red-tinged leaves and scarlet blooms.
- The Red Velvet Echeveria is easily propagated through plant offsets and calloused plant parts.
The Echeveria Harmsii plant is hard to miss with its downy texture and fiery colors. Grown in gardens and containers, the gorgeous plant rewards its caretakers with endless spots of pigmented hues and saturations throughout the year!
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