| Hello again. Thank you for your answer to my recent question about phormiun tenax culture. Here's the new one. I recently purchased a very nice echeveria gibbiflora 'ARLIE WRIGHT'. It is a magnificant specimen. I purchased it here in Santa Rosa at Cottage Gardens new store near my residence. It came in a 2 gallon pot which was filled with there succulent media. Of course when I inverted the pot and gingerly tried to remove the plant the soil vaporized. I was left with the 3 inch root ball and upper growth of the plant itself. I did not have the proper media so I used a very porous potting soil. This is only a temporary situation. I intended to purchase some succulent/cacti media tommorow, Tues day the 23 of August, 2005. I dug the hole 2 times larger than the container. Removing any heavy clay like material. Here's the scene! My wife says that foilage is turning to a rather ugly almost burned/scorched appearance. I check it out. The soil is moist, not water ladden. It gets about 5 hours of sun daily at ths time of year. I fertilized sparingly it with Osmocote 9-5-6. Light watering every 2 to 3 days depending on conditions prevailing. Any ideas? I will take some starts and root them up, but this specimen was beautiful. Thats gardening!! Thanks Ric Zanoni |
| Echeveria 'Arlie Wright' is an hybrid of Echeveria gibbiflora. It is named by Dick Wright, who created a lot of the Echeveria hybrids, after his mother Arloine. It is, indeed, a beautiful plant. Echeveria typically has a small root system compared to its top, but the roots are able to support the plant without problem. What you describe in unpotting the plant is a common occurance. Sometimes you can avoid this by thoroughly watering the plant the day before you plan to unpot it. Moist soil tends to hold together better than bone-dry soil. With that said, let's deal with the problem at hand. It isn't unusual for plants to go through some stress after being transplanted, especially if they are receiving more or less sunshine and more or less water than they did prior to being transplanted. Watering every few days is probably too much, even for a newly planted succulent. Instead of watering frequently, try watering deeply only once each week. This will allow the soil to dry between waterings, which will keep the roots healthier. The fertilizer you used is time released so the crispy edges on the leaves are not an indication of overfertilizing, but more a response to being uprooted and overwatered. Reduce the frequency of watering and exercise a little patience. Your Echeveria should perk up in a few weeks. Best wishes with your new plant! |
