For my birthday this year, I received a very special gift from my family: two succulents each month for three months. These come just in time from a company called Succulent City and are strains that I probably wouldn’t have picked for myself, but have become some of my favorites. The one I received for July was a new type of succulent called Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives.’
Not knowing about Graptoveria succulents, I did some research to see what this particular type of succulent would need to keep “Fred” happy. It turns out to be a hybrid variety of Graptopelatum and Echeveria succulents. Stay with me here… it’s getting a little confusing now. Learning more about Graptoveria led me to learn more about Graptopelatum. These are plants from Mexico and Arizona that look a lot like Echeveria, although to me they look more like sedum. So naturally someone came up with the idea of ​​crossing Graptopelatum and Echeveria to form the Graptoveria varieties.
Okay, now back to the growing needs of Graptoveria. Because they’re half Echeveria, they basically have the same growing conditions: well-drained soil, lots of sun, and little water. Most varieties form tight rosettes and some can reach 8 inches in diameter and height. They are also chameleons and can change color from blue to pink to purple and even red depending on the light and watering conditions. The leaves are waxy and covered with flour (or epicuticular wax) that looks like powder. It is this flour that protects the leaves from the full intensity of the sun.
Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ growing area is USDA Zones 9 and 10. One of the websites I was visiting classified Tillamook County as Zone 9, but to my knowledge we are still in Zone 8 So growing Graptoveria outdoors can be a bit risky. That’s why I like to grow them in pots so they can be happy outside all summer and come inside for the winter. Not a bad idea anyway due to the winter rains. Other Graptoveria varieties are only listed in zone 10, so it is best to check their zone classification before purchasing.
Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives’ are said to be difficult to kill – unless overwatered – and easy to propagate. It is also listed as a fast growing plant. Sounds perfect, right?
And this little beauty has a good chance of blooming in late spring or early summer if she’s happy. The flowers are star shaped and can come in any shade from orange to yellow to peach pink. Strong summer sunshine will make the flowers even more vivid.
I am learning so much about succulents by sharing information with you. Farina and epicuticular wax were two new terms for me. But earlier this year, I discovered monocarpic and polycarpic succulents. Monocarpic plants are those that expend so much energy to flower that they die after flowering has ceased. Polycarpic plants can continue to live and flower – sometimes for years – before dying. But don’t be afraid if you have a monocarpic plant like a sempervivium as they will take three to four years to flower and in the meantime will also form multiple rosettes around its base (the hen “chicks” and chicks) that can be repotted and left to mature.
And yet another succulent term that I have learned is etoliation. This is the lengthening of the stems of any plant when stressed from lack of sunlight and too hot temperatures. Once a succulent begins to wither, it will not become bushy and full again. If you notice the stems stretching out early enough, you can slow down etiolation by exposing the plant to gradually increasing sunlight. Doing it too quickly can cause sunburn, so just give them 30 more minutes each day for three days until the plant stops stretching. Cooler temperatures with less water will also help this condition.
An etoliated plant that has passed the repair point can sometimes be helped by cutting off the top of the plant and repotting only the top rosette. The base of the plant left in the ground will often form tiny new rosettes along the stem, taking around 3 to 4 weeks to do.
More to come next month as we learn how to propagate the most common succulents and talk about Kalanchoe plant varieties.