Echeveria ‘Black Prince’ – Succulent plants

Echeveria ‘Black Prince’ is a wonderful, slow-growing succulent plant. It produces clumps of short rosettes up to 3 inches wide with thin dark triangular, blackish leaves. The leaves will first be green and darken as they mature. The center of the plant is usually green. It produces offsets, what we often call babies, that can fill your container and sometimes even spill over the sides. The dark red flowers appear on short stalks in late fall to early winter.

Scientific Classification:

Family: Crassulaceae
Subfamily: Sedoideae
Tribe: Sedeae
Subtribe: Sedinae
Genus: Echeveria

Scientific Name: Echeveria ‘Black Prince’
Common Names: Black Hens and Chicks, Black Prince Echeveria

How to grow and maintain Echeveria ‘Black Prince’:

Light:
It thrives best in full sun to light shade. In indoor an east or west-facing window where they receive four to six hours of sunlight is ideal.

Soil:
It grows well in a well-drained succulent mix, with an ideal pH around 6.0 (slightly acidic) or an equal part sharp sand with all-purpose potting mix.

Water:
Water Echeveria plant regularly during the summer and spring. keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. You can allow the topsoil to become slightly dry between each watering. Reduce water in the winter.

Temperature:
It prefers an average to warm 65 degrees Fahrenheit – 80 degrees Fahrenheit / 18 degrees Celsius – 27 degrees Celsius. Slightly cooler in fall and winter 55 degrees Fahrenheit – 75 degrees Fahrenheit / 13 degrees Celsius – 24 degrees Celsius.

Fertilizer:
Fertilize every two weeks from spring through fall with 2-7-7 liquid manure diluted by half.

Repotting:
Re-pot as needed, preferably during the warm season. To re-pot, a succulent, make sure the soil is dry before repotting, then gently remove the pot. Knock away the old soil from the roots, making sure to remove any rotted or dead roots in the process. Treat any cuts with a fungicide. Place the plant in its new pot and backfill with potting soil, spreading the roots out as you re-pot. Leave the plant dry for a week or so, then begin to water lightly to reduce the risk of root rot.

Propagation:
It can be easily propagated by seeds, offsets or leaf cuttings in spring. To propagate a leaf cutting, allow the leaf to dry for 24 hours to stop the oozing of its sap. Push the cut end into the moist potting mix.

Pests and Diseases:
It has no serious pest or disease problems. Mealybugs can be a problem, and if dead leaves are not expelled from the plant, it can attract other insect pests or have problems with fungus.