Pachyveria clavifolia: Care and Propagation Guide
Pachyveria clavifolia is a hybrid between Pachyphytum bracteosum and Echeveria rosea. It is also known as Echeveria elegans ‘Gray Red’. It is a highly desirable succulent native to South America. It has very short stems that only grow up to 6 inches tall and have bulbous rosettes at the top.
The leaves are gray-blue in color and slightly pointed, with the tips being reddish. The reddish tint becomes more prominent in the sunlight. The blooming season falls in the spring. Tall inflorescences grow orange or red flowers in clusters.
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Contents
How To Care For Pachyveria clavifolia
Pachyveria clavifolia is fairly simple to take care of and is a very common choice for houseplants. Not only are their needs easy to figure out, but they are also excellent as decorative plants because of their lovely leaves.
Light
Pachyveria clavifolia is native to regions where it gets tons of natural sunlight. Pachyveria clavifolia can be grown outdoors or indoors as long as it gets some amount of sunlight every single day.
Very direct and intense sunlight in the morning is tolerated well by Pachyveria clavifolia but direct sunlight in the afternoon can damage the leaves of the plant.
If you have an outdoor Pachyveria clavifolia, then use a sheet to protect the leaves of the plant during the hours of intense sunlight. If you have an indoor plant, then make sure you keep it in a spot that gets partial sunlight throughout the day.
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Water
Pachyveria clavifolia, like most succulents, is extremely sensitive to overwatering but can tolerate underwatering to a reasonable degree. Any amount of excess moisture can lead to the formation of rot in the roots of the plant.
If your Pachyveria clavifolia is underwatered, you will easily be able to tell. The leaves of the succulent will not have enough water stored and they will become soft to the touch.
In that case, you should go ahead and water the plant. At other times, you must be extremely careful not to overwater the plant. Pachyveria clavifolia should only be watered if the soil is dry up to a depth of four inches.
Alternatively, if the leaves of the plant are plump, then that means that there is water stored in the plant and you do not need to water the plant.
While watering, you must take care not to put water on the leaves of the plant as that can lead to rotting and damage.
Though this may vary according to climates, you can water your plant once every five to seven days during the summer months.
Pachyveria clavifolia enters a period of active growth in the winter and needs to be watered more heavily during that time.
To know when this period is coming, examine the bottom leaves of the plant. If they are dry, then you need to start increasing the quantity of water.
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Soil
Pachyveria clavifolia has one crucial requirement from the soil. The soil can be of any poor quality but it should be well-drained so that there is no accumulation of moisture around the roots of the plant.
You can buy a pre-made succulent potting mix to plant your Pachyveria clavifolia or you can make your own by combining regular potting soil, sand and perlite or pumice.
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Climate
Pachyveria clavifolia is native to regions with hot climates and can tolerate high amounts of heat. However, it cannot tolerate low temperatures and can especially die during frost.
Pachyveria clavifolia should not be kept in temperatures below 45 degrees Farhenheit for sustained periods of time without protection. Temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit can kill the plant completely.
These succulents, especially those kept outdoors, need to be protected from the frost during the winter months. You can protect your succulent with a sheet during frost.
Fertilizer
Pachyveria clavifolia can be nourished with fertilizers around once a month during their active growth period. For this, you can use the fertilizers available for succulents by diluting them and then putting them in the soil.
Potting and Repotting
Pachyveria clavifolia needs to be potted in well-drained soil, ideally in a container that has drainage holes.
The roots of the succulent do not take up a lot of space and grow slower than the leaves of the plant. As a result, the plant needs to be repotted only about once every two years. The plant should ideally be repotted in the month of April.
How To Propagate Pachyveria clavifolia
New Pachyveria clavifolia plants can be propagated from the leaves found in the center of the rosettes of the plant. After cutting the leaf, keep it outside for about a day. After that, the leaf needs to be dipped in a rooting mixture and then potted in a moist soil mixture.
The leaf cutting will soon lead to the growth of rosettes of the succulent. As the rosette grows its own root, it can be transferred out of this soil into well-drained soil that is suitable for Pachyveria clavifolia.
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