Crested echeveria frosty go by the scientific name called Echeveria pulvinate frosty crested. Further they are known as crested firecracker plants.
They belong to the family Crassulaceae. Crested echeveria frosty are nursery cultivators where it originated from Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca.
They would be such magnificent additions for advanced plant owners. Further if you have some outdoor space to grow some plants during summer, Crested echeveria frosty would be handy there too.
Crested echeveria frosty are evergreen plants which many people tend to use as ornamental plants. These are drought tolerant plants, and you may use them as bonsai plants too.
If you live in Mediterranean subtropical dry tropical areas, Crested echeveria frosty would-be great picks for indoor gardening. So, if you desire to explore more about these plants, I urge you to read this article till the end.
How do I identify Crested echeveria frosty?
You could identify the Crested echeveria frosty plants from their leaves. Those leaves would tend to take a green, gray color.
Further they would carry hair in red. In addition to that Crested echeveria frosty leaves would tend to take an egg shape too.
They are fleshy to the touch, and you will feel it more like a velvet layer. Apart from these characteristics, Crested echeveria frosty stems would be green, gray in color.
They may tend to take either a way shape or a shapeless manner. When it comes to the sizes of the plants, they would be about 9-12 inches in height when they grow to their best potential. Further they would be about 3-4 inches in spread at maturity.
Crested echeveria frosty plants blossom with orange red colored flowers. Moreover, they would tend to take a bell shape.
Those blooms consist of five petals, and you could usually spot them emerging on the top of the plants.
Crested Echeveria frosty tend to form dramatic flower stalks during summer when they get optimal conditions. Having said that, you could spot them flowering very rarely.
Size of the plant
As aforesaid, Crested echeveria frosty would reach a maximum height of 9-12 inches once they mature. Further they would be about 3-4 inches in spread too.
Growth rate
Crested Echeveria frosty usually grows at a moderate pace.
One look care guide
| Botanical Name | Echeveria pulvinata frosty |
| Common Name | Crested echeveria frosty |
| Plant Type | Succulent |
| Mature Size | 9-12 inches in height 3-4 inches in spread |
| Sun Exposure | Full sunlight to partial shade |
| Soil Type | Well draining |
| Soil pH | (6.1 – 6.5) Neutral (6.6 – 7.3) |
| Bloom Time | Summer |
| Flower Color | orange in red |
| Hardiness Zones | USDA zones 9b ( 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit ) zone 10a (30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ) zone 10b ( 35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit ) |
| Native Area | Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca |
| Toxicity | Non Toxic |
| Average price | 9 USD |
How do you take care of Crested echeveria frosty?
Light Requirement
Crested echeveria frosty have typical requirements just like the rest of other succulents when it comes to sunlight.
Ideally, they would grow well in brightly lit sunny places. To be more precise they would prefer to have bright sunlight for four hours per day.
However, during the intense hours of the day, they would thrive well with partial shade. Do not place them right under the direct sunlight as it would bring an adverse impact on the plant’s growth.
For example , the exposure for direct sunlight during summer would result in leaf tip burn in the plants.
Temperature and humidity
Crested echeveria frosty plants would opt to grow well in warmer temperatures. Ideally, they would grow well in temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The minimum temperature they can withstand in winter is 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if there is any forecast of colder weather, best is to pot them in containers which you could shift indoors easily.
Once the temperature gets better, you could move them out.
Is it cold hardy?
Crested echeveria frosty have a frost tolerance up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Growth Zone
Crested echeveria frosty opt to grow in USDA hardiness zones 9b ( 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit ) , zone 10a (30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ) and in zone 10b ( 35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit ).
Watering Requirement
Crested echeveria frosty have minimal requirements in terms of water. However best would be to water them moderately during spring, and in the beginning of autumn.
You need to speed up watering during summer and water them thoroughly during those periods. However, you need to still ensure that you let the soil wither between two watering sessions.
I recommend watering them once a month during winter. literally you need to water them to stop them shriveling during winter and ensure that you don’t over water them at any time.
You should do the best practices when watering them as it is the most important factor when it comes to looking after these plants.
If you are hesitant whether you need to water the plants or not, I recommend the best would be to wait for a few days and then water.
Soil Requirement Type / pH.
Crested echeveria frosty would opt to grow in a sandy well-draining soil mix as those conditions would suit them the best.
Excellent drainage is a must when choosing the right soil mix to grow the Crested echeveria frosty plants.
In addition to that it has to have a good aeration too. Considering these two factors, I recommend best would be to go ahead with the commercially made succulents soil mix or with the cactus soil mix.
Further if you have a regular soil mix you could amend it with 50 % pumice so that it would further better the drainage of the soil mix.
The purpose of adding the perlite is to improve the grittiness which would consequently better the drainage of the soil mix.
Pot size Potting and Repotting
Best would be to go ahead with a porous pot to grow the Crested echeveria frosty plants. The purpose of using porous pots is to allow the excess water to evaporate faster.
In addition to that, you need to ensure whether it has at least one or two draining holes so that the excess water could move out from the pots.
When it comes to repotting of the Crested echeveria frosty plants, I suggest the best would be to repot the plants once every two years.
It would allow the plants to grow in new growing conditions. Unless, if you keep growing the plants in the same soil mix for too long, the nutrients would be depleted by that time.
Furthermore, make sure that you conduct the repotting of the plants in a much gentler way so that you will not injure the roots of the plants.
Where to Plant
The most important factor when selecting a right spot to plant the Crested echeveria frosty is to assure whether that place is a brightly lit place.
Fertilizer and time of year
I recommend fertilizing the Crested echeveria frosty with an organic cactus fertilizer or with a succulent fertilizer.
Best season to apply the fertilizers is spring and summer. However, you need to limit feeding them once a month.
Flower
Crested echeveria frosty flowers would emerge in bright orange and in red. They would flower in summer given that they get all the optimal conditions. However, you could spot them flowering very rarely in cultivation.
Dormancy
Crested echeveria frosty are winter dormant plants.
Toxicity
Crested echeveria frosty do not create any poisonous effect on both humans and on the pets. Having said that, I don’t recommend ingesting the plant parts.
Crested echeveria frosty benefits
As aforesaid, Crested echeveria frosty could fit in for both indoor gardening and for outdoor gardening.
Common bugs and illnesses
Crested echeveria frosty may suffer from root rot if you supply them water in excess. Hence why it is critical that you always try to under water them rather than over watering the plants.
These are usually resistant to the majority of the bug types. However, you need to watch out for bugs such as mealybugs and scales. Besides snails and slugs are also attractive for these plants.
How to propagate Crested echeveria frosty
You could propagate the Crested echeveria frosty by using the leaf propagation method or by using the offshoots.
You may simply place the offshoots and the leaf in a well-draining soil mix and just watch them growing. That said, when you cut the offsets, you need to ensure that what you are using to snip them off are all sterile and sharp tools.
Conclusion
I hope this article gave you a broader view of how to handle these beautiful plants. Trust you are now all set to grow the Crested echeveria frosty plants !
Credit to : Magnificent Cereus Peruvianus Flowers
