Echeveria Blue Curls Care & Propagation

Echeveria Blue Curls is a beautiful and fast growing Echeveria hybrid of unknown parentage. It is an absolute stand out in any collection or garden thanks to its stunning curly leaves and a range of warm, pastel colours.

While Echeveria Blue Curls is quite an easy plat to grow there are a few things to know about this succulent. The information below is based on growing hundreds of Blue Curls at our nursery Fern Farm Plants.

Description

Echeveria Blue Curls is an evergreen succulent with a rosette type arrangement of leaves. The colour is usually shades of blue-green in the warmer months. When cooler, the colour on the edges and back of the leaves changes to shades of pink.

The intensity of the colours will depend on a variety of factors such as sun exposure, size of pot, potting mix and what time of the year it is. Full sun coupled with cool temperature will create a spectacular show of colour that will spread through the majority of the leaves’ surface.

The leaves of Echeveria Blue Curls are wide but tend to cup inwards. The edge has attractive curls running along. These curls will become more pronounced as the plant ages and when it is exposed to direct sun.

Surface of the leaves is coated with a dusting of farina. Farina acts like a sunscreen and helps protect against sunburn.

Echeveria Blue Curls grows on a low stalk, close to the ground. Individual plants can reach over 20cm in diameter and 15cm height in ideal conditions, when the plant is repotted regularly into bigger pot and fresh potting mix, or has a lot of space for the roots in the garden.

Once a rosette is mature, it will produce offsets under its most bottom leaves. Each offset will then go on to produce offsets of their own. Only large and mature Blue Curls can produce offsets, though it is not very many (one-two per year).

Echeveria Blue Curls flowers every spring. The blooms come up on a stalk where individual bell-shaped, orange-yellow flowers open in a cascade. One rosette can send out 3 or more stalks out at once and the flowers can last for about a month.

Position & Care

Echeveria Blue Curls is quite a hardy plant that grows well in pots or garden. Mature plants should also be able to withstand strong summer sun, though we do recommend protection or move to shade during heatwaves.

Echeveria Blue Curls is also not frost tolerant but will survive outdoors if the temperature does not fall below 1C/33F. Mild frost should not kill this succulent, but it is likely to cause burns on the foliage.

The best appearance is achieved when Echeveria Blue Curls is grown in as much sun as possible autumn-spring. During heatwaves of over 35C/95F it can get burn marks from strong UV rays and should be moved into shade/under 30% shade cloth for the afternoon.

While Echeveria Blue Curls will grow in a filtered light position, it is unlikely to produce those attractive colours or frilly edges. Some of the frills will still form but they will be further apart. The rosette will not be very compact. Chances of Blue Curls rotting or developing dark marks are also much higher in too much shade.

In pots, use succulent potting mix and for best results, re-pot to a bigger pot every growing season. This will help the plant to grow to its full size and produce offsets.

Echeveria Blue Curls can also be grown in the garden and looks particularly fantastic in rockeries, succulent gardens or at the edges, where it can be admired close up. Plants in the ground are usually hardier than those grown in pots and do not develop marks as much as potted plants do. Mulch or pebbles can be used as well.

Potted plants should be watered only when the potting mix has dried up from previous watering. Do not spray the foliage. Properly wet the roots and then leave to dry. The frequency of watering will change based on the temperature and seasons. In summer watering may be needed a couple of times per week while in winter it can be a couple of times per month.

Echeveria Blue Curls is not a suitable to be grown indoors, other than for over-wintering. The only time this plant will have a chance at surviving inside long term is if it’s grown under plant growing lights or in a very bright sunroom.

Propagation

Echeveria Blue Curls can be propagated by offsets, leaves and seeds. By far the easiest way to propagate this succulent is offsets. Leaves can grow a new plant too, but the success rate is quite low. As for seeds, while possible it can prove difficult to raise this plant from seed.

Echeveria Blue Curls offsets are not difficult to propagate at all. The main thing is to wait until they are big enough so they can be safely separated from the mother plant. Please read this article if you’d like to know more about offset propagation.

Blue Curls leaf propagation can be a little tricky to propagate as many, even if taken off correctly can shrivel up and die before a new baby plant has a chance to form. In general, curly and frilly Echeveria do not propagate well using this method, however, there are exceptions.

Seeds may not be a great idea for a number of reasons. One, it can be hard to find a reliable seed seller that will sell you seed that has not been contaminated with the pollen of other succulents/ sell seeds that are viable. Two, germination of seeds can also be unreliable. Three, it can take a very long time (years) for a seed to grow to a decent sized plant.

Whichever propagation method is used, Echeveria Blue Curls should only be propagated in the growing season. This would be spring and summer, though do be careful young plants do not get burned in strong summer sun.

Pests

Echeveria Blue Curls is susceptible to all the usual succulent pests, in particular the mealy bugs. Aphids can attack the flowers and young offsets, but mealy bugs can burrow deep between the leaves and also attack the root system.

For a list of animals that like to eat succulents, you can read another one of our articles here. We also have a separate, in-depth article about mealy bugs and aphids.

Toxicity

As most Echeverias, Blue Curls is not listed as toxic to humans, dogs, cats, other pets or livestock, though it is not recommended to consume this plant as food.

Where can I get it?

Echeveria Blue Curls should be stocked by garden centres, specialist succulent nurseries/ online nurseries.