Succulents such as Echeveria thrive in high light levels and warm temperatures. Their native habitat is the semi-desert regions of Mexico and Central America where light levels are bright and consistently long year-round (approximately 12 hours of light and dark). Replicating their preferred light levels indoors can be tricky the farther north you live in the Northern Hemisphere, although useful LED and fluorescent grow lighting options are plentiful and much more accessible to home gardeners now.
Light levels that are too low result in plants that become weak, lose their brilliant coloring, and become lanky and overgrown stretching toward any amount of light they can find.
Best Rooms To Grow Echeveria
Indirect bright light is the goal for growing a strong Echeveria. This is typically found directly in the window of an east-facing room where the early morning light is unobstructed while providing protection during the hottest part of the day. South-facing exposures are great as well and if they are not shaded by evergreen trees in the winter months, ideal locations to keep Echeveria growing compactly.
If you find your plant's coloring starting to fade or have yellowing or brown burn marks on the leaves move it a few feet from the window or to a room with lower light levels. West-facing windows may provide too much heat and act like a magnifying glass scorching and burning leaves during the heat of summer.
Providing Supplemental Sunlight To Echeveria
Full spectrum grow lights are ideal for gardeners who do not have the right levels of natural light but still want to grow succulents. They can be set up on shelving racks or as a single light hanging in the corner of a room. LED and cool temp Fluorescent bulbs (t5 or a mix of one cool and one warm bulb) can be set with timers to provide 12 hours of light and dark without fear of forgetting.
They are also extremely energy efficient and not likely to raise temperatures in your house . Keep in mind that bulbs that are in the blue spectrum encourage overall plant growth while bulbs in the red spectrum are more effective for encouraging flowers. Place the bulbs within 6 inches of your Echeveria to help keep the growth compact with no lengthening of the stem.
Sunlight Needed For Growing Echeveria Outdoors
The outdoor light levels may not seem extreme to our human eyes but to plants, the levels are up to 500x brighter in a full light setting outdoors than direct bright light from a south-facing window. Keeping that in mind, moving a sheltered houseplant outside for the summer needs to be done gradually to keep the plant from leaf fading, scorching, and sunburn.
Echeveria can happily grow in a part sun or dappled sun locations outdoors for the summer months. For at least one week (after the overnight temperatures are above 50F) move your plant a little bit each day from a fully shaded spot to its final location with either full sun early or late in the day. Protection during the hottest part of the day should be used for plants growing indoors most of the year.
Sources:
“Cacti and Other Succulents as Houseplants.” Brooklyn Botanic Garden. www.bbg.org
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Author Robbin Small - Published 12-27-2024 |