Echeveria setosa var. ciliata. (which needs more light)

harry

How do you know it needs more light? I'm not disagreeing, I just wondered how you can tell if it's healthy or not? :)

your plants do look healthy:) but in the side view pic you can see the middle part of the echeveria is beginning to reach for light.

Yeah I thought it looked like that too! The problem is I have it in the sunniest spot possible! Would turning it help this at all?

Turning it could help. Your plant will still most likely get etiolated. It looks like you're doing the best you can :) It is truly hard having succulents as houseplants because they love the sun. Even the sunniest window is usually not enough because it's only one side getting the light.

Turning will help with all sides receiving similar amount of light, but will not stop etiolation. So you will have more 'evenly etiolated' plant (I am not trying to make fun of it). If no outdoors available, you could help by using supplemental lighting.

What are they potted in? Succulents will do best in free draining mix, so maybe repotting would be good idea.

They are all very nice, but with lack of light and insufficient drainage (if that's the case), the will start looking a lot different.

Thanks very much for the input! :)

What I might try is moving it to the front row of my plants (I have 2 rows on my window sill and its been at the back) and and also turn it to see if that helps at all. Otherwise I might have to consider another approach i.e artificial lighting for it. The weather in the UK is sadly too poor for it to be outside often. but on sunny days I could take them outside?

I must admit, I am confused as to why it's beginning to etiolate as it's turned a more purpley pink colour which I thought meant it was getting good light exposure. And it must certainly be getting a lot more than inside a garden centre.

I think they should be okay in terms of drainage, I use 1/3 coir-based compost, 2/3 perlite and grit mix. I was actually worried it might not have enough organic material in it?

Thanks :)

I think that is good mix. Succulents live in lean soils in nature, so whatever coir you put in is likely enough.

Color could be improving if plant is getting more light than before, but still may not be enough for it to grow compact.

I see bit of a 'situation' with taking plants outside on occasion - they will be growing in certain light and then for some (likely shorter?) period of time will be put outside: if it happens to be more sunny location, they may need to be acclimatized. I can't see that happening every now & then - but you know what light is available, and judge accordingly. I am just thinking of practical side...I keep all succulents outdoors even if it rains. But would cover them with a plastic sheet if it was raining few days in a row, or if we had a big storm. They are all in a mix of grit+perlite+turface (less than other 2) and in pots with lots of drainage holes.

Thanks! :) It just seems so unnatural compared with soil mixes for standard plants! I thought I had probably overdone it haha!

Yeah I see what you mean about the trouble with acclimatising them, especially when there weather is so changeable from week to week.

You mention you keep your succulents outside, what are the temperatures like where you are? I thought Canada was pretty cold? I'm just thinking if you've had success keeping them outside, maybe mine might be okay.

Takes little time to get comfortable with inorganic mixes. Many ppl keep other plants in it too.

My z5a is quite a bit colder, and I have to bring all plants indoors for winter. Summer temps are usually in mid twenties (Celsius), and I believe we have little less rain. I take them outdoors once nighttime temps stay constantly around 9-10*C, and bring them in again as temps drop (usually in Nov.) Always waiting impatiently for 'day out' and do not look forward for 'day in'...:(

Yeah your summer temps don't sound massively different to here actually! I might try putting them outside! Do you find that you get worse problems with bugs from them being outside?

No, I don't. There are so many beneficials outdoors, IMO, they could only help.

Yeah I've only had it a few days, so I think it probably was already getting like that. It's the same here in the UK, this plant was in a dark corner like you said not being look after properly, but hopefully I can help it!

Your plant is beautiful! I hope mine will look like that one day :D