Have you noticed a beautiful rosette succulent at a store or friend’s house? Do you want one for your home? Succulents are one of the most popular plant varieties in modern households. They’re not only incredibly easy to take care of, thanks to their drought-tolerant origins, but they’re also beautiful to look at.
Succulent plants can brighten up any household, and one particular variety that’s becoming increasingly popular is the rosette succulent.
If you haven’t witnessed a rosette succulent before, be prepared to have your breath taken away by the enormous variety and beauty of these unique plants.
Rosette succulents typically exhibit a rose-like appearance, with multiple leaves clustered around a central point.
Like most succulents, the leaves are usually thick and fleshy, and are often plump and rounded, although some varieties may have more elongated or pointed leaves. There is a wide range of leaf colors, from vibrant green to shades of blue, purple, red, or even variegated patterns. The coloration may also change or intensify depending on conditions like light or temperature.
Some rosette succulents have smooth leaves, while others may have textured leaves or serrated edges.
The size of a rosette succulent can vary widely depending on the type. Some may have small rosettes, only a few inches in diameter, while others can grow much larger, reaching several feet in size. The height of the rosette can also vary, with some varieties staying low to the ground while grow tall, elongated stems.
Seven of the most popular types of rosette succulents are:
- Aeonium
- Agave
- Aloe
- Echeveria
- Graptopetalum
- Orostachys
- Sempervivum
There are many different varieties of succulents that maintain this particular form, and in our handy guide below, we’re going to be identifying some of the most popular. To find out more, simply keep reading below as we take a closer look at the most common types of rosette succulent.
Sempervivum
Chances are that if you’ve come across a sempervivum rosette succulent, you’ve been amazed by the wide variety of colors that this particular variety holds.
This is probably the most dramatic rosette succulent on our entire list, as it changes its colors boldly as the season’s shift. They are also relatively tall.
The great thing about this particular variety is that they’re incredibly tolerant of cold weather, which many succulent plants are not.
Graptopetalum
The next variety that we’re going to be taking a closer look at is the graptopetalum.
This particular variety is identifiable with its wooden stem, with super smooth leaves which appear to form a star-like shape.
There’s a beautiful image of 20 stunning graptopetalum varieties here.
Echeveria
Echeveria are commonly mixed up with graptopetalum, but they are a totally different variety of rosette succulent. In fact, to the untrained eye (which is most of us), many of the rosette succulent varieties look similar. Some of the common identifying characteristics are the shape of the leaves, whether the leaf is pointed or not and whether there are teeth, or serrations, on the edges of the leaf.
Echeveria have smooth leaves and varieties are available in several different colors, including green, pink, yellow, and orange.
Echeveria can grow particularly large and can reach up to 17 inches (43 cm) in diameter.
Orostachys
This particular variety is easily recognizable purely because it’s so small. This is the smallest variety of rosette succulent, and only grows until it’s approximately 3 – 4 inches tall.
In terms of color, this plant will either be a classic green, and sometimes a silvery color.
Aeonium
These plants have a particularly sturdy stem to support them, and will simply have the leaves growing on top.
They’re very pretty and unusual in terms of appearance,. Their leaf rosettes form several different ‘heads’, which make it look like a large bunch of flowers, bundled up together.
They can cope with colder temperatures, but will die when exposed to frost.
Aloe
This is probably the most recognizable of all of the different rosette succulent varieties, and is technically regarded as a herb.
This plant has long, spikey, thick leaves, which contain aloe. This substance is known for its healing properties, and is adept at treating wounds, but take care, although aloe is regarded as medicinal for humans, aloe plants are toxic for pets.
Agave
Agaves have thick, fleshy leaves that arranged in a rosette at the base of the plant. The leaves are usually stiff, pointed, and sometimes have sharp spines along the edges.
Agaves can grow extremely large – some up to 20ft (6m) tall!
How To Care For Rosette Succulents
Now that we’ve taken a closer look at some of the different varieties of rosette succulents, we can move on to discuss their care. These plants, which are incredibly easy to grow, are also relatively easy to take care of. This doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t have a few specific needs to take into consideration.
The Right Amount Of Light
The first thing that you want to take into consideration when it comes to caring for your rosette succulent, is to make sure they’re getting adequate amounts of light.
We’d recommend that if you have the space, that you grow these particular varieties outdoors, where they’ll be exposed to enough natural light.
You can grow them on a windowsill too, just as long as enough sunlight is coming through the window.
You don’t want to stress your plant, however, and just like other varieties of succulent plants, rosette succulents are also subject to sunburn.
Although it’s beautiful to observe your succulent plant transforming color to red, pink, or orange, too much sunlight can cause the leaves to wither and die.
Bright, indirect light for 4-6 hours a day is the gold standard in terms of light for succulents.
If you’re moving a succulent previously kept indoors to an outdoor area, ensure that you’re only keeping it out there for a limited amount of time at first, as it will need some time to acclimate.
Water According To The Season
The next piece of advice we’d like to share with you is to make sure that you’re watering according to the seasons.
Different species have different seasons of growth and dormancy.
During a growth phase, the rosette succulent will require more frequent watering.
As your rosette succulent approaches its dormancy season, it will have stopped growing and won’t require watering as often.
In fact, you can safely leave your rosette succulent for a couple of weeks or more between watering sessions during its dormancy phase.
There is a way that you can check whether or not your succulent needs watering, and that’s simply by testing out the soil with your fingertips.
Insert your finger into the soil, and if the first inch is completely dry, then you can go ahead and water your succulent plant.
In addition to watering, you can use a very mild fertilizer when your succulent plants are in their growth phase, but in general, these varieties won’t require regular doses of fertilizer.
Over-fertilizing these plants can cause them to grow rapidly but also become very weak in the process.
Of the species featured in this article, Agave, Echeveria, Orostachys and Sempervivum have their growth phases in spring and summer. They approach dormancy in fall and are dormant in the winter months.
Conversely, Aeonium, Aloe and Graptopetalum species are summer dormant with growth phases in fall and winter.
Find The Right Temperature
The next piece of advice we’d like to share with you is to find the right temperature for your succulent plant. This is incredibly important if you want your plant to thrive.
Rosette succulents in general, will require a temperature in the range of 70 Fahrenheit (21 Celcius), plus or minus 10 degrees F, to thrive. Most succulents do not like temperatures below 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius).
If the outdoor temperature is likely to drop below this, try to bring any outdoor succulents inside. However, some rosette succulents, such as sempervivum and some agaves, are cold-hardy and can tolerate frost.
How To Propagate Rosette Succulents
Next up, we’re going to be taking a closer look at how to propagate rosette succulents yourself. If this is something you’re interested in, then luckily, it’s a very easy and straightforward process. We’ve compiled the steps you’ll need to follow below.
Step 1
In order to get started with propagating your rosette succulent, the first thing you’re going to need to do is locate the smaller rosettes on your plant.
You’ll see these intermingled with the larger rosettes, and these are the ones you’re going to be propagating.
Step 2
The second step is to take the miniature rosette that you’ve found, and remove it from the surface of the plant.
There is a proper way to do this, however, and involves making sure you’ve taken out the stem too.
So, make sure you’re removing the rosette a little bit below the surface, with the stem still attached to it.
This stem will need to be approximately 2 inches long, so that there’s enough still attached to plant in a new surface of soil.
Also, take care to clean your scissors before cutting into the plant, as a dirty pair of scissors or shears could promote the spread of bacteria.
Step 3
The next step that we’re going to be taking a look at is the drying process. After you’ve cut off the rosette, you’re going to need to leave the whole thing to dry out adequately over the space of approximately 3 days.
After this period has passed, you’ll notice that they’re looking super vibrant, and are ready to be transplanted.
Step 4
The next thing you’re going to be doing is placing your cutting into some soil. We’d recommend choosing cactus soil, as this will have the correct nutrients your rosette succulent needs in order to thrive.
You’re simply going to place your cutting on top of the soil, and leave it for approximately 3 weeks whilst it grows.
You will need to water it during this growth phase, but take care not to overdo it. Check the soil on the regular basis with your fingertips to see if it needs any further watering.
Step 5
The next step is to simply remove the old rosette from the original cutting. As your plant grows, the old cutting that you transplanted will wither and die.
This is all a part of the process. You can gently remove this, and underneath will be the basis for your new plant.
Because your plant is completely new, make sure that you’re not placing it outside in direct sunlight right away.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, there are many different rosette succulent varieties out there.
Rosette succulents are visually striking plants with their compact, symmetrical arrangement of leaves. They make popular choices for indoor or outdoor gardens, container arrangements, and decorative displays due to their unique and appealing appearance. Plus, they have the added bonus are being generally low-maintenance which makes them ideal for for beginner gardeners and succulent owners.
