Wanted to share my journey over the course of the last year with succulents. This is my favorite species, Echeveria Etna. It was magnificent and beautiful when I first purchased it last winter, but it’s gone through many stages and rough patches. Living in Northeastern Ohio, we don’t have the right climate for outdoor succulent growing, so I kept this individual in the brightest Western window, but noticed it was still not enough light. To make matters worse, it garnered my Cat’s attention after becoming etiolated and was brutally mauled by the little house tiger. After salvaging the plant, I said enough was enough and moved it to a safer room. I decided the beheaded piece was worth saving, so I stuck it with my Echeveria ‘Pearl Von Nurnberg’ and Echeveria agavoides that both weren’t doing well. Gave all the succulents little LED grow lights, but they weren’t bright enough so I had really slow growth and they still remained green. After much trial and error, I’ve had luck with a stronger LED bulb and it’s gotten some of its stress color back. Now that the beheaded piece and the original specimen have shown a lot of growth, I’m proud to show off the progress made. I’ve learned a lot about succulents since last year, and I’d like to tell anyone who’ll listen that setbacks are learning experiences! Don’t give up on your sun-loving babies, they’ll reward you for your patience and care!
