If you look at their natural range, you'll see they largely avoid humid areas, and when they are there (infrequently, IIRC), they're growing on cliffs and inclines. So as you say, shallow pots. I'd check out bulb pans for that.

What a shame. I'm sorry this happened, it is so beautiful.

Crenda, I feel you!! At least yours got pups and flowers. Mine were suffering from mealies and root rot and just died, not even had a single healthy leaf left... :/

Would you not be able to behead it and re-root after the flowering is done? Trying to learn!

The other thing I have found is time of day for watering. I thought I should water early in the day so they would have a cooler temperature pot. In fact, while water is a great heat absorber, on a hot day it will get steamy and damage roots. I have been watering very late in the day.

Humidity will always be a problem for my plants. No way around that. The only Echies I have had success with are Black Prince and pulvinata. I really need to convince myself to be happy with that. Sedums and Graptosedums have done well for me, so I can't complain too much. I still can grow colorful rosettes.

I, too, have found that watering later works best. My peak temps are around 2 pm - and then the summer rain starts. We don't always get buckets of rain, but enough to keep the humidity high.

Sanjana - I think the rot is too high on the stem for me to be able to salvage enough stem free of rot to be able to root it. Yes, it can be done. I am just afraid that in this case it will not work.

Remove a few of the lower leaves and cut just under the bottom leaves. Once calloused place in whatever mix works for you. You'll be surprised that roots will grow from the base.

Here is an Echie that has been beheaded last year.

I've cut both in different locations. Both will root equally well

Normally they would be allowed to callous for a week but to show the end result I have potted them up temporarily.

I start with ddry mix and gently twist the head into the mix. Give a watering and then place in a warm shaded area until rooted.

I've been away from my garden for 3 weeks - terrified to see the end result. (And that fear has turned to compulsive shopping on the road - in addition to the 4 cactus' from two weeks ago, I now have another 9 succulents in my hotel room...) My Black Prince was the only one showing signs of stress from the Florida humidity before I left. My ruffled echies were doing well - I hope they'll survive.

I can't see the harm in trying to behead as long as there is any sign of healthy stem left. I'm always amazed at how they want to survive!

I have a horrible track record with Echies too. :( I can commiserate...

I have three that I am trying to care for right now and I am really trying my best. Good luck to us!

I have been wrestling with whether or not to behead. I know that the rot will not heal and will quite probably spread to further damage the plant. It is so close to the top that I don't know if beheading will help save the plant.

A different angle

There is another inflo forming, so the crown looks a little fuller.

I tried this on a PVN and I ended up with a pile of sliced stem. The rot was extensive. That's my fear with this plant and I don't have much room to cut.

AND on the other hand - nothing ventured, nothing gained!

So if I do behead, do you think I could cut above and below the dark area? "Maybe" those two pups will grow up nicely if the stem grows some new roots. (You can see where I didn't get all the mealy fluff from the base of this pup. I'll have my jug of rubbing alcohol out again today.)

Thanks!

I would cut it just above that last lowest healthy leaf. And yeah, another cut just above the pup.

I am having the world of problems with mealies on my echies. God do mealies love blooms. You think you have gotten all of them and then you find them in the bloom again and again and again.

At this point I wash my echies in soapy water and alcohol more than I wash myself. I once bought 5 gallons of isopropyl alcohol for a job staining furniture for a museum and Now I actually have a reason to use it again.

I was wondering if that's true even for folks in hot zones like me?

I used to water mine in the morning so it can evaporate quickly under the sun? That was my thought process in keeping them "dry" as possible.. I guess I was wrong!

I trust you guys so I will start watering late in the day now. :)

Violet, are yours outside . I would be concerned about them getting too much rain inn the Phillipines.

Crenda, due to your humidity and daily rainfall, I would eliminate turface completely from your mix. It dries out slowly, which is great for keeping a relatively stable humidity level for a while, but that is not really your need. I gather you need soil that dries more quickly for your succulents.

Also, something I've been thinking about may help. The foliage is like an umbrella, and if it is covering the soil to the pot's edge it will tend to hold in a lot more moisture. I have started planting mine higher and in a bit wider pots to increase evaporation and aeration. Any leaves hovering close to the soil as they begin to droop I cut off, for the same purpose.

ez

I water near sun up. They can take a big drink, then dry out the rest of the day. In my humidity, even though not the worst, afternoon/evening watering could be problematic.

ez

ez, I agree on the plant covering the soil and preventing evaporation. I really should have taken the time to go get a clay pot that was better suited to the size of this plant. Additionally, it stayed moist and hid the mealies until I had a big problem.

I never considered eliminating the turface. I have been using equal parts of perlite, granite and turface. Sometimes I add the bark, often I do not. So that is definitely something to consider and to try.

I finally broke down and drenched all my echies today with a Bayer Tree and Shrub mix. Mealies are still winning the battle. I'm just like wantonamara - bathing my plants more often then myself!

My echies were trouble free for years and now I can't keep on top of it. They are taking up way to much of my limited time. I am starting to get resentful. I just went back and checked on the flowers that I washed with alcohol and soapy water three times now and now two days later, there are more mealies. I snipped the flowers off.

Crenda, so sorry to hear your struggles with Eches. I don't pay much attention to mine, but they do get a lot of water when they get more light. Having also said that, my eches sit on a patio quite high up with lots of breeze and sheltered light. I like many advised here water my plants early in the morning or late at night..

I let my plants get rain on, but i make the effort to blow away any residual water left collected within the rosettes on all my plants when the rain subsides.

As for mealies, they just kindda disappear whenever I leave my infected plants outside. I think the strong winds and frequency of watering my plants seems to deter them away. It's only when the conditions are dry that they really thrive.

Have you considered growing them in wire baskets with pumice or perlite?

Wire baskets are a good idea! I had forgotten that I talked to someone who uses colanders for that purpose.

ez

I did not consider that! But then, I didn't even think of eliminating to cutting back the turface, either. Thanks for the tip!

Bernard, I don't know why, but this has been the worst year for mealies! Our lawn guy told me last week that he is seeing a lot of mealies and wondered if I was seeing any. I told him, Bubba you are about 2 months late to the game!

Wantonamara, yes mine are outside - on a balcony that gets sun on both sides (L shaped balcony on corner of house).. But under an awning so safe from rains! I'm very particular with rain. I don't let any of my succulents get natural rainfall (I had one accident only the other night and two pots of bigger cacti got wet).

VB, I remember the monsoons in Bangkok when I was young, eons and eons ago..I am amazed at the succulents that come out of that country now.