Yes weed. You can pull it out. =) I don't believe it is growing from your succulent, but rather with/next to it. This post was edited by rosemariero on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 15:13

I dont disagree with the remarks regarding the soil. I do take issue with pot selection. IMHO, this is very personal. Both clay and plastic work. What one must keep in mind are your local environmental conditions and the specific plant(s) in question. You then adjust what you do accordingly. Echeveria are semi-dormant for me in Michigan and I allow them to get pretty dry before watering. This may take a few days for some in smaller pots and a week or more for larger pots. Air circulation will influence watering frequency as will temperature and humidity. There is no blanket formula for when to water; what is important is not overwatering with your existing conditions. I like plastic pots for most of my plants because they are light weight and I don't water as frequently. I will use clay for certain others such as Euphorbia, because they dry out much faster and gives me better control; again a personal choice. As stated above and in my previous post, more light will give you nicer looking plants. Having said this, if you restrict watering and no food, your plants will go semi-dormant and slow down with their growth. Comes spring and more sun, you can slowly move them to a location for better growth. This is why I am using lights this year for my Echeveria as last winter they got etiolated and looked horrid!!!!! So far they have remained tight and GREAT color. This post was edited by bikerdoc5968 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 16:24

Opuntia monacantha f. monstruosa

I'm not sure if it's the lighting or not but it looks like it may be getting a bit too much water. The leaves may be displaying signs of oedema or edema (whatever you want to call it). Again, it could just be the lighting though.