Mexican hen and chicks

Mexican hen and chicks Care

Echeveria 'Black Knight'

What is the plant

Also known as Mexican hen and chicks, Black Knight echeveria is an attractive succulent plant with rosettes of fleshy, pointy, blackish-purple leaves. It's one of the darkest Echeverias, together with Echeveria Black Prince.

Echeveria Black Knight is an interesting succulent with dark-colored pointy narrow leaves. The new growth in the center of Black Knight rosettes provides a bright green contrast to the dark outer leaves. In late summer and fall, Black Knight succulents produce colorful, coral-red blooms atop slender, arching stalks. As an added benefit, deer and bunnies tend to steer clear of Black Knight plants. Native to South and Central America, Black Knight echeveria is suitable for growing in the warm climates. The plant won’t tolerate frost, but you can grow Black Knight echeveria indoors, or grow them in pots outdoors and bring them inside before the temperature drops in fall.

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Humidity

Dry

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

min -6°C

Hardiness zone

9a - 11b

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water the soil or potting mix and never let water sit in the rosettes. Excessive moisture on the foliage can invite rot and other fungal diseases. Water indoor Black Knight succulents deeply until water trickles through the drainage hole, then don’t water again until the soil feels dry to the touch. Be sure to pour extra water out of the drainage saucer. Cut back on watering if the leaves look shriveled or wilted, or if the plants are dropping leaves. Decrease watering during the winter months.
Fertilizer
Echeveria Black Knight plants don’t require a lot of fertilizer and too much can burn the leaves. Provide a light dose of a slow-release fertilizer in spring or apply a very weak solution of water-soluble fertilizer occasionally throughout spring and summer.
Sunlight
Indoors, echeveria Black Knight needs a sunny window, but no direct sunlight during hot afternoons. If you bring it outside in summer, choose a spot with full sunlight but a little afternoon shade.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Use a cactus potting mix or a mixture of regular potting mix and sand or perlite.
Temperature
The plant prefers an average to warm 65°F–80°F/18°C–27°C. Slightly cooler in fall and winter. Outside, it can withstand freezing temperatures for short periods of time but the plant should be brought inside before frosts come.
Container
Choose a container with enough drainage holes.