Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ (a.k.a Pachyveria ‘Exotica’, Pachyveria ‘Kobayashi’) is a hybrid of two other species, Echeveria Cante and Pachyphytum Oviferum that can reach 15 cm (6 inches) tall. It has beautiful powdery silver-blue leaves with pink tips when growing in full-light or cold temperatures.
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ sprouts during spring and summer, and in that time of the year you’ll be able to spot bell-shaped pinkish-orange little flowers in hanging clusters on a separate stem growing from the center of the plant. This succulent forms loose rosettes of ‘chubby’ and fleshy leaves that won’t die after flowering.
It’s interesting to know that the name Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ has Greek origins and it means ‘Thick Leaves’. Keep reading this informative article on how you can care for and propagate Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff‘.
How To Care For Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’
If you are a beginner, then Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ is the perfect plant to grow, because it doesn’t require any special care and can survive in many environmental and growing conditions. Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ grows well in pots, container gardens, and hanging baskets.
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff – Watering Requirements
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff ‘ does not require any special watering method. It has, like all the other succulents, the amazing ability to retain the necessary water reserve inside its leaves.
You can just follow the usual ‘soak and dry’ method. Once the soil is fully soaked with water, it’s important that you wait a few days before watering again allowing the soil to dry out completely.
This way you’ll give your Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ a great chance to develop stronger roots ramifications.
Although ‘Powder Puff’ requires a very simple watering process, it’s important to do it just right to avoid overwatering.
This plant does most of its growing during winter, so make sure it has enough water and the well-drying soil is wet enough but feel it with your finger.
If you are unsure when it’s time for watering your ‘Powder Puff’, the condition of the lowermost leaves will help you assess its water needs: if they look wilted and less thick and fleshy, it’s a sign the plant needs watering.
Keep in mind that Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ is dormant during summer so during this season of the year it requires very little watering.
Check out this very informative video on How and When To Water Succulents
Light Requirements: Where to Plant Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’
Depending on where you live, you can grow your Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ outdoors or indoors.
To grow and stay healthy, this plant needs plenty of light and a temperature of at least 30° F (-1,1 C°), because ‘Powder Puff’ is not a ‘cold hardy’ and will die in frozen temperatures.
If you live in a very freezing climate, it is best to plant your plant in pots and keep them indoors in a sunny spot such as near a southern-facing window or use grow lights to ensure the right amount of light and warmth, especially during the winter season.
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ looks beautiful in hanging baskets or displayed in various size pots.
If you want to grow your ‘Powder Puff’ outdoors, plant it in an area of your garden that gets 6 hours of sunlight a day.
But remember: although this plant can tolerate high heat and intense sunlight, it’s important to protect it from sunburn to avoid black spots by using an umbrella or a shade cloth during the hottest hours of the day.
How to Propagate Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ can be easily propagated from these three
- Stem cuttings
- Leaves
- Seeds
The easiest way is through stem cuttings. When using leaves, it’s better to start with a few leaves because not all of them will make it to the end, and sure this propagating method naturally takes longer and requires more time and patience.
Make sure to use a well-draining potting mix. I like to use a combination of cactus mix and perlite (1:1 solution). You can also add coarse sand to this mixture (1:1:1 solution) for added drainage.
By Stem Cuttings
It’s very easy to propagate Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ from cuttings. To do so it’s essential that you cut healthy and young stems from the mother plant, using a sterile, sharp knife or pair of scissors.
Once you have removed the stem, allow it to dry for several days before placing it on well-draining soil. Once the soil has dried out completely, you can water again, but make sure to not overwater your baby plant.
By Leaves
It’s important to choose healthy leaves of your Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ for higher chances of success. Look for full and plump leaves, not dehydrated and flat leaves.
Choose leaves that are uniformly colored without any discolorations, spots, or marks. Do not use leaves that are damaged, ripped, torn, or misshapen. Gently remove the leaves from the stem.
- Using your fingers, carefully twist off the leaves from the stem with your thumb and forefinger. You’ll notice that some leaves come off quite easily, whereas others are firmly attached to the stem. Using a gentle motion, twist the leaf back and forth until it comes off.
- Make sure to remove the whole leaf, including the base that attaches to the stem otherwise your newly propagated plant will not survive.
- Before replanting the leaves in the new soil, allow the leaf to dry out for several days to callous over.
- When the leaves are nice and dry, dip the ends into the rooting hormone (optional) and stick them cut-side down into a well-draining succulent potting mix.
- While waiting for the leaf cuttings to root, keep them in a shaded place, away from direct sunlight.
- After almost a month, you’ll notice little pink roots growing from the cut and a new rosette will grow from the base of the leaf.
- When enough rosettes are grown, it’s time to gently remove the original leaf cuttings from the rosettes and re-pot these last ones in a new container with well-draining soil.
By Seeds
I find this one quite a tricky method and I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact, Pachiveria ‘Powder Puff’ is a slow grower, but if you want to try it, go for it!
All you want to do is place the seeds in a well-draining soil mixture and water only when, touching the soil with your finger, it feels dry.
Pests and Common Problems
Mealybugs
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’, like many other houseplants, can suffer terribly from Mealybug infestation. These tiny pests are also the cause of unattractive black spots on your succulent leaves.
Getting rid of them can be quite challenging since these pests have a wooly protective cover making them resistant to common pesticides.
They have an amazing ability to hide in the unexpected and narrowest places like between stem and leaves, nested in dried up leaves, under pots, tables.
They can even hide in debris around the plant and lay their eggs (up to 600) out of sight but close to the plants so when the little nymphs hatch, they don’t have far to crawl.
This is why detecting them early and isolating them is the best practice. It’s also important to keep clean not only the pots but also the whole area around them.
Solution: if you happen to find a few bugs, it’s easy to squash them with a toothpick. Next, pull out the infected leaves and thoroughly check around the plant to see if there are any bugs left.
Once you have detected and isolated the infected plant, it’s crucial to keep an eye on it for several weeks, just to make sure there aren’t any other outbreaks.
Another possible scenario occurs with a large mealybugs infestation: in this case, it’s necessary to spray the plants with a 70% rubbing alcohol or isopropyl solution with multiple applications. To completely get rid of these tiny pests it’s necessary to kill and wash off every single one.
Overwatering
Another common problem you might encounter when growing Pachiveria ‘Powder Puff’ is root rot due to overwatering, also causing black spots on your succulents.
Solution: it’s necessary that you replace the wet soil right away with a new well-draining one.
If the roots are already mushy, that means they are dead, as well as the entire plant, unfortunately. You can still retain anything that looks green and viable, let it dry for some days, and propagate these cuttings by placing them in a new and well-draining potting mix.
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ Toxicity
Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ does not appear in the list of plants that are toxic to cats and dogs that appear on the website of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Final Thoughts
Hope you enjoyed reading this article on Pachyveria ‘Powder Puff’ and found it comprehensive and enlightening! If you like, feel free to leave a comment or share your knowledge on this topic in the section below.