Echeveria Neon Breakers Care: Brilliantly Colored And Hardy

Echeveria Neon Breakers (ech-eh-VER-ee-a nee-AHN BRAY-curs) are excellent houseplants.

These brilliantly colored, easily grown perennial succulents are also a good choice for many garden settings.

Brilliantly Colored And Hardy Echeveria Neon Breakers

You may also hear this type of Echeveria referred to as Mexican hen and chicks.

These members of the Crassulaceae family of plants are the patented hybrid offspring of the popular Echeveria Pink Frills Shaviana and unidentified proprietary Echeveria.

The hybrid was developed by Altman plants as the result of a very specific and structured breeding program. It was developed by cross-pollination.

Although all Echeveria are hardy succulent plants, Neon Breakers is exceptionally so. It is extremely drought tolerant and exhibits vigorous pest resistance.

Another plus of this hybrid is the fact that it does not experience a dormant period, as do other members of its family.

Echeveria Neon Breaker Care

Size & Growth

This unique patented Echeveria is able to grow continuously because it does not experience a dormant period.

When given ample sunlight, these plants can create rosettes that grow to be in excess of 8” inches across.

The blue-green leaves of this patented hybrid are the real calling card. They are wavy and crinkly around the edges, thin and delicate, and beautifully colored.

When young, the small rosettes are typically bluish-green in color with just a little bit of pink at the tips of the leaves.

When Echeveria Neon Breaker plants are given ample sunlight, the pink coloration spreads and deepens.

A mature plant will exhibit magenta and purple leaves with pink tips.

Flowering & Fragrance

Mexican Hen & Chicks bloom late in the summertime and early in the autumn. The blossoms begin as pale pink but may deepen in color as they mature.

The stems that hold the blooms above the rosettes are an attractive shade of purple.

Bright Light & Temperature

It is important to provide this type of Echeveria with at least partial sun; however, full bright sunlight is most desirable.

Although these plants will grow quickly in low light, they will not grow strong.

The best lighting situation for these plants is full morning sunlight with some protection from harsh afternoon sunlight. Too much harsh afternoon sun will cause the leaves to become scarred and burned.

If keeping your Echeveria outside, be advised that the best setting for it is USDA hardiness zone 10 or higher. In colder climates, you will need to bring your plant indoors in the wintertime.

Echeveria Neon Breaker grows best at a daytime temperature of 65° degrees Fahrenheit with nighttime and winter temperatures falling no lower than 50° degrees Fahrenheit.

In some areas, you may be able to place a portable greenhouse over your plants to protect them from the weather during the winter.

Watering & Feeding

It’s best to provide Echeveria with a soak and dry watering. Water very deeply occasionally. Allow the soil to dry almost completely before watering again.

If you notice your plant beginning to shrivel a bit, you’ll know it’s time to give your Echeveria a good deep watering.

Protect your plant from overhead watering, and never let water stand on the leaves.

If you’re keeping your plant as a potted or container plant, be sure to repot it every year or two to provide a fresh potting mix. This alone should provide enough nutrition for your Echeveria.

If you do want to fertilize your plant, do so only during the active growing season (spring and summer).

Provide a weak solution of a balanced houseplant fertilizer once every couple of weeks. Ideally, a 20–20– 20 liquid fertilizer mixed at ¼ strength is best.

Note that if you are caring for very young plants, you’ll want to provide a fertilizer that has a little less nitrogen.

Soil & Transplanting

These plants do very well in a dry setting and can tolerate very poor soil. Remember that Echeveria hail from habitats with high altitudes and sparse soil. It is quite natural for Echeveria in the wild to grow easily on rocky slopes.

The roots of this plant need good air circulation, and water must drain through very quickly.

Good drainage is of the utmost importance, and the best soil for Echeveria is well-draining soil.

You can use a commercially prepared cactus soil, or make your own by combining equal amounts of perlite, coarse sand, and a good quality potting mix.

The best time to repot your Echeveria is in the springtime. You may also repot at any other time when the weather is warm.

When repotting succulents, it’s best to do so with dry soil. Remove the plant from its existing pot and knock and brush the dry soil away from the plants’ roots. Examine the roots and remove any that are dead, damaged, or rotted.

Note that if you trim away parts of the roots, you should spray them lightly with a 50-50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water before repotting.

Allow the plant to lie out in the air until the mixture dries before placing the plant in its new pot.

Once you have repotted your Echeveria, let it stay dry for about a week. At this time, give it a light watering and wait another week. At this point, you can resume soak and dry watering.

Grooming & Maintenance

Trim or pluck damaged and dead leaves and blooms as needed. Separate and repot pups as needed.

How To Propagate Echeveria Neon Breakers

Remember that Echeveria Neon Breakers is a patented plant, so you are prohibited from actively propagating (and especially selling) these plants. Nonetheless, as with most Echeveria, it is difficult not to propagate these plants. They are very active reproducers.

Neon Breakers grow easily from stem cuttings, cuttings of mature leaves, and division from the mother plant. Because they are hybrids, they will not reproduce reliably from seed. A healthy plant will actively produce pups you can separate and repot for your own use.

Echeveria Neon Breakers Pest or Disease Problems

Echeveria plants are very resistant to diseases and pests. As long as you have your plant in a setting that receives ample sunlight, good ventilation and proper drainage, you should have no problems.

Plants that are overcrowded, overwatered and/or do not receive enough sunlight may be bothered by mealybugs. These negative conditions can also cause root rot and leaf rot.

Is The Plant Considered Toxic Or Poisonous To People, Kids, Pets?

Echeveria of all sorts is non-toxic.

Is The Plant Considered Invasive?

This hybrid plant is not formally considered invasive, but because it is an enthusiastic reproducer, some care should be taken if you are planting it in the landscape in USDA hardiness zones 10 and higher.

Suggested Echeveria Neon Breakers Uses

These colorful, lively, enthusiastic succulents are an excellent choice in a wide variety of applications. Echeveria Neon Breakers is a great choice for:

Pots and Containers
Patio Plant
Succulent Gardens
Rock Gardens
Dish Garden

These cheery, hardy succulents do well as a ground cover, as an individual specimen plant, or many other uses in between.

Echeveria Neon Breakers Growing And Care