If you are a diehard succulent fan, then this fresh and interesting way to create new varieties called "hybrid succulents" can definitely get you more excited.
What exactly are they? How do you create one? What are some of the most popular varieties of these hybrid succulents? We answer all these questions below, so make sure to keep on reading!
What is Hybrid Succulent?
Hybrid succulents, or hybridization of succulents, is a process of cross-breeding two plants of different species to create a completely new species of succulent, probably one that you've never seen before!
This practice is a bit tricky and needs a lot of patience as it involves cross-pollinating one species of succulent with the pollen of another species of succulent. Plus, you won't actually know if you are successful in your hybridization until the succulent has grown up.
Although you can never tell in advance which particular traits and characteristics will be passed down to the new plant, the result is truly worth the wait, which can even become an obsession!
How do you create one?
If you want to try hybridization of some of your succulents, you first need to get at least 2 of your succulents to flower at the same time. Once you have, use a soft, small paintbrush or a Q-tip, then place it inside one flower to gather its pollen, transferring it to another succulent's flower.
In a span of a few weeks to a few months, you should know if your hybridization has been successful if you see that the base of the flower has swelled.
Also, make sure to place the pollinated plant in a semi-isolation until the seeds have been harvested and planted. This will prevent the plant from being cross-pollination by insects with other plants.
After you see the result of your hard work, you now get the fun of naming it. You can either combine the two names of the plants you have bred into one or simply create a completely new one!
[The Most Popular Hybrids]Some of the most popular hybrids
As you might be already aware, there are a lot of cross-bred succulents in existence right now, and some of the most popular genus are;
- Any variety of Echeveria, as these succulents are really easy to cross-breed. You'll know that the plant has been Cross-bred with this genus if the name ends with a 'veria'.
- x Graptosedum, a hybrid genus between the Graptopetalum and Sedum.
- x Pachyveria’slike Little Jewel and Pachyveria haagei, which are plants that are cross-bred from Pachyphytum and Echeveria
- x Gasteraloe, which are from mixtures of Aloe and Gasteria genera. One good example of this is genus is the Gasteria Flow Spiky Aloe.
And below are some of the most sought for intergeneric hybrid succulents we grow at Succulents Box.
- Echeveria Sedeveria Blue Elf (A hybrid between Sedum and Echeveria)
Flaunts a charming teal hue, with rosy red tips that will gradually darken to deep burgundy with bright light, cool temperatures, and a bit of water deprivation. Will happily multiply under the right conditions while remaining compact.
- Graptoveria Opalina (A hybrid of Echeveria Colorata and Graptopetalum amethystinum)
A fan of well-draining soil, this vascular plant produces clusters of rosettes that can grow up to 6-inches wide. Bright light encourages beautiful flushes of pink. Yellow/orange flowers arrive in spring.
- Graptosedum California Sunset (A hybrid between Graptopetalum paraguayense and Sedum adolphi)
Unveils rosettes with lanceolate bluish-green leaves that blush pinkish-orange under strong light. Star-shaped white flowers come during spring and summer. A superb color accent for rock gardens or even as a groundcover.
- Crassula Morgan Hybrid w. Silver Springtime (A hybrid between Crassula "Morgan Beauty" and Crassula “Springtime”)
An exceptional plant that exhibits frosted, silvery leaves that stack up the stems in opposing pairs and feature rounded tips. It has chubby, water-filled leaves, which makes it exceptionally drought-tolerant, and can produce pink and white star-shaped flowers during the spring months, adding stunning contrast to the leaf tones.
- Graptoveria Olivia (An intergeneric hybrid of Echeveria and Graptopetalum)
A charismatic rosette-forming succulent with olive-green leaves that blush pink. A small, slow-growing, low-maintenance plant, which presents bright yellow, starry flowers in Spring and Summer months.
- Graptoveria ‘Amethorum’ (A rare hybrid of Graptopetalum amethystinum and Echeveria purpusorum)
This hard-to-get plant is really slow-growing. It has stemless rosettes with thick gray-green leaves and sometimes with a touch of red color, and blooms pink flowers on long arching stems from early Spring to late Summer months.
[Common Problems]Common Problems when Hybridization
Time
When trying to breed your succulents, you'll need a lot of patience! Just like what was mentioned above, hybridization will take some time before you can see the actual result. You actually have to wait for the plant to be mature enough before knowing whether what you did worked or not.
But if waiting doesn't really bother you, then this isn't much of an issue to you!
Unpredictability
Aside from being able to wait, you should also need to prepare yourself for some uncertainty, as your new plant might turn out differently than what you expected it to be or perhaps, it didn't work at all, and all that waiting you did was for nothing.
Hybrid Succulents can be sensitive
Compared to normal succulents, hybrid ones can be crazy sensitive, especially when it comes to sunlight and touch. It will take some time to fully understand what it really wants to ensure that all the time and effort you invested will not end you up with a dead succulent.
That’s all about it for hybridization! Thinking of starting your own cross-breeding journey? Check out our shop! Hybrids or not, we have an extensive selection of succulents you can choose from.
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