Temperature
55–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Mexican snowball
Echeveria elegans
Mexican snowball wants direct light and water every 12 to 24 days, once the soil is dry all the way through. Non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Light
Direct
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
A south window within a foot of the glass. Anything less and the rosette stretches into a tower within weeks.
Water
Every 12–24 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when the soil is dry all the way through, not on a schedule.
Humidity
20% and up
Fine in normal household air. Prefers 40%.
Difficulty
Moderate
Scores 3 of 5: Scores 3 of 5: undemanding on water, but it needs more direct sun than most homes have and stretches irreversibly without it.
Habit
Rosette
Grows to 3–8 inches. No support needed.
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Eating a large amount of any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.
Detail for cats → Detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA
- Non-toxic to cats and dogs
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
DISPLAY — in-content responsive
Light
Direct light. A south window within a foot of the glass. Anything less and the rosette stretches into a tower within weeks.
Water
Every 12 to 24 days in a 6-inch pot, when the soil is dry all the way through.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | soak and dry |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | the soil is dry all the way through |
Soil and potting
One part cactus mix, one part pumice or coarse sand.
Repot roughly every 3 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. The individual diagnosis pages are not built yet.
- Leggy growth page not written yet
- Root rot page not written yet
- Leaf drop page not written yet
Propagation
Leaf cutting in soil. Roots in 14 to 35 days.
| Preferred method | leaf cutting |
|---|---|
| Medium | soil |
| Time to root | 14–35 days |
| Node required | No |
| Best season | Spring and summer |
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Echeveria elegans Checked 2026-09-11.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Echeveria elegans (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-11.
- Wikidata entity Q2783756 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Echeveria elegans Accepted name; family Crassulaceae. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Photograph: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02