Help - Succulent falling over

I have a succulent houseplant which I think is a 'von Nurnburg' Echeveria :cnfs: ;-) which I bought when it was tiny and it's grown really well! in fact a bit too well as it keeps getting taller and now it's really wobbly/loose..... I thought it should spread out instead of going upwards? Do I need to behead it? Any advice greatly appreciated

 

Hi Marley Farley and thanks very much for the info. Yes I'm not sure what else to do as it gets light all the time. I did rotate it as it turns to the light but it doesn't spread, just goes up... not sure, will have to give it more thought :(

 

Nope, just more tiny leaves coming... have not used any feed on it, so am a bit stumped! Thanks for your help again. Maybe I should behead it at the top inch in early Spring?? :flag:


if it's any help it's on a south-facing windowsill next to my Crassula Ovata Money Tree which I keep turning for even growth and is doing really well

 

Joshua, its growing toward the light as Marley says. in nature the light comes from all around, on a window sill it can only come from one direction and most succulents like strong light or full sun.

If you cut the top off with a section of stem, leave it to dry and callous over, and just lay on top of gritty sandy compost, it will reroot.

At the same time the old stem should produce lots of offsets thay you can also root up later on.

Even single leaves will root and eventually grow a new shoot.

I'm sure you will eventually end up with more plants than you can handle.

And at that point you start giving them away.:D

BTW echiveria flowers form on stems that originate from the leaf joints, they do not form as a terminal flower on the end of the stem.

 

Hi Pete, thank you for the advice. I guess the south windowsill isn't enough light for it then :(

So I can cut the top off which will help reduce it leaning but without changing the light won't the main plant just do the same again? It's the fact it grows leggy becoming top-heavy and isn't spreading I'm worried about. Maybe I'll just have to put it outside? Sorry to keep asking questions!

 

They are really only any good as a short term house plant IMO, better suited to growing outdoors for most of the year, just brought in when the frosts are hard.

Its not really a bushy plant, although over time they do clump up, (more likely in greenhouse conditions) where even then they get top heavy.

Its the kind of plant that looks best when young, I think, as it get older it loses its form.

 

OK - many thanks again Pete