I've had my echeveria and some other succulents on a shelf about 6 feet from a north-facing window for the past year, and lately they're getting really tall and leggy instead of staying compact like they were at the plant shop. I'm watering them about once every two weeks. Is this etiolation and how do I fix it?
Your watering schedule isn't the culprit here - that's actually reasonable for succulents. The real issue is light, and you're absolutely right that it's etiolation. North-facing windows are basically the worst-case scenario for light-hungry plants like echeveria. Those stems are stretching because the plant's desperately reaching for whatever light it can find, and six feet away means it's getting even less.
The fix is straightforward: move them to a south or west-facing window if you can. Even a few feet closer to bright indirect light will make a huge difference. If your home doesn't have great southern exposure, consider a grow light - doesn't need to be expensive, just something that gives them consistent bright light for a few hours daily. Once you get them in better light, the new growth will come in compact and tight like you remember from the shop. The stretched stems won't magically shrink, but you can cut them off and propagate them if you want to salvage them; succulents are forgiving that way.
In the meantime, don't change your watering - you're doing fine there. Just get the light sorted and your plants will bounce back.
That's textbook etiolation - your succulents are stretching because they're not getting enough light 6 feet from a north-facing window. Move them closer to a bright window (south or west-facing ideally) or get a grow light, and they'll start growing compact again, though the stretched stems won't shrink back so you might want to behead and propagate the leggy ones.
The instinct to water them more often won't help - that'll actually make it worse. You're spot on that it's etiolation, and moving them is the real fix, but here's something people don't always mention: before you relocate, try rotating the shelf itself if a south or west window isn't possible. Even a temporary spot on a windowsill for a few weeks can reset them, and then you can move them back to a slightly brighter spot on your shelf once they've started compacting again. North light is just too weak for echeveria - they need that direct sun energy or they'll keep reaching.
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