The succulent is a xerophyte that thrives in drier climates and is an efficient natural plant that can be propagated easily, given the right methods are followed in the right climatic conditions. The plant is available in comprehensive varieties of colors, shapes, textures, and sizes. You can choose from the tall agave Americana to the blue rosettes of echeveria growing in compact clusters staying down to the soil.
In this blog, we have brought you a step-by-step detailed information on propagating succulents from leaves easily. Keep reading to understand the know-how of the process.
Steps to propagate succulents easily
First things first, succulents can be grown both indoors and outdoors. It finds temperate climates a good company and adds to the beauty of stone walls, rock gardens, and xeriscapes. When planning to grow these fascinating plat indoors, you can choose beautiful pots with proper drainage. Choose a variety of your choice and enjoy the presence of these low-maintenance greens in and around your house.
But, why do you need to propagate succulents in the first place?
As plain as we can answer this, to have more greens around!
When you get to know how simple is the process of propagating succulents from leaves and cutting, you will ask for no more reason.
Propagating succulents from cutting
While you can always grow a plant from seeds, propagating succulents from a plant is faster and cheaper. The process is a breeze!
Let’s get started.
To divide a plant
You can divide a plant in the following ways:
- By plantlet removal
Plantlet is a mini-plant that sprung up by the side of the mother plant. These are fully-formed small plants that can grow separately. In case of a cactus plant, the plantlet is called ‘pups’, The main plant of a rosette-forming succulent is called ‘hen’, while the plantlets are named as ‘chicks’. Some succulents drop plantlets. They take roots like seeds at the place they fall.
- By root separation
When using the root separation method, you must unearth the entire plant and gently remove the roots and plant the separated roots individually. The plants used for root separation must be placed back in the soil immediately.
In case of propagating succulents from leaves indoors, use a potting medium for the ones like cactus. Mix a handful of perlite or soil in the potting soil to promote drainage and supply nutrients. After a day, start watering the plant as required.
Make sure the outdoor plants are not kept under direct sunlight. Keep working on the soil until its crumbly, slightly mound it, and create a shallow depression to make space for sprawling roots.
Place the plant carefully and cover the roots gently with an inch of soil, secure it by gentle tapping. After a day, water the soil.
To cut a plant
In case of using the cutting method, all you need to do is cut off a piece of steam or leaf, leave it to dry and you will see toots and shoots growing from them soon. The knack is to ensure it dries completely.
Follow these two steps:
- By removing leaves
Remove some leaves randomly and leave them to dry completely. Wait until you see some growing roots and shoots. Plant them.
- By beheading
It is a good option for a plant that is tall and its limbs come down draping as a pendant. You can cut the head of a long stem of the plant. Make sure you leave an inch of stem attached to the plant. Keep it to dry out and wait for the growth of roots to plant it.
The remaining part of tall succulent continuous to grow healthily, becoming an attractive plant eventually with new leaves grouping compactly.
Propagating succulents from leaves
Requirements:
- Garden gloves
- Small trowel
- Sharp shears
- Attractive containers having proper drainage holes
- Potting medium for cacti and succulents
The process:
Start from removing some leaves or beheading
Remove a few leaves from the plant by twisting it gently. Make sure you don’t tear the leaf in the process. When beheading a succulent with leggy growth, you c remove leaves from the bottom area of the stem that can be discarded.
In the case of plants, such as Christmas cactus, you will probably need scissors to remove an entire leaf. When beheading, use clippers or scissors to cut the stem cleanly leaving an inch below for the beheaded plant to continue growing.
Wait for the callus to form
Place the leave cuttings or beheaded stem to dry out on a tray or any container. You won’t find those fussy, so no need to water or place it in a potting medium now.
Let the cuttings sit in a place for around five days and check for a callus formed on the cut end. It will protect their exposed soft tissue against bacterial penetration.
Wait for the roots to grow
Hold on until the roots start growing from the cuttings or beheaded stem. It may take a few days or a couple of weeks. The cuttings of a leaf will start withering as they turn into food for the growing new plants.
Plant them
As soon as you find the roots growing, prepare a potting medium. You can take your choice of containers and fill them with a proper mixture of soil or perlite. If you want to grow it outdoors in the garden/backyard, choose a suitable location for planting.
Succulents grow best in well-drained soil and sunshine. You can place the pot or plant them in an area that experiences a fair amount of sunlight throughout the day. Without sunlight, the plant may turn pale, and excess water could rot them too.
However, excessive or direct sunlight is also harmful to the proper growth of succulents. Generally, it is suggested to plant it early morning in a sunny spot or late afternoon.
Once you have created the soil moisture or the potting medium, mound it to raise the cuts on top of the garden’s surface or at the edge of the container. Now, tap the soil gently to ensure the roots are secure.
Note: Do not water it immediately.
Feed and water
After around 24 hours of planting the succulents, water it sparingly and tap down the soil again. Over days when your plant will adapt to the surroundings, the growth will be faster.
How do you propagate succulents fast?
The propagation of succulents is a faster process naturally, but there are some alternative techniques that can get you more speed to complete the propagation. You can prepare a potting medium right when you cut the leaf or behead a stem. Place the cuttings on top of the potting medium to leave it to callus off and form roots right there. This way, the roots direct themselves into the soil automatically.
The alternate technique has been proven beneficial for people who plan to grow a potting nursery for several cuttings in one go. Nevertheless, it is essential to keep the soil dry until the cuttings callus off to form roots.
Though propagating succulents from leaves is a faster process, it requires patience to wait for the xerophyte to grow to an average size.
Stunning results
Succulents make your planting area at home or garden fascinating. When you plant multiple varieties in one area, it forms a spread of different colors, sizes, and shapes. Something sort of a coral reef above water!
Through the process, you will realize how to grow succulents easily. The xerophytes need little space and dig into the soil with thread-like roots all by themselves. If that’s not convincing, the plant requires little water to thrive.
What is the success ratio of succulent propagation?
In case some of the leaf or stem cuttings die, there’s nothing to worry. It is a common situation that many beginners and veterans in the gardening face. That’s why we suggest having several cuttings to ensure some of those will callus off and form roots. Each cutting is different and gives different results, which is perfectly alright!
The success rate of succulent propagation from leaves is quite high, given you follow the right procedure. Make sure you keep the roots covered will at least an inch of soil layer during the initial growth of the plant. If not, the roots will dry out and eventually stop growing.
Mostly, succulents take months to reach an average size. So, it is not a super-fast growth process, but it works.
Get you own succulent plant!
Now that you know the amazing ways of propagating succulents from leaves easily, you can choose your favorite type to get started. It is the easiest and effective gardening hack you can ever try. Use the technique that suits you best and fill your home and garden with beautiful greens of different shapes and sizes.
You can visit the nearest nursery to your place and get succulents that appeal you the most. Do share your gardening experience with us in the comments!
