One great things about succulents is that they can be easily multiplied into many succulents! This task may seem daunting for people who have never done it before. But with this step-by-step guide you are sure to have success! So get started today and try your hand at growing your very own succulents!
*Note: All of the succulents pictured below were bought from The Succulent Source, where you can buy leaves, cuttings, and full-sized succulents for cheap! My personal go-to for succulents!*
**Note: This post contains affiliate links, which if purchased, I will receive a portion of the profits at no extra cost to you. This helps me to keep providing you with this awesome information!**
Propagation: the act or action of propagating: such as
- increase (as a kind of organism) in numbers
- the spreading of something (such as a belief) abroad or into new regions
- enlargement or extension (as of a crack) in a solid body
Propagating Succulents from Leaves
Propagating Succulents Step 1: Get Quality Leaves
One of the most critical parts of growing new succulents is to get a good leaf cutting. To do this, gently hold the leaf and wiggle it back and forth until it gently detaches from the stem. Usually lower leaves are a lot easier to remove. It might take a couple of tries before you start getting good cuttings. This is because you need to remove the leaf right at the joint without letting the tip get torn. If some of the stem is attached, this will still work. But if the leaf tip is torn, then your leaf will just shrivel up and die. No leaf stem, no new succulent.
Propagating Succulents Step 2: Dry
Leave your leaves to dry (haha!). Do not skip this step! The tear that you have made on the succulent needs time to dry before it is placed in soil or gets wet. This allows it to form a seal around the tear (kind of like a scab). This helps protect the leaf from too much water or from bacteria getting in. Simply leave the cutting out in a location where it will be protected from any direct sunlight. Leave it for about 24 hours before moving on to the next step.
Propagating Succulents Step 3: Place on Top of Soil
Some people like to place their cuttings into the soil, but this is not necessary and may actually increase the number of cuttings that rot. By simply placing your leaves on top of the soil, the root will still be able to grow out of the leaf and down into the soil. Make sure that the container is shallow and has good drainage. I use cactus and succulent mix potting soil to ensure that there is good drainage. This also lowers the rate of leaves rotting.
Propagating Succulents Step 4: Water
Water lightly for several weeks until roots and rosettes form. I personally use a spray bottle to gently water the plants several times a day. Make sure that the soil dries between watering. Excess moisture will kill your leaves faster than anything else! Once the roots have become established, they can handle a bit more water at a time and you can lower the times of watering to just once a day. Also keep out of direct sunlight and place in a warm location. All of these will help to keep the succulents happy and thriving.
Propagating Succulents Step 5: Re-pot and Enjoy!
Once the rosettes have formed and the root systems have developed, the new succulents can be removed from the shallow container and planted in individual pots. Make sure that these pots are still small (proportional to their size). As the succulent grows, it can be repotted into larger containers or in group plantings. Enjoy your new succulents!
Propagating Succulents from Stem Cuttings
When you order succulents as cuttings or take cuttings of your own succulents, the process is pretty simple… First you need to let the cutting dry out (just like the leaves). If you had a cutting ordered, it should already have dried enough. Next, you plant in cactus and succulent potting mix and water like normal. It should develop roots quickly. And that’s it! This is one reason why a lot of people like to order cuttings. They are much faster and easier to grow! This is where I bought mine!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial on propagating succulents! And be sure to check out The Succulent Source for some awesome, cheap succulents! I got mine in the middle of winter and they’re still doing great! Also, for additional care info, check out my post on Succulent Care Tips! And feel free to leave any additional questions, tips, or comments below!
Happy Digging!
Loved your article, very informative. I learned a lot. But it did not answer my question. I found clippings that looked decent and put them in a glass of water. I placed them on the kitchen window sill, it gets sun, I let water level get a little low { I can see how thirst they get } and sometimes change the water and clean the glass.
This must have been about a month ago.
It’s growing roots…and budding like crazy…and some of the buds are BIG… it is white with a pink what I call a tounge. Wish I could post a picture.
“How long CAN I keep the Christmas Cactus in water ???”
I look forward to reading more of your work. Looking forward to your response.
Jayme
Hi Jayme! Sorry for the delay in responding. If your Christmas cactus is doing well in the water, then I’d say you can keep it going in water! Treat it like a hydroponic plant… so you’ll have to make sure you switch the water out every week or so and then add liquid fertilizer a couple of months after it flowers. Then it should be happy! Just don’t switch it back to soil because the roots will be used to water at this point. I hope this answered your question! Happy Digging!