How to Propagate Succulents from Leaves and Cuttings

Propagating succulents is a great way to multiply your plants instead of buying new ones. If you’re planning to gift your family and friends succulents, start propagating now. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also enjoy the process.

Seeing new plants grow from leaves and cuttings is an excellent experience for a gardener.

Now, here are some helpful tips for you to multiply your houseplants.

When Should You Propagate Succulents?

The best time to propagate succulent plants is in summer. Although you may do so any time of the year, the success rate is lower as compared to during the summer season.

Many things can impact successful propagation when using leaves and cuttings. It helps to look at the environment you live in from climate, temperature, light, and humidity. But it does not mean it is not possible.

All it means is that you will need to provide your baby plants with what they need. So, you will need to tweak some steps to make it work.

Different Succulent Propagation Methods

To produce new plants, you can propagate using different methods from the parent plant. It can be a leaf, offset, seed, or cutting. With succulents, you can do three types of propagation to try:

  • Dry propagating succulents are known as air reproducing using a tray.

  • Water propagating succulents – the method uses water for the rooting process.

  • Finally, soil propagation is the standard way to place callused leaf cuttings on well-drained soil.

But today, we will concentrate on soil propagation to provide you with baby plants.

How to Propagate Succulent Leaves?

succulent leaves

There are succulents that you can propagate using a fallen leaf from the mother plant. The method works well if you are hesitant to take a perfect succulent. Choose fallen leaves that are plump and not dried out.

If you have no fallen leaves, gently remove one from the stem. You can do this by holding the branch and pulling off the leaf with a twist motion.

Selecting a poor leaf-cutting results in no sprout roots developing. Next:

  1. Place the leaves on a paper towel for the cut ends to dry, preventing rot when planted.

  2. Leave the leaves for a few days and transfer them to succulent soil or a cactus potting mix.

  3. Lay the leaves on top of the soil and place them in bright light that is filtered.

  4. Please give them a misting when you see the soil dry that should be a couple of times a week.

  5. The roots begin sprouting after two weeks, and you will notice succulent baby plants appearing in eight weeks.

Furthermore, a succulent leaf-cutting development can vary depending on the type of plant you have.

How Often Should You Water Your Succulent Leaves?

succulent leaves

When you start with your leaf propagation, you can dab the cut end of the leaves with a rooting hormone. Then, carefully lay your leaves on the soil and set them down in your bathroom, where the humidity is high.

Water the cuttings enough leaving the topsoil wet but do not overwater. Repeat this every time you feel the soil is dry.

When is the best time to transplant your propagated succulent leaves?

transplanting

When your young plant reaches about half an inch tall and the original leaf has dried up, gently remove those leaves and remove your plant from the soil. Prepare a pot with succulent soil and replant it. Carefully cover the roots with the soil.

How to Propagate Succulent Cuttings?

succulent cuttings

If your indoor succulent has multiple stems or branches, stem cutting is the best method to propagate your plant. Furthermore, it produces faster growth for plants compared to leaf cuttings.

  1. Use a sharp knife that is sterilized and cut off the top of your plant. The top section works well if your plant becomes leggy.

  2. Move your mother plant to a suitable spot with more light. Then, you can take a cutting anywhere on the leggy stem.

  3. If your plant has no leggy growth, you can cut the new offshoots visible in summer.

  4. Leave your cuttings to dry and callus for a few days. This step is essential to determine how much water your new plants take up when rooting.

  5. Once dry, dip the cut end into the rooting hormone and stick that end into the soil.

How Often Should You Water Your Propagated Stem Cuttings?

When you notice the soil dries up, you can water your stem cuttings. You will water your baby plants more often as they still grow a root system. But prevent overwatering as it can lead to root rot. Once your succulent has new growth, you can slow down on the watering.

A Bonus Propagating Succulents From Offsets

succulent offsets

Another excellent way for succulent lovers is to propagate through offsets. Again, the method is easier than using leaf cuttings or stem cuttings.

We recommend waiting until the offsets are half the size of the mother plant before separating them. Then, the best is to remove the parent plant from the pot to find the offsets.

At this time, you can examine the root systems for problems and repot your plant. Then, when you see the offsets, you can pull them from the mother plant with a twist motion.

Leave the offsets to dry for a day and plant them in well-drained soil. Please give them a good watering and place them in the indirect sun depending on the species you have.

The method is excellent as you can pull the offsets off with roots or cut them from the stem. For stem cuttings, you can refer to our procedure mentioned to take a proper cutting.  

Provide your offsets with the sun for a few hours in the morning and give them afternoon shade to prevent sunburn.

Final Thought

Voila, this is how you propagate succulents in some simple steps. You can easily let succulents grow outdoors or grow them as indoor plants. See, not too complicated at all.

Remember, succulents have water-storing stems so easy with watering. Provide your new succulent plants with occasional watering leaving the soil to dry. Growing succulents is easy, and propagating mature succulents is the best way to make sure you always have your plant.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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