Introduction
Succulents are a group of small (mostly, but some of them are quite large) and colourful plants that have thick fleshy leaves and stems. Originally, they are from dry desert areas in Africa and America and have adapted to these conditions. Succulents store a lot of water in there leaves and stems so are usually very hardy and great for beginners. They are also very colourful and great for pots and some can be grown as indoor plants too.
In addition to being easy to grow, succulents are also one of the easiest plants to propagate from. There are several different ways of propagating succulents including stem cuttings or from leaves. Here are some of the best ways on how to propagate succulents at home for free:
Stem Cuttings
This is probably the most popular and successful method to propagate succulents. It involves taking a cutting and drying it out before placing it into soil for roots to grow. When you trim your succulents you can save the off cuts to use for propagation.
- Take a cuttings from a stem about 3cm below the head of the plant
- Remove any excess or dead leaves from the stem
- Place in a cool dry place for about a week or until the fresh cut has healed over
- Once the cutting is dry, place is in soil, water it and leave it in a sunny area
Water the soil as needed and within 1-2 weeks you should see some roots growing. The base of the succulent that was cut will also regrow needs succulents all over so make sure to take care of it aswell.
Leaf Propagation
One amazing thing about succulents, is that all you need is one leaf to grow an entire new plant - cool aye. Leaf propagation is a good option if you want to mass propagate, if some leaves naturally fall off the plant, or if you don’t want to cut the main stem of the plant. Leaf propagation takes a little longer than stem cuttings but is still definitely worth doing.
- Take the leaves from the succulent you want to propagate and place them on a layer of dry soil
- Leave them to dry for about one week in a cool dry area
- Once a callus has formed, mist the leaves regularly and move to a sunnier area
- Within weeks the leaves will start to form roots
First, the leaves with send out small roots and after you will see some small leaves starting to form. Once the roots are big enough you can transfer them to some bigger plant pots.
Separating Pups
Succulents naturally grow in clumps and send off babies or pups from the main ‘mother’ plant. These can be taken and separated out as new solo plants. This is a great option when the succulent becomes crowded or too big. The success rate is also higher because often the plant already has some roots growing.
How to propagate succulents in water
It is also possible to propagate succulents using water however we recommend using soil as it reduces the chance of rot. To propagate with water, let the cutting dry and then place in a jar of shallow clean water or in Propagation Stations and wait for roots to grow.
Key Tips
- Make sure to dry the succulent cuttings first before watering them
- Give the plants time to grow, succulents usually have very high success rates for propagation
- Use soil as the preferred option but water is also possible
- Stem cuttings and pups are the quickest methods but leaf propagation is great for mass propagation
