Learning how to propagate succulents is a skill that every plant newbie wants to master!
I love propagating succulents because it is a cheap and easy way to produce new, additional plants! Some succulents propagate rapidly and require little effort from the grower. Others need a bit more time and extra TLC to develop into new plants.
In this post I will introduce you to the four different ways you can propagate your succulent. You will receive a step-by-step walkthrough on each of the four techniques.
These techniques are:
But before we get too ahead of ourselves, what exactly is propagation? Propagation is the process of taking some component of a mature, healthy succulent and growing this component into a new plant. All of your succulents have the ability to create an infinite number of new succulents from their leaves or stems.
Now that you know what propagation is, let’s get started!
How to propagate succulents from leaves
New succulents can be successfully grown just from the leaves of the mother succulent! Like other propagation techniques, this will give you hundreds of dollars worth of plants for free!
It is important to choose plump, healthy leaves to propagate. Do not pick leaves that are limp, dry or wrinkled. Look at the color of the leaf. A vibrantly colored leaf is a healthy leaf. Don’t choose one that is pale or translucent. This will give you the best chance of growing a new succulent.
Depending on how your succulent grows will dictate when you want to propagate. You can propagate succulent leaves from a bushy succulent with woody stems, such as jade plants, at any time. Propagate on a whim or after you have done some pruning. There are enough various branches on these types of succulents that there won’t be noticeable bare spots when you pick a handful of leaves.
For vertical growers such as Echeveria it is best to propagate using leaves when the succulent is beginning to stretch out or when it is getting too big for your taste.
The first step in the propagation of leaves is to remove the leaf from the mother plant. This is extremely important that the entire leaf is removed. If any part separates from the leaf and stays on the mother plant, your chances of growing a new plant decreases substantially.
I find that I am most successful in removing the entire leaf using a wiggle-and-pull method. Firmly grasp the leaf at the base, closest to the stem. Gently wiggle the leaf back and forth while pulling back. This helps break all of the connections between the leaf and the stem slowly and evenly.