Succulents may be multiplied, giving you more of what you love. In order to share succulents with friends or because your plants have grown lanky and unsightly, you may need to propagate succulents. Whatever your motivations, we have a tried-and-true method for propagating succulents successfully.
Easy Steps for Propagating a Succulent by Leaf Cutting
1. Cut the desired number of leaves off the stem of the succulent you want to multiply.
- Where the leaf meets the succulent stem, make a precise snap. Your propagation will go more quickly and easily as a result.
- For propagation, take many leaf cuttings (see #5).
2. Allow the succulent leaf’s broken end to callus over, mend, and/or dry out.
- While a week is a fantastic amount of time, you can get away with 2-3 days for small succulent leaves and 4-5 days for larger succulent leaves while you wait for the leaves to heal.
- The succulent leaves you want to multiply should be placed on a sunny window sill to dry. The sun’s rays expose the leaves, strengthening them with nutrients as well.
- When natural sunshine is unavailable, LED grow lights are a choice.
3. Place a succulent leaf directly on the soil in a container or on a tray of soil.
- You should touch the earth with the healed portion of the leaf you are propagating, but not bury it deeply. From there, the newly propagated succulent will grow, and in order to survive, it requires light and space to breathe.
- Although it would take a lot longer to spread, you could let the leaf develop without soil.
4. Provide water and light to your succulent leaf cuttings for successful propagation.
- Depending on the temperature and humidity in your home, water succulent leaf cuttings anywhere between two and four times per week. But don’t overwater. While keeping the soil from drying out, soil should be moist but not to the point of having any standing water.
- It’s ideal to have direct, bright light. Your leaf cuttings may become scorched by too much direct sunlight.
5. Produce several leaves.
- You’ll probably experience some casualties when propagating succulents. You have a better chance of successfully growing succulents if you follow the procedures of propagation with numerous leaf cuttings.
- Place a number of leaf cuttings on a tray or large pot filled with potting soil that is lightweight. Here, you can immediately see which leaf cuttings will begin to develop roots and young succulents and are good candidates for propagation and which leaves will begin to shrivel and turn black, making them unsuitable.
6. Be patient and give your leaf cuttings enough time to grow roots, produce offspring, and reproduce.
- Please take note that leaf cuttings that produce babies but no roots are preferable to leaf cuttings that produce babies but no roots.
- You can sigh with relief when you notice that the young succulents or pups are growing. When the pups or babies appear, you can tell that they are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis as well as their own leaf systems. A leaf cutting that only grows roots may never give birth to offspring or may take a very long time to do so.
- You can always pinch or clip off the mother plant leaf once the babies/pups have formed.
7. Plant your just multiplied succulents in pots.
- Allow your babies or puppies to establish strong roots so that you can repot them into any container you want. If you propagated them in your chosen pot, let them there to continue growing.
- While propagated succulents are still in their adolescent years, keep providing them with indirect strong light. Direct sunlight will be too harsh.
- Give your new succulents a nice soak once every two weeks to water them. Don’t overwater once more. Just keep in mind that succulents store water in their leaves and stems, and that too much water around their roots will result in death by root rot.
- Remove the leaf from the mother plant that was used to propagate the plant, if you haven’t done so before. It has probably already started to shrivel up. The mother leaf remnants will ultimately dry out and fall off if you cut it close to the new plant.
*Special remark Some succulents, such as hoya and kalanchoe, cannot be propagated via leaf cuttings but can instead be done using alternative techniques, such as stem cutting. Later, we’ll talk about those.
Folks, that’s all she wrote! Your succulents that you propagated should be well on their way to developing into mature plants. Good fortune!
Should I water the succulent leaves I’m propagating every day?
You need to keep a few things in mind before getting started because success is never guaranteed. Every leaf will frequently behave differently during proliferation. While some might grow the roots, other people might grow a single young succulent. Some succulents can actually produce up to six pups.  
Overwatering frequently causes more harm than benefit.
If you are using soil propagation, only lightly water the soil each day after the roots start to show. You might even just wish to let the leaves alone during air propagation without watering them. The mother leaves will decompose if there is too much water, and the pup will also perish.
Should I spray cuttings of succulents?
Because you probably already own one or many succulents, for many people, propagating them can be the simplest method to get started.
If a succulent is starting to get a little leggy, which means the succulent starts to grow long and the leaves become widely separated, remove the lower leaves. Make sure to completely separate the leaf from the stalk. It won’t establish new roots if you rip it.
The only thing left is a succulent perched atop a lengthy stem. To quickly get the succulent to root again, make a cut between the base of the succulent and the stem’s midpoint.
Then, it’s crucial that you allow the ends to callus over and dry out. Your cuttings may rot and perish if you plant them straight in the soil because they will absorb too much moisture. To allow ends to dry, Tiger advises finding a shaded, dry area on the patio or even indoors. Some people want to expose them to the sun, but he claims that doing so will just bake them. Be tolerant. This procedure can take a few days to more than a week.
When the cuttings are dry, set them on top of cactus or succulent soil that drains well and plant them in a position that gets a lot of indirect light. Only water if the leaves seem particularly dry.
Several weeks later, young plants begin to emerge. Using a spray bottle, spritz the plants once daily, being cautious not to drench the soil.
The leaf will ultimately fall off naturally, at which point you can pot up the young succulent.
What is the time required to propagate succulents?
- Leaf propagation: Typically, it takes 2 weeks for roots to develop through leaf propagation. New leaves will start to form in around 8 weeks and can optionally be transplanted to a tiny container.
- Root formation typically takes 4 weeks, but it can occasionally take longer with stem proliferation.
- Offset propagation: Once the pups have developed a calloused skin, the roots typically begin to grow after 4 to 10 weeks.
- The process of propagating seeds takes the longest—cactus seeds can take anything from three weeks to a year to even begin to germinate. After that, the seedling takes a very long period to mature into a full-grown adult.
Why are the succulents I propagated dying?
Cuttings from succulent stems won’t take root if
- Before being planted in soil, the cuttings weren’t given a chance to scab or dry out.
- Either the growing medium has insufficient drainage or the improper sort of soil was employed.
- Overwatering or an extended period of damp soil led to decay before roots could take root.
- The stems dried out and eventually died off due to underwatering or very dry soil.
- The soil dries out too quickly and burns stem cuttings before roots have a chance to form due to excessive heat or sun exposure.
- propagating in the incorrect time of year or when dormant.
The majority of people should typically start noticing rooting in three to six weeks. If by then you haven’t noticed any roots forming, it might be because of one or more of the aforementioned factors.
Are there Succulent Species that Won’t Propagate Through Stems?
Stem cuttings can be used to multiply the majority of succulents. There are some species that cannot be multiplied by stems, including:
- Agaves
- Aloes
- Hens with chicks, or Sempervivums
- Haworthias
Instead of using leaf or stem cuttings for reproduction, the majority of the aforementioned species produce pups or offsets.
Does the length of the stem cuttings matter?
The stem cuttings’ length or size don’t really matter. Getting cuttings from a healthy plant and during its active growing season is very important. In this manner, you can be sure to achieve more success more quickly.
How often should plants be watered during propagation?
- Choose a healthy section of your plant that is at least 4-6 inches long for the best results. At least one node and two to three leaves are required. On a plant, a node is a little bump from which stems, leaves, or areal roots emerge.
- Cut the stem to the right length using your pruners or scissors after deciding where to make your cut. The best chance of success is with a 45 degree angle cut that is clean and sharp.
- Take out any leaves that will be in your spreading medium below the surface.
- Get the vessel ready for the new cutting. Warm water should be used, the moss should be fully wet, and LECA needs to be thoroughly rinsed multiple times before being left to soak overnight. Because the silt in LECA can quickly clog indoor plumbing, it is best to rinse it outside in a sieve or pail of water.
The actions you take from this point on will depend on the propagation medium you have selected:
Using Water
Your plants can be rooted in any kind of water. As long as the water is the right temperature, it doesn’t matter if it is tap, distilled, spring, or even rainwater. Place your vessel on a seedling heat mat if you anticipate having trouble keeping your water at room temperature. This is especially useful in the chilly winter months. Put your stem cutting in the vessel and fill it with water to the node’s level. Due to evaporation, the water level will decrease, thus you should add water as needed every 3-5 days. If you have picked a clear container for your cutting, you may observe the roots growing. It’s time to plant your cutting in soil when there are three or more roots that are between three and five inches long. Make sure to plant in a tiny container that is suitable for the tiny roots’ size.
Using LECA
Instead of merely using water, LECA, or Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate, is a wonderful alternative since the pebbles will help to stabilize the plant, give your cuttings more oxygen, and allow them to grow in darkness so that they can move into the soil more easily.
Before using, thoroughly rinse LECA several times in a bucket or a strainer outside because the silt can clog indoor plumbing. Following rinsing, LECA should spend the night submerged in water. Add at least an inch or two of LECA to the glass container once your LECA has done soaking. Fill the space surrounding your stem cutting with more LECA until it reaches the top of the container by about an inch. Next, fill the container with water until the top of the LECA is approximately an inch below the water line.
Evaporation will cause the water level to decrease over time, so keep an eye on it. As long as there is water at the container’s bottom, the LECA will wick water up to the nodes, so you may gradually lower the water level without letting all of the water evaporate. To check for growth, you can carefully remove the slice every week. Avoid attempting to dig LECA out of your plant’s roots.
Because LECA is reusable, you can cut numerous times with it. Prior to using something a second time, make sure to completely clean and rinse it.
Using Soil or Moss
If you’d like, you can either root your cutting in moss or plant it directly in the ground. Both media employ very similar techniques. Dip the cutting’s tip in your rooting powder to promote quicker root development (this is optional). Before used, moss and soil should be thoroughly wet. When cuttings sown in moss grow to a height of three to five inches, you should move them to soil. To increase humidity, the container can be covered with a plastic bag, or tiny containers can be put within a gallon Ziploc bag. To allow for venting, make sure to leave a small opening in the bag or poke a few holes in it. Root growth will be accelerated by setting the tented container or bag on a seedling heat mat. Cuttings placed in soil will have slower-growing roots. Keep the soil and moss moist. The simplest way to do this is to tent with a plastic bag or use a covered container, like a spick-and-span take-out container with a lid. Every week, check the plants for hydration and growth.
Succulents—can they endure in water forever?
You will need to decide how to start your new plant first. We discover that employing an offshoot, as opposed to cutting, often generates a stronger plant. It ultimately depends on your preference, however the latter is also totally feasible. You can now start growing a succulent in water.
The cutting or branch must be given time to callus as the first and most crucial phase. For a few days, keep it in a tray without food. If you don’t do this, it will collect too much moisture, which could lead to rotting.
Next, lay the cutting or branch on the rim of a water container in a location with plenty of sunlight. It is necessary for the calloused end to be barely visible above the waterline. You will observe the roots penetrating it in a few days.
That’s all there is to it! As long as you give the succulent an appropriate container, it can continue to live in the water until the roots have formed.
A succulent that has adapted to living in water will most likely perish if transplanted into soil since water roots and soil roots are significantly different from one another. You are free to experiment to your heart’s content and discover what works best for you because succulents are easy to propagate.