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!
Prepare the Pot
Cuttings can be grown in a temporary pot while they develop roots, or you can just plant them in a permanent container. In either case, you’ll need a pot with a drainage hole that’s big enough to give each cutting 2 to 3 inches of space.
To shield your succulents from standing water and root rot, fill the container with a grittier, well-draining soil. Cactus/succulent potting soil is typically available at garden centers. Alternatively, you can create your own by mixing 3 parts potting soil with 2 parts coarse, salt-free sand and 1 part perlite or pumice.
Plant the Cuttings
Insert the cut end of a stem 1 to 2 inches into the ground. If the succulent has leaves, you might need to remove a few of them to reveal the stem’s base. The lowest leaves shouldn’t contact the soil; they should rest just above it. To help the cutting stand straight, softly compact the dirt around it.
Remove any necessary leaves from stemmed succulents to expose 1 to 2 inches of stem for planting.
Pick the Right Location
Choose an area with enough of airflow, bright indirect light (not direct outdoor sun), and succulents that are still young. Cuttings require sunshine to develop new roots, but direct sunlight might cause them to quickly dry up. On indoor succulents, good airflow helps avoid gnat and mealy insect infestations.
Water
Cuttings require constant hydration until they can form roots, unlike mature succulents. Water the soil just enough to prevent it from drying up, but not too much that there is standing water. Actual frequency varies depending on humidity and temperature but is often 2-4 times each week.
Care for Rooted Succulents
A very slight pull will reveal whether a cutting has roots after 4-6 weeks. Change to deeper, less frequent watering for succulents with roots. Water just once the soil is completely dry, which takes about 2-4 times each month. If necessary, repot the succulent and relocate it gradually to the right lighting. Don’t increase light exposure for 1-2 weeks to give the plant time to adjust. Maintain your succulent’s care, and in the upcoming months, keep an eye out for above-ground development.
How long do propagated succulents take to take root?
It is strongly advised to propagate your cuttings in water in a glass jar or another transparent container because doing so will allow you to see the growth of your plant and will also allow light to pass through.
Arrange it.
Once the cutting callus has healed, add water to the jar and place the object inside. While some opt to immerse it in water, we recommend that the stem and leaves remain dry to reduce the risk of rotting.
We advise covering the jar with plastic wrap and making a hole in it so you may insert the stem if the succulent cutting is too small. By doing this, you’ll be able to balance your cutting on the jar’s rim and make sure that only the stem’s bottom touches the liquid.  
After submerging the cutting, put the jar in a sunny spot or window and be patient while waiting for new roots to grow.
Grow period.
The time it takes for roots to emerge can typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on your habitat and climate. It is advised that you periodically check the jar to make sure the water hasn’t dried up in order to avoid delays.
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.
What should you do if your succulents multiply?
As it is simpler than using leaves or stem cuttings, the majority of succulent parents prefer to propagate their offspring via offsets. Offsets make for incredibly simple and straightforward propagation, making it ideal for individuals who don’t want to wait for the plant to develop leaves. Succulents like the Haworthia are ideal for this technique.
It is strongly advised to hold off until the offsets are around half the size of the parent plant to make sure they have the nutrients they need to live after being cut off from the parent plant. In order to find the rooted offset from the parent plant, you might want to start by thinking about removing the plant from its container. This is also an opportunity to repot the plant and check the root structure. Then, just twist the offset to remove it from the mother succulent’s roots. If some roots are torn, it won’t matter because the offset will have an opportunity to build its own roots. After removing the offsets successfully, allow them to dry for one to one day. After they have dried out, put them in cactus soil that drains well and water them thoroughly.
Cutting off the offset’s stem or plucking offsets from the parent plant with roots are two ways to propagate from offsets. Therefore, scroll up to read our instructions on how to take a correct cutting if you want to try doing it using stem cuttings. Use only sterilized pruning implements at all times. Place your cuttings in a well-drained potting mix after allowing them to dry completely. Within a few weeks, roots ought to develop.
Maintaining the offsets is really easy. To prevent etiolation or sunburn, you should give them a few hours of morning sunlight or afternoon shade. One piece of advice is to only water them thoroughly when the soil is absolutely dry.
And voilà! That is how you successfully develop your own succulent garden and propagate your succulents. Not too difficult, am I right? To determine the ideal amount of light and water that works for your succulents and encourages new development, we suggest you to experiment with a variety of leaves and stem cuttings. Tell us how your propagation process is going!
Watch this little video to learn how to avoid four mistakes while cultivating succulents.
You may read more about propagating succulents in the following articles:
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.
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 crisp.
- 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.