To share our understanding of the environment is one of the many reasons Igor and I started Urban Jungle Bloggers. So today I’d want to demonstrate succulent progagation, which is a fairly easy method. Naturally, you can purchase the most exquisite succulent plants anywhere you go, but it’s also a lot of fun to grow them from leaves yourself. I’ve been doing it for a while and enjoy giving friends baby succulents or sending some by snail mail to spread the green love.
Succulents can be multiplied in a variety of methods, but this is the one that works best for me. A succulent plant with leaves, such as the one on the right, is first required:
Instead of cutting the leaves, gently remove a couple from the plant’s stem. Twisting them a little bit makes them easier to remove when they won’t. However, take care to have a clean draw, which means leaving nothing on the stem.
On some dirt, arrange your new leaves horizontally. You can also place them on the foot of a plant in a plant pot, but I utilized several plates with a thin coating of soil for my present “mass production endeavor.” Although my succulents also thrive without soil (I occasionally discover babies in our house! ), they seem to develop more quickly and robustly in soil.
Don’t water your leaves right away; instead, wait a few days to allow them dry out. After a few days, lightly mist the plate with water. Once the soil is totally dry, rehydrate it. At most, I water once every ten days. They don’t like a lot of water, just like an adult succulent. Put your leaves in an area with a lot of diffused light.
Your leaves’ tips will begin to grow little white or pink roots after a few weeks. A teeny, little young plant will then begin to develop. I just adore their sweet pink roots.
The initial leaves on your new succulents will change as they get bigger, turning wrinkled, yellow, or dry. You can carefully remove them so that your succulent can be planted in a separate plant pot.
Oh, and if you want to mail some baby succulents, just wrap them in paper (not in a sealed plastic bag!) and cover them in moist tissue paper. The majority of succulent babies are sturdy enough to endure many weeks without water while traveling.
Have you ever attempted your own succulent gardening? Do you have any advice or techniques? Or perhaps some queries?
Is cultivating succulents profitable?
Let’s start by discussing how we cultivate and spread succulents, along with the kind I’ve had luck with and perhaps a couple that I fervently desire.
Growing
Succulents appear to enjoy the fluorescent lighting I use to grow them in my basement. They don’t stretch as they always do when I have one just outside in my living room, but I imagine they would also maintain their tight rosette shape if you have a window that receives a lot of sunlight. Early in the spring, I start my annuals and perennials with T5 fixtures that are set on a timer to provide the plants a 16-hour day.
Succulents were first being grown in 2-inch nursery pots, the kind that fit 32 on a typical tray. Since succulents have rather shallow roots, even though these pots are quite deep, I discovered that nearly half of the dirt was not being utilized. So I started arranging them in blocks when I acquired my new soil blocker. People adore it! In my opinion, they develop more quickly. According to the label directions, I mix an all-purpose organic fertilizer into the soil before planting, but in the past, I’ve also planted them in plain dirt with nothing at all, and they were OK. In our extremely dry area, I don’t use a specific quick-draining cactus soil; instead, I just use whatever potting soil we have on hand for our usual starts. You might need a quick-draining soil if you reside in a humid location.
It should be dry, warm, and bright for succulents. When I see that the plants are a touch floppy or that the leaves are not as firm as they should be, I water the plants. I don’t water on a regular basis; instead, I go by how often the plants need water. I water my new baby plants much more frequently than my larger plants, which appear to handle lengthy periods without water just well. I believe I could go 10 to 14 days without watering. Because my water is so hard and causes mineral stains on the leaves that don’t wash off, I only ever bottom water my succulents because I can’t have that on the plants I use for weddings. I add an organic liquid fertilizer to the water around once a month and let them absorb it. I make an effort to use fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and low in potassium since I don’t really want the succulents to flower because those stalks would ruin the exquisite spiral shape. But the flowers are gorgeous and have a tropical appearance, and they may really enhance a corsage or boutonniere. They also endure eternally.
A plant will occasionally grow much further than I can use it. If this occurs, I just behead it and plant it again. I simply snip off the top where it still resembles a rosette and place it back into a pot with new, moist soil. Within a few weeks, it will begin to grow roots. The surviving leaves will then be removed from the stem and placed somewhere to begin producing new offspring. The severed stem will begin to produce new plants if I leave it in the soil. My “zombie mothers” are these people.
I didn’t have any issues with pests up until recently. I do observe tiny insects breeding in the soil around my succulents’ roots, and I have had several die from root worms, but not many. One day I’ll merely notice the plant is dying, and when I take it out a little, sure enough, the decaying stem easily falls out of the ground. Simply throw away the tainted dirt, wash the container with bleach, and start over. Some kinds appear to be more prone to this issue than others.
But a plague of monsters! Aphids have recently been a problem for me, consuming both old plants and brand-new sprouts. It is unpleasant! They can damage the leaves, leave behind disgusting sticky material (honeydew), and prevent the plant from growing. They are little blue-gray spots that reappear every time I believe I’ve destroyed them. LAME. Since I started using Safer brand bug soap, it does kill them, but because they are so cunning, some always manage to escape. Next may be neem oil or lady bugs. Has anyone ever had to deal with aphids on their succulent plants?
There’s really not much to worry about with these hardy, lovely creatures—they just keep growing and giving—aside from the aphids.
Propagating
All succulents want to do is rule the world! All I have to do to propagate seems to be to establish the ideal conditions and quicken the process because it appears that every section of the plant will develop a new one given the chance. A leaf-propagated succulent takes between 9 months and a year to grow 4-5 inches in diameter, depending on the variety. In order to reproduce my succulents, I employ three different methods.
Leaf technique: I begin with the mother plant and select a fat, robust bottom leaf (or, I choose many fat healthy bottom leaves all at once). Larger leaves typically result in larger, more rapid plantlets. I wiggle the leaf back and forth until it comes free from the stem without harming it or the stem itself. Some types are more docile than others, but occasionally I mess up and harm the leaf or stem. When I have my collection of leaves, I throw them into an empty apartment and give them a little light—they don’t require much—to keep them alive. I’ll apply rooting hormone in accordance with the directions on the package if I’m trying to propagate a highly prized or challenging-to-sprout type.
The development of the leaves’ tiny, scarlet roots begins at least two weeks later. Some plants begin producing new growth before they develop roots, while others never get around to doing so. Still other plants develop roots but never produce new growth. You should aim for both. I add some moist soil to the flat where the leaves are growing roots once they begin to do so, giving the roots something to hold onto while I wait for the plantlets to emerge. Once I can see there are lots of roots on a leaf with a sizable plantlet, I place the leaf into a soil block and simply nestle the roots down and snug them in. Until I can pull on the plant and feel resistance from the roots, I keep these flats well-watered. After that, they are essentially free to go home!
Stump method: I employ this technique for plants that are challenging to multiply via leaves since, on occasion, they just refuse to form roots or new plants. This technique was developed when we had enormous pack rats terrorizing our basement and biting the heads off of my most exquisite succulent plants before carrying them off to their dark den. However, shortly after being guillotined, the stumps of these succulents would start to produce small new plantlets. I only waited for these babies to reach a size where I could clip them off, and then I tucked them into a fresh soil block. This technique, along with the following one, creates clones the fastest since they are already ready to survive and have had the mother plant’s assistance throughout their growth, unlike leaves, which only have contact with a small portion of the mother plant. To remove a new plantlet, clean your cutting tool (I like needle-nosed snips or trimming shears with extremely thin tips), then cut the plant close to the mother plant’s stem. Create a small opening in the dirt block or other material, then carefully insert the stem in while pressing the soil tightly around it to ensure good contact.
The easiest method, the sucker method, yields excellent clones. Once they reach a particular size, the majority of succulents will start to produce suckers, sometimes from the main stem and frequently from below the soil line. Lifting up the bottom leaves of your elder succulents will reveal some babies likely hiding under their mothers’ skirts, simply waiting for a new home and some time in the sun. Simply cut them off and plant them in a fresh block of soil. They’ll start growing right away. As they lack roots to support any height, be sure to only plant the rosette and not the extended stem. In addition to producing numerous plants, new succulent clones from leaves frequently produce additional plants that can be divided to increase your stock. When the plants are sufficiently large, cut off the biggest sister first because she has a lot of energy and can still assist the other sister with the roots she has already established.
Varieties
Echeverias and Sempervivums are the greatest rosette succulents, but there are many other species that create wonderful succulents for gifts and simply plain enjoyment. The zebra plant is actually my favorite, although it grows slowly and isn’t the best for propagation.
Although I always advise patronizing your local nursery whenever feasible, FairyBlooms has a terrific assortment in their online shop and is a lovely Instagram account to follow. Additionally, they occasionally have the “Compton Carousel,” the most sought-after succulent of them all. However, you’ll pay a fortune for it – upwards to $50 for a 4-inch plant. It’s unusual!
Here are the succulents I now plant. I don’t know the names of many of my succulents, but I do know a couple.
I also develop, however I have no photos of:
How are succulents multiplied? What kinds do you prefer? What deity shall I invoke in order to be delivered from this aphid plague?
What You’ll Need:
- slicing shears
- gardening mitts (for handling spiny varieties)
- a little trowel
- potting soil for cacti and succulents
- jars with sufficient drainage holes
Remove Some Leaves or Behead
Take a few leaves at random from your succulent plant, gently twisting each one off the stem without breaking it.
These can be cut off the bottom of the stem, which will be discarded, when it begins to grow lanky.
To remove a specific leaf from a plant, such as a Christmas cactus, you might need to use scissors.
If you’re “beheading,” cut the stem of the plant head cleanly with your scissors or clippers about an inch below the lower leaves.
Plant
When roots start to form, either choose a site in your garden that is ideal for planting or fill well-draining containers of your choosing with potting material.
Sunshine and well-drained soil are ideal for succulent growth. They get paler in the absence of sunlight, and they decompose in excess moisture.
When the sun is less powerful, such as in the early morning or late afternoon, plant in a sunny location.
To lift the cuttings above the edge of your container or garden surface, pile dirt higher. To stabilize the roots, gently tamp the earth down; do not water.
Water and Feed
It’s time to buy a succulent/cactus food at this stage, such as Miracle-Gro Succulent Plant Food, which is sold on Amazon. administer as directed by the manufacturer.
Succulents can also be propagated via cuttings that are placed on top of potting soil and allowed to callus off so they can root themselves in the soil.