Take a dropped leaf from one of your succulents as a starter. This is recommended if you are hesitant to remove a leaf off your ideal succulent or are simply concerned about doing so incorrectly. To increase your chances of success, only select full, plump leaves when searching for fallen ones. Go ahead and carefully pull one off the stem if there aren’t any fallen leaves. Succulents, especially Echeveria, are sensitive, therefore you should take a leaf off carefully by grasping the stem and twisting to completely remove it from the plant. Poor cuts may prevent the leaves from developing roots.
The cut ends of the leaves should be placed on a paper towel to dry off so they won’t rot when planted. Transfer the leaves to some succulent or cactus potting soil after letting them dry on the paper towel for a few days.
How are rooted succulent leaves planted?
Taking an active, healthy leaf from a mature succulent plant and utilising it to establish a new plant is known as “propagating with leaf cuttings.” Because the leaves of succulents with fleshy, plump leaves, like echeveria, are simple to snap off cleanly, this method of propagation works well with them.
While some leaves may simply pop off with a little tug, others could necessitate the use of a sharp knife. Take a healthy leaf from the plant’s base with clean hands or a sterile knife, making sure to remove the full, undamaged leaf.
After being removed, allow the leaf to recover for about four days in a warm, well-lit place so that the wound can callus over. When the leaf has calloused, prepare a fresh planter with soil, fill it with water, and set the callused leaf on top of the soil for multiplication.
When the earth is dry, spritz your leaves with a spray bottle. Keep them warm, in a room with lots of light, but out of direct sunlight. They must be kept warm and moist.
Little roots and leaves will start to emerge after around three weeks! A succulent may need a few months to grow large enough to be replanted (photos above are after about 8 weeks). When the leaf eventually gets brown and falls off, you’ll know it’s time. This indicates that the succulent no longer requires the leaf because it has consumed all of its nutrients.
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 stabilise 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.
Can succulent cuttings be planted directly in the ground?
What is there to love other than a succulent? Obviously, a full garden of succulents! Fortunately for us, it’s simple to propagate a variety of these resilient, vibrant plants at home. We can’t wait to see succulents growing all year long in containers around the house and garden; there are various easy ways to reproduce them.
Propagating by Division: Plants that have gotten too leggy perform best with this method, which produces new succulents from cuttings. Start by delicately removing any leaves that may be attached to the stem below the rosette; be sure to preserve the leaf’s base while you do so. After all the leaves have been eliminated, cut the rosette with shears, leaving a brief stem intact. The cuttings should be let to dry in an empty tray for a few days until the raw ends have calloused. The cuttings can then be rooted in either water or soil.
Soil: After the stems have calloused, set the cuttings on top of a shallow tray filled with well-draining cactus/succulent soil. From the base of the cuttings, roots and little plants will start to emerge in a few weeks. Once the roots start to show, water sparingly once a week; take care not to overwater. The parent leaf will eventually wither; carefully remove it while taking care not to harm the young roots. Your propagated succulents can be replanted once they have established roots. As soon as the plants are established, keep them out of direct sunlight.
Water: After the stem has calloused, place a cutting with the end barely visible above the water’s surface on the lip of a glass or jar filled with water. Pick a sunny location for your glass. The incision will eventually produce roots that extend toward the water. Once roots have sprouted, your new succulent can either be replanted in succulent potting soil or allowed to remain submerged in water as illustrated above.
Offsets are little plants that develop at the base of the main specimen, and many species of succulents, such as aloe, hens and chicks, and some cacti, will generate them. Check for root growth after an offset has developed for two to three weeks before carefully twisting, cutting, or using a sharp knife to separate it from the main stem. Be cautious to prevent destroying any already-formed roots. Follow the directions above for propagating in soil or water, letting the offsets dry, establish roots, and then repot when they have had time to callus any exposed regions. Removing offsets has the added benefit of enhancing the health of your current succulents and redirecting energy into the growth of the primary plant.
How can water from propagating succulents be transferred to the soil?
It is strongly advised to wait until the cutting has at least an inch-long root or the mother leaf has begun to dry up before leaving it to air-dry on a paper towel for approximately a day or two if you wish to transfer or transplant your succulents from water to soil. Remember that water roots are far more delicate than soil roots, so handle them carefully and acclimate them to soil gradually.
When the roots are completely dry, gently bury your succulent in unfertilized cactus soil and place it in a spot with only bright, indirect light. Giving your succulents direct sunlight at this time is not advised because they are still delicate.  
From this point on, it is advised to water your succulent on a regular basis. Every two weeks, a thorough soak would do.
Watch this video to learn about succulent water propagation:
Watch this little video to learn how to avoid four mistakes while cultivating succulents.
See some of the most frequently asked questions about propagating succulents and cacti in this little video.
Why are the leaves on my succulents only developing roots?
Many people adore succulent plants for a good reason. They are a large and diversified group of plants that have juicy leaves, stems, or roots and provide low-maintenance plant options for your house. If planted alone or with other succulents or leafy plants, they look lovely.
Although many succulents can easily sprout new plants from their leaves, not all leaves will do so. You might have tried to root the incorrect succulent, not taken enough cuttings, or taken the cuttings at the incorrect time of year if your rooted leaf cuttings aren’t growing.
Wrong Succulent
From leaf cuttings, not all succulents thrive. Some will begin to root but stall rather than growing new leaves at that time. Hoya leaf cuttings, for instance, can be challenging. Deep roots may develop from leaf cuttings, but a healthy plant never emerges. Take a stem cutting from a Hoya if you wish to multiply it.
Too Few Cuttings
Only trying to root one leaf might not be successful. Even though some succulent leaves may root, they never become plantlets. Take as many leaf cuttings as you can to increase the likelihood that some of them may grow.
Wrong Time of Year
The greatest time to take cuttings is right before the season when they naturally produce the most growth. Winter dormant species bloom in the summer, whereas summer dormant species grow most actively in the fall and spring. Summer is not the time to spread echeverias. Cuttings that are rooted in the incorrect season may eventually sprout new leaves if you are persistent after a few months.
Rooting for Success
Snip or break leaves from a healthy plant, keeping the petioles and, if present, the leaf stems, in order to make succulent leaf cuttings. Before you put them up, lay out all the leaves in a bright, dry area out of direct sunlight for at least two days to allow calluses to develop over the cut edges. Use two parts succulent potting soil blended with one part fine grit as a potting media, or a mixture of one part peat to one part sand. The soil should be mulched with a coating of fine grit to assist the soil retain moisture and support the cuttings. Insert each leaf or leaf stem deeply enough into the ground so that it may stand straight at a small slant. The rooting time for leaf cuttings is between three weeks and three months if you maintain the soil mildly moist.
How are cuttings planted in soil?
You’ve made the decision to try propagating in order to step up your plant parenting skills. Welcome! You’ve arrived to the correct place. Increase your plant collection or spread the word about your favourite plants to friends by using propagation. It’s also a terrific method to discover more about certain plant species and carry out your own experiments involving plants.
The possibility exists that this propagation lesson will pave the way for you to build a complete propagation station in your home. You might not be able to stop once you realise how simple it is to breed new plants from your old ones!
Although there are several methods for propagating indoor plants, in this post we’ll concentrate on the stem cutting technique. The finest plants for this technique are climbing ones like philodendrons, pothos, and monsteras.
Choose your rooting medium
Decide whether you want to root your cuttings in water or soil first. You’ll notice that method in our illustrations because we advise using water if this is your first time growing a plant. The main advantage of rooting in water is that it is simpler to monitor development as roots form.
Rooting plants in potting soil is enjoyable to try for experienced plant propagators. You can avoid the transplant trauma of moving the cutting from water to soil by roots it directly into potting soil. We include instructions for roots in soil at the bottom of this page if you’re interested in the latter method.
Gather your supplies
If you want to try your hand at stem cutting propagation, you’ll need a few simple tools. What we suggest is as follows:
- a razor-sharp cutting instrument, like snips or pruning scissors
- Rub alcohol with
- hormone for roots (optional)
- A glass tube or vase and fresh water are needed for water roots.
- A small pot with drainage and fresh potting soil is needed for soil rooting.
Get to know your plant
It’s time to get to know the plant you’ll be pruning from, often known as the “mother plant.” You must cut a section of the stem that has at least one node in order to take a stem cutting. A node is a tiny raised bump that normally sits next to a leaf and is where new roots will begin to emerge.
Cut the vine immediately below the node you’ve discovered after rubbing alcohol has been used to sanitise your scissors (this prevents bacteria from spreading that could harm your plant). If at all feasible, make sure to include 1-2 nodes as well as anywhere from 2-4 leaves.
Optional: Before putting your cutting in water, dab the end of it with rooting hormone. Although it is not necessary, rooting hormone will hasten the process of germination.
Rooting in water
Add new water to your propagation jar before adding the clipping. Wait until the roots lengthen to about 1-3 inches and develop in a warm, sunny environment away from direct sunlight. Be patient; it can take days, weeks, or even months to complete this. Plant your cutting in fresh soil in a container once roots have formed, then water normally.
Rooting in soil
the aforementioned trimming instructions. Your planter should be around 75 percent filled of new dirt. Make a few-inch-deep depression with your finger. After inserting the cutting into the depression you created, top over the container with extra soil. To secure the cuttings, compact the soil around them. You should water your cuttings thoroughly until the soil is evenly saturated. You must make sure the pot you select has a drainage hole. Your cuttings risk getting overly damp and starting to decompose before they can properly root if water cannot escape.
Pro tip: to encourage development, give your recently planted cuttings a boost in humidity. To assist maintain humidity, place a large glass jar, cloche, or plastic freezer bag over your pot.
If everything goes as planned, you ought to have brand-new roots in a few weeks. Send us pictures of your plant reproduction! Put a hashtag on Instagram and show us those roots!