Because succulent seeds are so tiny, take special care to prepare a clean workplace and clean hands before planting. Your tray or container should first be filled with dirt.
Before you open your seeds, thoroughly clean your potting area and your hands after working with the dirt.
Carefully take the seeds out of the pouch using clean hands, then scatter them on top of the soil. Again, because the seeds are so little, it could be challenging to determine where you’ve planted them in the ground.
What is the time required to cultivate succulents from seed?
Your plants may take three days to a few weeks to start growing, depending on the kind of succulent, the temperature, and the amount of sunlight. It’s crucial to complete your study before purchasing your seeds in order to estimate the length of time it will take for them to germinate (some may even take several months to a year). Remove the lid during the day to keep the leaves ventilated after you notice that they are starting to emerge.
As your plants develop throughout the first week or two, keep the soil moist and make sure there is enough drainage. Keep them hydrated because at this point their roots are just starting to form. It’s not necessary to always keep the soil top damp once the roots are developed. When you’re ready to water your plants as you would adult plants, observe their growth and apply your best judgment (along with any research you’ve done about your succulents).
Additionally, now is the ideal time to expose your succulents to additional sunlight. Despite being desert plants, succulents and cacti don’t require intense heat or sunlight to survive. Baby plants should not be exposed to direct sunshine until their leaves have fully developed. After then, gradually increase their exposure to light. Once you’ve gotten them to tolerate the level of light in the location where you intend to keep them permanently, gradually increase the light by about an hour every few days. Again, depending on the type of plant, different lighting conditions will be optimal.
Step 1: Fill the seed starting slots
I started by placing my succulent soil into each of the planting holes in my seed-standing tray. After fully soaking the soil, I let the extra water drain into the sink through the drainage holes.
Step 2: Add seeds
I then carefully cleaned and dried my hands. The succulent seeds are really tiny, so I wanted to take precautions to prevent losing or contaminating them. In each planting hole, I placed one seed and lightly pressed it into the moist dirt.
Step 3: Provide light, humidity, and water
The germination, rhizomes, and growth of succulent seeds require a lot of moisture. Because the seed starting tray features drainage holes where the extra water may flow into, watering them is quite simple. When that tray is kept somewhat moist, you can “water them from the bottom.” You can also begin watering as usual from the top once the seeds begin to grow.
The seed tray’s translucent plastic dome, which is placed atop it, aids in moisture retention. This is crucial to ensuring the happiness of the seedlings as they emerge and preventing the soil from drying out! The recommended temperature range for indoor plants is between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, just like other indoor plants. There is also some heat retention thanks to the dome.
To see if there was a significant difference, I chose to use two different lighting arrangements. One of the trays is placed in a bathroom window that receives sunlight in the late morning, midday, and evening. I placed the other tray next to a window that receives morning sunlight but is also covered by a grow light for eight hours every day. (I discussed my grow light in this post about inexpensive, useful presents for plant lovers.)
Step 4: Baby them!
Continue giving your seeds water and sunshine. Within two to eight weeks, they ought to “sprout.” You can take off the topping a few days after your seeds have sprouted. They must breathe some air! As needed, keep filling the water tray. Keep the soil from drying out.
You can reduce watering once you start to see the root system truly taking shape (usually after around 3 or 4 months). Start by letting the soil to dry out in between waterings, exactly like you would with a typical succulent. Then, carefully transfer your brand-new, little babies to their respective pots.
Don’t worry if mold starts to appear on top of your seedling trays. Remove the lid so they can breathe. You can also be watering your plants excessively, so cut back. If you’d like, you can dig away a portion of the top dirt layer. Nevertheless, as you can see in the image below, it isn’t harming or stopping the seedling from growing.
Overwatering, on the other hand, can harm your seedling or result in its tiny, exposed roots decomposing once it starts to grow. Also, if your seeds haven’t germinated after a few weeks, don’t worry. Mine started sprouting after around 2 weeks, and they sprouted intermittently for weeks after that.
In the future, I’ll update this post to reflect the development of each of my succulent types. Happy planting in the meanwhile!
Are succulents simple to cultivate from seeds?
You can move your seeds securely to new sites after they have developed into large enough plants.
Growing succulents from seeds isn’t particularly difficult, but it does require the right tools and some patience, just like growing any other kind of plant from seed does.
You should be able to produce your own succulents as long as you are patient and adhere to the aforementioned instructions.
Which soil type is ideal for succulents?
Succulent soil is the basis for a plant’s ability to thrive, whether you are planting succulents outside or indoors. Larger soil particles are necessary for succulents to have a well-draining soil that allows water to enter quickly and drain away from the roots without compacting the soil. Use a soil test kit to verify the ideal soil for succulents and adjust the soil to a pH range of 6.0 to 6.5 before planting.
- Succulents prefer well-draining soil and have short root systems.
- The ideal soil is one that is nutrient-rich, loose, and rocky.
- Use a potting mix designed specifically for succulents and cacti when planting in containers, and place the plant in a pot with drainage holes at the bottom.
- Succulent plants could die off if their soil is too alkaline.
- Add soil amendments to the existing soil to make it more suitable for succulents’ needs.
Get To Know Your Succulents
Because some succulents, like Echeveria Vincent Catto, Sinocrassula Yunnannensis, or Echeveria Derenbergii, are inherently small and slow-growing, it is best to know what kind of succulents you are trying to grow bigger.
Search Google for the maximum size and growing advice for your succulent if you know its name. If you post a photo to one of the succulent-lovers’ facebook groups, they can identify your succulent if you don’t know its name.
To find a group on Facebook or Google and choose the one that looks appealing. There are some groups that can be excessively vast, and you might not always get a response because your message might get lost in the sea of thousands of other individuals trying to submit their queries. Sometimes working in smaller groups may be preferable.
If you don’t know the name of your succulent and don’t want to bother with Facebook, try searching Google for information about your plant’s qualities (blue succulent with pink edges or red spreading succulent etc.) Then, you can try to locate your plant by going to the image portion of the search.
Plant succulents in the garden
Succulent cuttings are one of our best-selling items at our online store. We have huge succulent gardens and beds since here is where succulents grow the best, quickest, and biggest. This allows us to grow enough to meet demand.
The majority of succulents are not frost hardy and would perish if planted in the ground in various regions of the world where winters are cold with frequent frosts. But don’t worry—we also have a remedy for you unfortunate residents of chilly climates.
However, in temperate conditions, succulents will make the most of the room they have when planted in the ground and will develop into magnificent, large plants.
Succulents can rot if planted in the area of the garden where water collects after heavy rains, therefore water needs to drain away successfully for them to grow in the ground.
Succulents that prefer the sun should be planted there, while those that prefer the shade should be planted behind trees or in the shade.
Although we do advise adding high-quality potting mix for additional drainage and nutrients, the majority of succulents will grow big and healthy even in poorer soil when planted in the ground.
Upgrade the pot regularly
Larger succulents will grow if there is more room for their roots. Although, as was already noted, certain species of succulents are naturally small and slow-growing, there isn’t much that can be done to encourage them to grow larger.
Most of our succulent plants are propagated through cuttings that are placed in little pots or propagation trays. We transplant the plant to a pot that is twice or three times the size of the root ball once the pot is full with roots.
They will do better in nice, fresh potting mix every time they are repotted, and we also get to observe how the roots are doing and check for pests on roots (mealy bugs, grubs, etc.) every time we repotted a plant, which is why we don’t place them in the biggest pot available at the beginning.
Since potting soil can degrade over time and harbor pests and fungus, it is recommended to gradually transition succulents to larger pots if you want them to grow big and healthy.
Succulents will technically continue to grow in a small pot after they have hit their limit and become root-bound, but they will do so extremely slowly.
On the bright side, if you choose the proper succulent for the job, you may achieve better color and a plumper form because many succulents may become “bonsai” if kept in small pots for an extended period of time; however, this is a subject for a completely separate post.
What is the ideal method for growing succulents?
Succulent plants should be grown in full sun to moderate shade on free-draining soil or compost, such as cactus compost. From spring until autumn, water sparingly, but don’t water at all in the fall and winter. Succulents generally develop slowly. Every two years, repot them into new compost if you are growing them in pots.
Do seeds of succulents require light?
To germinate, succulent seedlings require light. Water must also always be available to them.
Flooding the container from below is the ideal method for watering the seedlings. The two planter choices listed above make this very simple. Simply fill the hole near the soil with water to fill it up for the Air-o Light.
Fill the lower white area of the seed trays with water until it is about halfway full. Place the black tray inside. Wait until the earth has absorbed the water. If necessary, fill the white container with more water.
Even though keeping the top on the seed trays can assist reduce evaporation, you’ll still need to periodically refill the tray.
To keep the soil moist, you’ll need to add water to the container every day.
Additionally, be sure the seeds have ample access to light. Your seeds should be placed next to an interior window with good light. It’s crucial to maintain a constant temperature and avoid letting the seeds get too hot (above 80 degrees) or too cold (below 60 degrees).
How frequently should I water my baby succulents?
Only water succulents when the soil has totally dried up. There isn’t a standard watering schedule that applies to all succulents in all environments.
Many indoor succulent growers discover that watering their plants every 14 to 21 days keeps them healthy. Use this timeline as a guide and make adjustments if necessary.
The earliest symptoms of underwatering on the leaves are the greatest time to water your succulents. To see what that looks like, have a look at the cheat sheet above.
The best course of action is to wait for a signal from your succulent before watering because most succulents are particularly susceptible to rot with regular watering.
And keep in mind how crucial it is to monitor your watering routine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve assumed that I haven’t watered in a while, just to discover that it was only a few days ago thanks to my notes in the Succulent Tracker app (Apple | Android).
In this video, learn about a several factors that could influence how frequently you water your succulents:
How long does it take a succulent to root?
Succulents can be propagated in water, but doing so goes against the ideal growing circumstances for these plants. Start your leaves and cuttings in shallow planting trays or tiny containers packed with potting soil for the best outcomes. Succulents can be grown in individual containers without having to transplant them right away.
Follow these easy steps once planting day arrives and your leaf or stem cuttings have callused:
1. Get your planting trays or containers ready. Use a coarse, quick-draining potting mix made for succulents and cacti and gently moisten it. 2 Make planting holes with a little stick.
2. Add a little RootBoost Rooting Hormone to a serving dish. When pouring, only utilize what you’ll need and discard the remainder.
3. Cut one piece at a time. Wet the cutting stem or leaf base before dipping it into the dish of rooting hormone. Completely round the stem or leaf base. Get rid of any extra rooting powder by shaking.
4. Carefully tuck leaves or stems into the rooting powder so it doesn’t fall out. The potting mix should then be carefully pressed around the cuttings.
- Insert the base at an angle just below the soil line to accommodate leaves. Put curled leaves in an upwards-curving position. (On that side, the new tiny plant grows.)
- Insert the bottom half of the stem into the potting mix so that it covers at least two bare nodes when taking stem cuttings.
5. Wait until roots start to form before watering. Once the dirt has dried, give it a good watering before repeating the process. The majority of succulent leaf and stem cuttings should root in two to three weeks, while rooting times might vary greatly. The fastest-rooting cuttings are those from stem tips.
6. After the roots have taken hold, transplant your new succulents from trays to tiny containers. Use the same kind of potting soil as you did previously. Be careful not to disrupt young, delicate roots.