Here at Urban B we LOVE all types of plants but succulents are particularly special. If you have purchased some gorgeous pots and plants then I am sure by now you are realising how EASY these plants are to care for.
Another upside of succulents is the magic of propagation. It’s incredible that from one leaf you can grow an entire new plant – great news if you are wanting more succulents in your home, and why wouldn’t you?
Below I will list the stages that you need to go through in order to get the best success from your succulent propagation, it’s really easy to try and so rewarding when you see your little ‘pups’ starting to grow
- You can try this with leaves that have fallen from your succulent or, for greater success, pluck some leaves from a healthy plant. Gently hold the leaf near the stem and twist left and right until it comes away cleanly without any tears.
- Now a vital step in the process – patience! We MUST allow the leaves to fully dry out and callous over as if not then they simply absorb too much moisture and rot. So take your leaves, put them on some kitchen towel and wait for 7 days. You will see the ends have dried up and a callous formed.
- Once this step is complete, and you are happy that the callous has formed, you need to place the leaves onto some specialist cacti and succulent soil. Basically, this is just a really good draining soil to prevent water logging.
- Some other blogs may say to use a rooting compound and place the leaf over water in order to propagate, but I have great success without this, and that set up is more fiddly, complex and requires more equipment. So stick with this for a cheaper and equally reliable method.
- So now you have your calloused leaves on top of specialist soil, a light mist of water every 2 days is all that is necessary at this stage, then simply put these into a bright room with lots of indirect sunlight and wait!
- After a week or so you will see roots appearing form the leaves, exciting! It means your method has worked and each of these will grow into a new plant. Don’t over water at this stage, like adult plants too much water will kill them. Wait until the soil is fully dried out then give them a good soak. Alternatively, if you are worried about this stage then lightly mist your leaves daily as you won’t be able to overdo it using this method.
- The new ‘pup’ plant will continue to grow and the mother leaf will wither away. At this stage it is worthwhile transplanting the leaf into its own pot being careful not to damage the new growth. Keep nurturing you succulent and you will be rewarded with a lovely new plant that you can add to your collection.
- Don’t despair if some leaves don’t grow roots, they may simply wither away. Or some even start growing roots but then do not develop into a plant despite getting the same treatment as other leaves, that’s nature for you! It is a numbers game so make sure you start with plenty of leaves – you will also find you have better success with some species over others.
- I hope you have success with your propagation journey! We love to see your pics of how your plants are doing – tag us in your pots @urbanbltd or email us sarah@urban-b.co.uk
Happy propagating x