Propagating Succulents like a Pro - Easy DIY Gardening Project

Succulents are fun, colorful and easy to grow as long you give them the correct conditions! In the right climate they require very little care, in the wrong climate they can be notoriously stubborn and fickle. Today we will briefly cover different types of succulents, how to care for one and finally how to propagate your own succulents at home!

What is a succulent?
Succulents are easily recognized by their thick fleshy, often colorful, leafs which similar to cacti they use to store water during dry periods. Succulents exist among many different plant families including Aizoaceae, Cactaceae, Crassulaceae and many more. These plants thrive in dry climates and can survive with little rainfall or even an occasional misting if it's humid enough. One of the most common mistakes people growing succulents for the first time make is over watering - it may seem counterintuitive but these plants enjoy a bit of neglect, which we will cover in the next section.

How do I care for my succulents?
Succulents need bright indirect light for at least half of the day. (Tip* If growing indoors use a south facing window when possible!) Indirect light can be a bit hard to understand for novice plant owners,  indirect light occurs when a plant is in bright sunlight yet the sunlight is not falling directly on the plants foliage. One way to achieve this indoors is by using sheer curtains or wide opened blinds. Outdoors this can be achieved many different ways but you'll ideally want to find a spot that receives bright morning sun but is shaded by the late afternoon. Your succulents will let you know if they want more sunlight, they'll do this by growing taller and appearing "leggy" with larger spaces between the normally tight uniform leafs.

When it comes to water, these plants do not need much. I recommend checking the soil about once a week, longer if you live in a cooler humid climate. Allow your succulent plant to completely dry out before watering. When the soil is dry, water the plants soil thoroughly allowing the water to drain out completely - it is important that you do not allow your succulents to sit in water. Avoid soaking the leafs when watering as it can cause rot, water from the bottom when possible. If your climate is very dry, occasional misting will not hurt the plant.


Alright, I haven't killed it yet - how do I propagate more?
Succulents are one of the easiest, in my opinion, plants to propagate especially if its your first adventure into the world of plant propagation. There's no waiting months for roots to appear in water then praying that your plant takes to its new home in soil. (I'd like to note you actually CAN propagate most succulents in water, I've personally had little success with that method so it isn't what we are discussing today.) With succulents, the new plant just appears on the leaf or grows from a cutting, you pluck it off and put it in some soil then you're done! Sounds easy, right? It totally is! There are a few things you'll need to know though and some tricks you'll want to learn before you start your own succulent nursery.

First you'll want to know what kind of succulent you have. There are so many different genus of succulents that I cannot possibly discuss them all in this article so I will over the three I tend to see most commonly sold in nurseries near me which are Echeverias, Sedums and Aeoniums.

Echeveria photo from 123RF.com

Echeverias are known for their attractive opened rosette shape, often grown alone but also in clumps. They range in color from green to blue to red and every shade in between. Some of the most popular varieties of Echeveria are ‘Sagitta’, Echeveria ‘Green Abalone’ Echeveria ‘Latte Rose’ (Brown Ghost Plant) and Echeveria ‘Orion’. (Click here to view more echeveria!)

Sedum photo from costafarms.com

Sedums often have rounder fleshy leaves than echeveria and while some varieties can grow in a similar rosette pattern to echeveria, sedums also come in many other shapes and sizes too making them extra popular for adding texture to an opened air terrarium, hanging baskets or even as pariennal borders. My personal favorite is "donkey tail" (Sedum morganianum) a hanging succulent! Other popular sedums include Graptosedum ‘Francesco Baldi’ and Sedum ‘Little Missy’ – Little Missy Sedum. (Click here to view more sedums!)

Aeonium photo from worldofsucculents.com

Aeoniums can be easily confused with echeveria in that they too most commonly grow in a rosette formation. To help tell them apart take note of the stem, the stem of aeoniums are thicker and often grow "leggy". The leaf is attached to the stem by a thin membrane so when a leaf is plucked off it leaves only a small mark and the stem stays fully intact while when a leaf is plucked from an echeveria this membrane doesn't exist and there should be a small concave or divot in the stem. Some important things to know about this genus of succulents is that they die after flowering and cannot be propagated from a leaf but must be propagated from the stem. Popular aeoniums include Aeonium lancerottense, Aeonium mascaense and Aeonium aureum (Green Rose Buds)





What you'll need:

• A flat pan or container with raised edges (a normal pot works just as well, use what you have)
• Succulent/cacti soil (store bought or home made)
• Sharp sheers or scissors
• A spray bottle filled with distilled water

Part One - Leaf Removal 

To remove the leaf for probogation from your plant gently twist and pull the leaf away from the mother plants stem. I find this method to be the most fool proof though you can also use sharp scissors or sheers to remove the leaf. Make sure to severe the leaf as close to the stem as possible.
Beheading is often done when a plant becomes too large for its pot, its leafs begin lacking uniformity, or its stem has grown long and leggy. When you behead the plant you remove the whole leafy 'head' of the stem leaving roughly about an inch of stem attached to the head for root formation. You can also leave the stump of beheaded plant in its pot and new growth will eventually form there as well!

Part Two - Dry it out!

Image from: shmarz at snapguides.

This is probably the most important step - LET THE LEAF/CUTTING CALLUS OVER! A plants callus is essentially the same as a human callus, its an accumulation of soft tissue cells that form over an opened wound and allow the healing process, or in this case the growth process, to begin!

Succulents MUST have this callus to grow properly. The most simple method is for your succulent leafs or cutting to be left out to air dry so they can form a callus at the point where it was removed from the mother plant. This callus seals the moisture inside and prevents extra water from being absorbed, it is also where new roots and new leafs will form. If you do not allow the callus to form your succulent leafs will absorb too much water too quickly and will eventually turn brown and soft then slowly rot away. I find 48 to 72 hours is the ideal timeframe to allow a callus to form, this time may vary depending on your climate. Experiment and find out what works for you! The image to your left shows an example of what a proper callus on a succulent looks like. It will be white or brown in color and solid.

Part Three - Placement & Watering.
Now you can propagate your succulents directly in water but today we are discussing the soil method. Fill your selected container with your succulent/cacti soil mix and smooth out the top of your soil. (See photo, right.) Place your succulent leafs directly on top of the soil, take care that the callused ends do not actually make contact with the soil. (See photo, left/below.)

A mature fully grown succulent doesn't require frequent watering - that's why we all love them, right? Your succulent leaf cuttings will, however, need quite a bit more water. What works best for me is a simple plastic spray bottle (I just picked one up from the dollar store) filled with distilled water. You are going to spray down your succulent leafs and soil with water each time the soil becomes dry. Try not to over saturate the leafs but make sure the soil is consistently nice and moist.
If you've opted for beheading you can place the nub of your succulent directly into soil and water thoroughly. Since these are already almost fully grown succulents roots should quickly begin to form underground. Water your now potted cutting each time the soil is dry until you see new growth, at that point you can cut back watering and treat it as any other mature succulent.


Part Four - Roots and Planting.
Now we wait... and wait.. and wait... and OH, IS THAT A ROOT? Eventually, usually in about 2 to 4 weeks, you are going to see small pink or white roots emerging from the callus on your succulent leafs - this is where the new succulent plant is going to form. For now just leave the leaf cutting alone and continue watching for new growth. Not every single cutting will not succeed so don't feel dismayed if a few rot, some only grow roots or some don't form the perfect little succulent rosette - all of this is totally normal.

Once the new plant begins to form you can place it into a pot with fresh succulent/cacti soil. Make sure to cover the roots at this point or your plant will eventually wither and die. At this point you can now move your new succulent baby to a lovely bright window or outside, it will take a long time for your new plant to become the size of those you find in stores but someday with proper care it will be all that and more.

Congratulations, you just propagated a succulent!

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