How to Propagate Succulents Successfully

Hey guys.  Laura with Garden Answer.   Today I want to show you a really easy way to propagate your succulents.  If you’re watching this video you probably either have a succulent that’s sick, misshapen or like this Echeveria that’s been stretching toward the light.  That needs to be fixed or you have a perfectly healthy succulent that you just want more of.

How to Propagate Succulents

Before we talk about anything to do with propagating let me throw a little disclaimer out there. There are some varieties of succulents that are patented which means it is illegal to propagate them.   You will know by looking at the tag; it will either explicitly tell you that propagation is prohibited or there’ll be some random sequence of letters after the variety name.  Or you can do a quick Google search to find out if the variety that you want to propagate is patented.

Okay, so now that we’ve talked about that let’s get started with the project. Remove the top leaving a bit of the stem then set aside.  Next remove the leaves by gently wiggling them from right to left and twisting lightly and they should pop right off.  Make sure to remove the entire leaf cleanly from the main stem.  If the leaf rips it won’t be able to grow roots so you can just toss those only keep the healthy leaves.  Here’s an example of a clean break and an example of a torn leaf. Set your leaves in a spot with bright indirect light for a few days so the ends can callous.  This step usually takes about two days.  Make sure the ends are dry before you move on to the next step.  If they aren’t they can absorb water and rot.  Once they are dry lay the leaves on top of cactus soil and place in bright indirect light.

Now we can water. I prefer to water with a spray bottle or syringe.  I found that they need to be watered a little more frequently than normal succulents so I check on them every other day or so and give them a good sprits if the soil is dry. Roots will appear as the leaf looks for water.  This can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months.  Every variety is different so be patient.  Let it grow until a new little succulent baby forms then gently remove and plant it in its own pot.  You can remove the leaf at this point but I prefer to leave it intact so it can wither and fall off on its own.

Going back to the top I cut off earlier it will need to dry for at least five to seven days before you introduce it into soil.  It was a larger cut with more moisture coming out and a greater surface area to dry so it will just naturally take a little bit longer.  When it is dry you can plant it in fresh cactus soil.  Water it regularly and it will root and grow.

Don’t throw away the bottom.  If you have a healthy stem cut it back right above the soil surface and it will sprout new babies.  Know that if you are beginner at propagating that not all of your attempts will succeed.  I hardly ever get 100% of mine to root and take off and that’s just the way it goes but keep at it and soon you will have tons of succulent babies.

Thank you guys so much for watching and we will see you in the next video.  Bye.