A Growing Guide for Succulent Propagation

 Guide: How to Grow a New Succulent
from Just One Leaf

using the Succulent Leaf Propagation method

CREDIT: elena schweitzer/ dreamstime

   

What is plant propagation?

Propagation is the process of producing new plants from pieces of existing plants, like leaves, stems, cuttings or other plant parts. Not all propagations are successful but when you can see a new plant growing from essentially nothing, it is so rewarding. Propagating plants is an excellent way to expand your plant collection at a fraction of the cost of buying new, mature plants. 

There are a variety of ways to propagate your plants and some techniques that work well for one kind of plant may not work at all for another kind. In this post, it is propagation from succulent leaves that is being discussed. 

 

CREDIT: kinoya/stock adobe images

Brief background on my previous plant annihilation patterns

In the past, before I really became a plantahollic, I was always really drawn to the variety of different and beautiful succulents available. I would buy one, get really excited to own it, promptly and unknowingly watering it too much, and causing every single one to rot and die. I was a serial succulent murderer at one point until I decided to learn more about these beautiful plants in hopes of keeping at least one of them alive!

It turns out that succulents usually thrive with some level of neglect. They naturally prefer dryer environments and too much water will kill them pretty much overnight. With knowledge comes power and I've been able to successfully avoid murdering my succulents for the last few years. 

Now, I'm absolutely obsessed with them. 

CREDIT: VistaCreate

On to how to grow your collection

This technique is a godsend if you want to grow your succulent collection, especially if you don't have the budget or desire to buy all new, mature succulent plants.

I happen to think that once you know how to do this, growing succulents from leaves is one of the most interesting, rewarding, if even slightly lazy plant hacks that I have ever learned. It’s so simple once you know the right steps, you can grow your plant collection exponentially and can even do it for free. Although be prepared, this is not an overnight process by any means. 

Notes: Whenever I go into a garden store or home improvement shop that has plants I will always look at their selection of succulents. There’s usually always at least one stray leaf or two that’s fallen off the plants in the succulent section and could be fair game. 

It's good etiquette to make the point to ask a staff member if you've identified some fallen leaves you would like to take home with you. In my experience, I've found that they very rarely care as long as you’re not removing them yourself from the plant. I wouldn’t suggest pulling a leaf off of a succulent that you see in a shop if you haven't asked and aren't buying it. Not only is it frowned upon, it can also harm both the original plant and the leaf, likely making the leaf much less successful growing on its own. 

A lot of the succulents that I’ve grown through leaf propagation are from leaves that have come off of existing succulent plants that I already have, but every time I’m in a shop I do have a look. 

 

Steps for succulent leaf propagation:

1.  Choose the right leaf: 

• Identify a leaf that is plump and looks fresh, towards the base of the donor succulent stem.
• You can gently remove a healthy leaf from the bottom of your succulent, by gently twisting the leaf away from the main succulent stem.
• Be careful not to harm the original plant.
• Handle the leaf (or leaves) carefully so they don't bruise and can have a better chance of successfully developing new growth 
• Alternatively, if you notice a leaf has recently fallen of your plant and still looks plump and healthy, you can try to propagate new plants from these leaves too.
• Not every single propagation is successful so try a few at a time if you can. 
  
  

2.  Let the leaf end callous over:

• The freshly removed leaf has to heal for the first 3 or 4 days before you can do anything else. 
• The leaf needs to be exposed to air only so that the end can callous over. Instead of the leaf end looking moist, when the end has calloused over, it will have done the plant equivalent of creating a scab over a wound to try to heal itself. 
• While this process is happening, don’t allow the leaf end to come into contact with water or soil, as this will likely cause the leaf to rot and die. 
  
  

3. Place succulent leaf on dry soil

• When a healthy, calloused leaf comes in contact with soil, it will begin sending out new little roots from the base of the leaf.
• Wait patiently for roots to start forming, which usually starts within the first two weeks.
• These little roots and then tiny new leaves will begin to grow over time on the ed of the leaf. Allow the roots to grow into the soil on their own rather than trying to bury the leaf end in soil.
• After a few weeks you should have a tiny new succulent plant growing from the donor leaf.
  
  
• Note: If it's taking a while to start growing roots or new leaves, or is happening slowly, just give it time and see what happens. Nature sometimes switches things up. 
• Note: If the donor leaf has not produced any roots or leaves and it's shriveling up and drying out, you will most likely not get any success with this particular leaf. For this reason, I like to have a couple leaves going at the same time. 
   
  
  credit: GINGAGI/GETTY IMAGES
  
  

4.  Water very sparingly

• Water the soil only, not any part of the baby plant or original leaf, very lightly.
• The developing baby plant will get everything it needs from the parent leaf for the first several weeks so keep this in mind when watering.
• The original leaf will begin to shrivel up as the new succulent uses up its nutrients to grow. Tiny leaves will keep developing until you have a baby succulent that looks like a tiny version of the original plant. 
  
  

5. Be patient

• Keep your new succulent plant in a sunny location, though not in harsh direct sunlight. 
• Water the soil only, about once every 6 - 10 days. 
• The baby succulent will slowly get bigger and eventually (after around a month or two later) the original leaf will fall off or can gently be cut off with clean, sharp scissors without disrupting the new plant or unsettling its shallow roots.
• When growing succulents from leaves, you are playing the long game. It takes months for the new plant to grow established roots, and can take up to two years to mature to adult size plants.  

CREDIT: LAUREN MOLLOY

Feel free to try it with whatever succulents you have.
If it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
But if it does work, fantastic. 

Some points to end on

As with growing anything, it is rewarding to see the different stages of plant growth, and succulents are certainly not an exception to this rule. If anything, I find them more rewarding to watch grow because of the fact that they take longer and stay small for much longer than other propagated plants. Although it does take a long time for a new succulent plant to reach maturity, it is really interesting to see an exact miniature succulent grow from almost nothing. 

I would urge any and all succulent fans to try this method
at least once- what have you got to lose?

   Happy experimental planting!   

CREDIT: lauren molloy

If you have any questions or tips, or even stories of your own to share if you've tried this method, leave a comment, I'd love to hear about someone else's experience trying this.