Operation Propagation: Succulent leaf cuttings
I had to repot my two jade plants last week and anyone who has succulents will understand when I say I ended up with a lot of fallen leaves. I’m absolutely fascinated by propagation, which generally speaking is the process of creating new plants* so of course I bagged these leaf babies and took them back to Scotland as the newest members of Operation Propagation.
It really is so easy to propagate from succulent leaves and for a horticulture newbie like me, they’re a great way of learning about the propagation process and actually having some success. Here are the steps I took.
Harvesting the leaves:
If you want to propagate from a plant but no leaves have fallen off, first select healthy, juicy leaves at the base of the plant. You'll have more chance of creating a similarly healthy plant if you propagate from good leaves and they also act as a food source for the new plant so be smart in your choice.
Next, either pull the leaves off by hand (many of them will just come away with a little tug) or wiggle it around until it eventually pops off. If the leaves don’t come off (I had trouble with my Crassula rogersii) you can simply cut the whole leaf off with a sterilised knife or cutting implement where the leaf and stem join. This gives a cleaner cut which improves the propagation chances, although in the past I’ve taken a chance on some leaves that were cut wonkily or torn by accident and they still rooted.
Once cut, allow the edges to callous over in a warm, light place but not in direct sunlight. It should take 2-4 days.
Placing the leaves:
Select a suitable container for your succulents - I recycled a shallow plastic raspberry container which I sterilised and then poked a few more holes in the bottom to allow for free drainage and gas exchange.
When the container is ready, fill it with cactus compost mix (I used Westland Cacti Compost) making sure to push the soil down enough to get rid of the air pockets but not enough to compact the soil. Then wet the soil through.
Next, place the calloused leaves onto the surface of the soil - there’s no need to stick them into the soil as the roots will display positive geotropism and find their way south. It’s also a joy to watch the initial root growth, something that is normally hidden under the soil. You can have fun placing the leaves, I used a mandala shape but you can do any design really, as long as the leaves have space to root and grow.
Lightly mist the leaves every 1-2 days, or whenever the soil is dry. Keep in a light, warm place but not in direct sunlight. The new plants should flourish in warm, moist conditions.
Job done! Now I'm waiting for signs of life. My last batch took a good month to show any growth so it's helpful to be patient. I talk to mine, sing to them and tell them they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. Anything to get dem babies growing.
Excellent further information sources:
www.succulentsandsunshine.com
leafandclay.co
Photo credit: Radicleii
Succulent Mandala
*In this instance propagation is done by taking a leaf cutting from a mother plant to produce a new clone plant.
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