How to Grow Succulent Plants from Cuttings The Easy Way
Succulent plants can be propagated by cutting off a piece of the plant with at least two leaves on it and then planting the cuttings into soil or sand that is moist but not wet.
The cuttings should be planted about 4 inches deep and 8 inches apart to allow for growth before they become rootbound and need moved into larger pots or placed outside into the ground.
One of the many reasons why people love succulent plants is that they are easy to grow, require minimal watering, and have very few pest problems.
They also can be grown in containers or on the ground.
They mostly thrive in warm climates but will survive outdoors in temperate zones if given a little extra help from a frost blanket.
But most of all, most succulent plants can be propagated. So here is how to do it.
What is a Succulent Plant?
A succulent plant is a plant that stores water in its stems, leaves, and roots. It is characterized by an unusually high water content that allows it to survive in arid climates.
The word “succulent” comes from the Latin word succus meaning juice or sap.
Succulent plants have been grown as houseplants for many years but are also used as ornamental plants in gardens and landscapes.
They are well suited for growing in pots or baskets because they require little water and light to live.
Plants are well known for their thick and fleshy leaves, stems, or roots that store food as water.
This enables them to survive even when soil is scarce and water is unavailable.
Typically they have high levels of moisture inside the plant that evaporates from the leaves.
How Succulent Plant Propagated
Succulent plants are popular because they are easy to grow and can survive in dry environments.
They can be propagated from cuttings and grown in a pot or a planter.
Cuttings need to be taken from healthy plants that have plenty of leaves, flowers, and roots.
The best time for taking cuttings is after the plant has flowered.
The cutting can be taken next to the stem on the soil or directly from the plant.
There are three methods of propagation: vegetative, asexual, and sexual.
In vegetative propagation, new plants are formed by growing new plants from cuttings taken from one plant.
Asexual reproduction occurs through budding or grafting where a shoot is grafted onto the trunk of a plant. Sexual reproduction involves flowering plants giving rise to seeds, which then grow into new plants.
How to Grow Succulent Plants from Cuttings
There is no need to follow complicated directions when it comes to propagating succulents from cuttings.
In fact, they can be propagated in just a few steps!
Choose a healthy, mature succulent from your collection and cut it down to about 2 inches below the soil line.
Remove the leaves from the bottom of the cutting.
Make a small hole in the dirt, just large enough for your fingers to fit inside.
Next, place the top of your cutting into that hole.
Then fill in around it with more potting soil.
Press your fingers around the base of the cutting to ensure good contact with the soil, causing minimal root loss.
Next, place a saucer upside-down on top of the cutting and weigh it down with something heavy like a can or book for at least 48 hours so that excess water can drain from within the succulent’s stem, further reducing the risk of root rot.
Place the cutting in a pot with a light layer of soil and keep it watered, but not constantly.
This will help to establish strong roots and prevent rot.
After about six months, plant the succulent so that at least 18 inches (46 cm) of soil is above its roots and remove the saucer from overtopping.
