How To Propagate A Succulent

In general, plants require love, care, and attention. They’re often referred to as the lowest responsibility in keeping a living thing alive, which makes sense. In comparison to pets or children, plants are by far the lowest in the pecking order, and theoretically the easiest to look after. But it’s not always smooth sailing. Every species of plant is unique, and they each require different types of soil, and different amounts of water, humidity, and sunlight. 

While most plants require constant attention and watering, succulents can actually survive up to three months without water. So if you’re someone who might be prone to overwatering their plants, think of it this way: succulents thrive much better when you neglect them. This fact also means that succulents are actually pretty easy to propagate, and we’re going to tell you how.

In nature, succulents reproduce both sexually and asexually. This means that if a piece of the succulent falls off the original plant, it can grow successfully into a plant of its own and survive on. Lucky for us, this means that we can grow many new plants from our favorite succulents. There are a few different methods to do this. The main one mimics nature, except in the comfort of your own home.

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The first step is to take a cutting from your succulent. Depending on the species, you can simply pluck a leaf, using clean sharp scissors, or pruning shears cut a piece off just above the leaf on the stem. The next step is to leave the cuttings to dry out and callus off. You want to set them aside and forget about them; they don’t need water or soil or anything at this point, just air.

After 5-7 days, the exposed end will have formed a callus over the cut, to protect soft tissue from bacterial infection. Leave the cutting as is, and watch out for root growth over the next few weeks. The leaf will eventually begin to shrivel up as it serves as food for the new plant that is beginning to form. Once roots have formed, you can transfer your new baby succulent to a well-draining container with appropriate soil. Water sparingly to start off with, and eventually, they will acclimate like your original succulent plant.