Succulents make life easy for your gardener. This doesn't just apply to care. The strikingly shaped ornamental plants are also very easy to propagate. This guide explains the best methods step-by-step. This is how it works with children, cuttings and seeds.
How to propagate succulents?
Propagate succulents easily by growing them, taking leaf cuttings or sowing them. Separate a kindle and let it dry before planting it. The leaf cutting method involves breaking off leaves and exposing their edges before placing them on moist substrate. When sowing, scatter seeds on moistened potting soil and cover the container until the first seedlings sprout.
Offspring on a silver platter – this is how it works with children
Unbranched growing succulents give your gardener ready-made offspring in the form of offshoots. These offshoots mostly thrive at the base as a baby version of their mother plant. While with other types of plants you have to wait until a child has its own roots before cutting, this premise is not absolutely necessary with succulents. How to properly cut and care for a cutting:
- Separate a child when it has clearly taken on the shape of its mother plant
- Ideally grasp the offshoot between two fingers and break it off
- Alternatively, cut with a sharp, disinfected knife
- Let the cut dry in an airy place for 1 to 2 days
Place the side sprout with the dried cut surface in a pot with slightly moist succulent or cactus soil. Press the substrate firmly to create a good soil seal. After a regeneration phase of about a week, water and fertilize a child like its mother plant.
Propagate succulents with leaf cuttings – this is how you do it right
Succulent species with rich leaves, such as money trees, agaves or lucky feathers, can be propagated using the leaf cutting method. The aim here is for a leaf to root along the wound cut and allow one or more offspring to sprout. The best time for this form of propagation is early spring in order to use the summer vegetation phase for growth. Here's how to do it professionally:
- Fill a bowl or pot with a mix of succulent soil and coconut fiber
- Spray the substrate with soft water
- Break off or cut off the desired number of sheets
- Use a razor blade to cut a thin strip from the edge of the leaf to expose the sap-rich tissue
- Lay the cut cuttings flat on the damp substrate and press lightly
- Set up in a partially shaded, warm window seat
One or more mini succulents will subsequently emerge along the exposed tissue. If the substrate dries, spray it with room temperature water. Once the rooted plants have reached a height of 2 to 3 cm, they can be cut off from the leaf cuttings. Planted in small pots with succulent soil, growth and rooting continue quickly. Since the fresh roots are very sensitive, please pre-drill a small planting hole for each plant.
Sowing seeds – instructions for generative propagation
Vegetative propagation with children or leaf cuttings only produces a limited number of young succulents. If you are aiming for a whole flock of young plants, the focus is on generative propagation with seeds. The sowing process is not only more labor-intensive, but also more time-consuming and requires a good deal of sensitivity. How to complete the challenge:
- Fill a seed tray with lean potting soil over a 1 cm high drainage made of expanded clay
- Moisten the substrate well with lime-free water
- Then sift the seed soil thinly with lime-free quartz sand
- Sprinkle the succulent seeds on top and press them down lightly with a board
- Cover the seed container with a glass pane or cover with cling film
- Place in a partially shaded location at 21 to 25 degrees Celsius
The germination time depends on the type of succulent. Germination usually begins within 2 to 3 weeks. Under the protection of the cover, a warm, humid microclimate is created that does not require additional watering. Seedlings must not be exposed to direct sunlight during this time. As soon as the first seedlings sprout, the hood has fulfilled its task, because now your pupils need fresh air. On average, succulent seedlings are mature enough to be transplanted after 12 months.
Protection against fungi and mold is the be-all and end-all
Fungal spores are the worst enemy of your succulent younglings. This applies equally to the vegetative and generative methods. Therefore, clean bowls and pots with hot water before use. Tools should always be disinfected with alcohol.
Please pay particular attention to the substrate. Before children, cuttings or seeds come into contact with it, it should be sterilized. Pour the soil into a fireproof bowl, spray it with a little water and place a lid loosely on it. In the oven on the middle rack at 150 degrees top and bottom heat, all pathogenic pathogens are reliably killed within 20 to 30 minutes.
Tip
Branching succulents, such as various Euphorbia species or cactus species, can be propagated very well via their branches. Cut off a he althy branch directly on the trunk and allow the cut to dry for some time. Then place a third of the offshoot upright in a pot with succulent soil, support it with a wooden stick if necessary and care for it like its mother plant.
