Propagation is an important topic for many plant lovers and hobby gardeners. But not every plant can be propagated in the same way and sometimes it takes a lot of patience until a result is visible.
How can I propagate a thick leaf?
To successfully propagate a thick leaf, cut off leaf, head or shoot cuttings in spring and plant them in cactus soil. Brood leaves reproduce through daughter plants (Kindel), which grow on the edges of the leaves and fall off independently.
Sometimes the plants reproduce on their own, such as the brood leaf, a plant species from the thick-leaf family. Other types of thick leaf can be propagated via leaf or head cuttings, such as the rosette thick leaf. If you have a thick leaf that forms branches, then use new shoots as cuttings. The best time to take cuttings is spring.
How do I take cuttings from my thick leaf?
Cut leaf cuttings as deep as possible from the rosette (for rosette-shaped thick leaves) or directly on the trunk. Remember that rosettes that have just bloomed will die. These are no longer suitable for propagation. In this case, it is better to use another rosette.
After drying, stick the leaf directly into cactus soil (€12.00 on Amazon), but about a third of it should still be sticking out of the soil. Place your cutting in a bright, warm place out of direct sun. Now you need a little patience until a small plant grows from it. A head or shoot cutting grows a little faster. Use a complete rosette or an approx. 10 cm long shoot.
A special feature: the reproduction of the brood leaf
The brood leaf has a very special way of reproduction. Therefore, you don't have to worry about offspring with this species. On the edges of the brood leaf (in some species only on the tip of the leaf) tiny little plants, also called children, grow. These daughter plants fall away from the mother plant as soon as they are sufficiently rooted and can exist independently.
The most important things in brief:
- slow propagation through leaf cuttings
- slightly faster: head or shoot cuttings
- best time for cutting cuttings: spring
- Sowing very time consuming
- Broodleaf: Propagation by Kindel
Tip
Sowing is very time-consuming with thickleaf. If you don't have a thick leaf yet, you might want to try sowing.