Guide 7 of 14

Propagation

Make free plants from leaves, cuttings, and offsets, step by step.

Why propagate?

Propagation means growing new plants from pieces of an existing one. Succulents are some of the easiest plants to propagate. It’s how you rescue a stretched or rotting plant, fill out a pot, or share plants with friends — for free.

Method 1: Leaves

Works well for echeveria, graptopetalum, sedum, and kalanchoe.

  1. Pick a healthy leaf. Gently wiggle it side to side until it pops off cleanly. You need the whole leaf, including the base where it joined the stem.
  2. Let it callus. Lay it on a dry surface out of direct sun for 2–5 days, until the broken end has dried over.
  3. Lay it on soil. Place it on top of dry, gritty mix. Don’t bury it.
  4. Wait for roots. After a few weeks, tiny pink roots and a baby rosette appear. Mist the soil lightly or give it a little water every few days once roots show.
  5. Let the mother leaf shrivel. The baby feeds on it. Remove it only when it’s completely dry and papery.

Method 2: Stem cuttings

Works for almost everything with a stem: jade, elephant bush, string of pearls, stretched echeveria.

  1. Cut cleanly with clean scissors or a sharp knife. Leave 1–2 in (2–5 cm) of bare stem under the leaves.
  2. Remove the lowest leaves to expose the stem. They can become leaf propagations.
  3. Let it callus for several days to a week, until the cut end is dry and sealed.
  4. Plant it in dry, gritty mix, deep enough to stand up.
  5. Wait a week, then water lightly. When you feel resistance after a gentle tug (usually 2–4 weeks), it has rooted. Switch to normal soak-and-dry care.

Method 3: Offsets (“pups”)

Works for aloe, haworthia, hens and chicks, and snake plants.

  1. Wait until the pup is a decent size — ideally with a few roots of its own.
  2. Separate it. Remove the plant from its pot, then gently pull or cut the pup away. Keep as many of its roots as possible.
  3. Let any cut surfaces dry for a day or two.
  4. Pot it up in its own small pot of fresh mix. Wait a few days before watering.

Patience is the hard part. Leaves can take weeks to show roots. Some never will — that’s normal. Start several at once.