It’s been a couple of weeks since my last succulentpropagation update, so I figured I should share what’s happening!
As you can see, I have lots of succulent leaves that have sprouted babies and even more that have started rooting.
By the end of summer, I should have a bunch of babies ready to sell or swap!!
I’ve been sharing some of my more successful propagation efforts. But that doesn’t mean that all of my efforts have been successful.
When I see a leaf shriveling or becoming translucent, I remove it from my propagation pots. There’s no point in spending more time on it, unless it’s a special/rare plant I’m trying to propagate.
Almost 5 weeks since I began my first major succulent propagation effort. We are making a lot of progress. Lots of pink roots and li’l baby plants sprouting. I’ve added some more leaves to the big ceramic container and hope to see some growth from them soon.
My second propagation experiment started two weeks ago. We’re making good progress here, too! This pot is mostly sedum rubrotinctum and graptosedum.
Some of my leaves are showing signs of over-watering so I’m hoping if I wait an extra day or two between waterings, the wrinkly leaves will get better.
On a sad note, one of the leaves from my big, fat pachyphytum bracteosum was coming loose so I popped it off today. I’m hoping it will propagate. I has a sad. I love these big leaves!
Finally, I am so excited that my pleiospilos nelii rubra (split rock succulent) is splitting! New growth is starting to appear!
I visited my local nursery this weekend and saw this in the succulent section.
AS IS?!? Also, markdown to $6 from $14.99? Of course I accepted the challenge. But I had my work cut out for me.
Here are a couple of arrangements I made with the “as is” succulents along with some others in my collection.
Tuesday marks four weeks since I started my succulent propagation project. Let’s just say things are going pretty well now.
Look at all the pink roots growing! There’s also a number of small plants emerging. Every day I see new growth. Can’t wait for them to get big and strong!
One of my favorite things to do each year is attend the Bay View Garden and Yard Society (BVGAYS) Annual Plant Sale. They always have a great selection of local vendors and the plants – oh they are so much healthier and happier than plants you’ll find at Home Depot or Menards.
I was excited that one of my favorites, Tiger Lily Garden Market, was there again! They are one of my favorite places to find healthy, well cared for succulents in the Milwaukee area. Of course, I am always “rescuing” succulents from other places. But, Tiger Lilly just has a great selection. I mean, look at these beauties!
I got a bunch of new succulents, because, obviously, I have a problem.
I got a pot of sedum rubrotinctum aka “Aurora,” crassula radicans aka “large red stonecrop,” pachyphytum bracteosum, Aloe variegata aka “Gator” and crassula perforata. Oh and I finally have a living stone!
Lithops aka “Living Stones”
Isn’t it funny looking? I’ve been wanting one of these for awhile, and I’m glad I finally have one! I’m excited to watch it bloom and then grow new leaves this fall/winter when it goes dormant.
After seeing all my succulent posts on Instagram, my mom asked me if I would arrange a succulent planter for her.
I combined sempervivum, aeonium aka “kiwi,” kalanchoe thyrsiflora aka “flap jacks,” senecio talinoids mandralis aka “blue” and echeveria aka “perle von numberg.” I used a large, shallow terra cotta pot and finished it off with river stones.
Because of my succulent addiction, I of course had to make one of my own with my new succulents.
As I was planting my new friends, I found that the aloe plant had started a li’l pup!
At first, I also included some sempervivum, but then today I moved them and added crassula capitella aka “campfire plant” and kalanchoe luciae aka “flapjacks.”
I planted the large red stonecrop in an antique teapot.
Crassula Radicans aka “Large Red Stonecrop”
Yes, I have a problem. You see, today, I put together this pot with three varieties of sempervivum aka “hen and chicks.”
Before I leave you and put the kabosh on purchasing any new succulents for awhile, I’ll share an update on my propagation efforts. Finally, after 2+ weeks, we have itty bitty pink roots beginning to emerge!
So far, the Graptosedum (Vera Higgins) succulents are doing great!
These are the baby succulents I inherited when I purchased a larger graptosedum earlier this month.
Unfortunately, the bulk of my leaves I started propagating haven’t sprouted roots or babies yet.
That is… except for the gratosedum!
This past week I rescued a pot of succulents from a local greenhouse.
When I came across this pot of mixed succulents, I knew it needed rescuing. In fact, when I took it to the checkout, I told the cashier to be careful with them. I told her, “They’re struggling. But don’t worry, I’m going to bring them back to life.”
I’ll show you some more results of my rescued succulents project next week!
I’ll admit it. I have a problem. I am addicted to succulents. You may remember a few weeks ago, when I shared a tutorial on how to make a succulent container garden. In that post, I mentioned that I was going to attempt to propagate a leaf from one of the new succulents.
I decided to take a look around my ever-growing succulent collection to see if any of my plants would benefit from propagation. And then I found these babies at work.
Can you say “leggy succulent”?! While I’m happy that these succulents survived the Sconnie winter, it’s obvious they had a serious lack of sunshine. Succulents thrive on sunlight and those gray, gloomy days of winter did not provide the needed sunlight. That said, the sedum succulent needed a little TLC.
I started by gently removing the leaves from the bottom of the plant. One of the best ways to do this is to gently move it left to right until the leaf pops off easily. If you damage the end of the leaf, it won’t propagate.
Once you get to the head of the succulent, take a clean set of scissors and snip it off.
Lay the leaves and heads of the succulents out for 1-3 days or until the ends callous over. You’ll want them to get some sunlight but not be in direct sunlight or they will burn. Indirect sunlight is best.
I checked on the leaves every day.
Once the leaves callous over, it’s time to move them! Since I had so many leaves, I prepped a large ceramic dish I made in college for propagating baby succulents.
I put a layer of small stones for drainage and then covered them with cactus soil. Then, I placed all the leaves in rows in the dish.
You might have noticed that I also included the stems of the succulents I am propagating. I have done some reading and it’s possible to propagate from the stems, so I figured it was worth a shot! I’m checking the soil daily and if it’s dry, I am spraying lightly with water from a water bottle.
The top cuttings from the succulents I’m propagating were placed into a small pot so they can begin rooting.
I’ve done a lot of research on best practices for propagating succulents with leaves and cuttings. I’ve had success with cuttings in the past and am looking forward to trying out leaf propagation!
Luckily, I already know what to look for since I received some bonus baby succulents in one of the succulent pots I bought last weekend for new terrariums. I immediately put them in their own “pots” (mason jars – one of my other obsessions) and hope they survive!
I’ve learned that succulent cuttings and leaves need lots of water in order to propagate, but once they get to be about the size of the photo below, you can start to withhold water and the new baby succulent will pull its moisture from the original leaf. Once it shrivels and falls off, you can treat the new plant as you would any other succulent.
I have found some great resources for succulent propagation and care. One of my favorite resources is Succulents and Sunshine. Cassidy Tuttle has even written two eBooks (both of which I purchased and reference often). Click the images at the bottom of this post to check them out!
