Succulents: natures gift to the “low maintenance gardener”.
Here at the HCP we’re in love with these no fuss, easy – to – grow plants. Whether they’re creeping along the rock borders or planted perfectly in a pot, with so many colours and varieties, it’s impossible to choose a favourite.
One way you can bring these pretty plants into your own home/garden is by propagating them! Propagating a succulent simply means that by taking a cutting of a leaf or a stem off an already developed plant and providing it with the right conditions, you can create an entirely new succulent.
Step 1: Hold a lower leaf firmly and wiggle it from side to side until it snaps. (Be careful to make sure you don’t rip the leaf leaving the base still attached; it then won’t be able to produce a new plant). On the other hand if you’re using the stem, simply cut it.
Step 2: This is probably the most important step in propagating a succulent. Let the leaf/stem ends dry out and callous over. If the ends are placed directly into soil, the moisture will cause them to rot. The drying usually takes anywhere from a couple of days to a week.
Step 3:Once drying is finished place the dried plant on top of well-draining soil… and the waiting begins! After a few weeks you will start to notice roots branching off the end of the plant and a new rosette will begin to form.
Step 4: When to new plant is well–developed, carefully remove the mother leaf (the part of the leaf ripped off), and voila you have officially propagated a succulent!
Water your succulent whenever the soil is TOTALLY DRY. Too much water is not a good thing, especially for baby plants. Please do keep in mind that despite valiant efforts, nature does have a mind of its own. Results from propagating plants vary widely, and failure isn’t (necessarily) at the fault of the gardener.
Succulents thrive well in our Vancouver Island climate, and we’d love to hear some of the reasons why you love succulents.
Good luck and enjoy!