Oh my gosh where does time go? I’ll admit – I’ve been putting the blog on the back burner. It’s one of my busiest times of the year – outdoor garden and plant sale prep! But today I had a dentist appointment and my hygienist shares my love for plants, and our conversation got me motivated to set some time aside tonight for a post! So here you go Angie, here’s how to propagate succulents via leaves!
Many varieties of succulents are able to be propagated from their leaves, but not all. Aloes, haworthias, gasterias, and aeoniums are a few varieties that very rarely successfully propagate with this method. But when in doubt, give it a try and see what happens!
To start you will need a healthy leaf. Below is an example, you want a leaf which is firm and completely in tact. *You’ll have to ignore my un-manicured hands in these close-ups, its diggin’-in-the-dirt season!*
The next series of photos are of leaves that are not good candidates for propagation, and will likely end in failure. The end of the leaf that was attached to the stem of the plant is where a new plant will potentially form, so if this end is damaged, or if the leaf was not removed with that end in tact, it will likely be a no-go. There are a few exceptions to this rule – I have had some broken leaves of the kalanchoe family produce plantlets from torn edges. Again – when in doubt, try it out!
discolored and rotten 
dehydrated end 
translucent and soft 
dry
Once I have a healthy leaf, I place it in dry location in bright indirect light. Lately I’ve been using a plastic serving tray. I sort through it every couple of weeks to look for leaves that have started to show signs of new growth.
There is no set time line for if and when a leaf will start showing signs of new growth. Some leaves will dry up or rot before doing anything. Others could sit for months and not do anything. Then there are some over-achievers that seem to show growth within days.
When they do show signs of life, it may either be roots first, a little plantlet first, or both.
root development 
new plant growth 
plant and roots 
plant and roots
Once I see these signs, I place them on soil with bright light and occasionally mist them. Others who do leaf propagation may have different methods – some say never water until the “mother leaf” has dried up, since it should be giving the new plant the moisture and energy it needs. I personally have more success misting from time to time. I think it just comes down to what works for you.
Every now and then there is a leaf that looks like it is going to do something, but just develops “nubs” instead. In my experience, these little guys are duds – oh well.
As the plantlet grows, you should leave the “mother leaf” attached for as long as possible. Usually it will dry up and easily be removed. But sometimes it seems those mother leaves stay in tact for a loooong time. If plantlets get to a size where I want to repot them, I will gently remove the mother leaf with a twist and a tug.
dried up mother leaf 
mother leaf still going strong
Do know that these little guys will take some time to turn into mature sized plants. Also know that some varieties of succulents grow faster than others, and that translates to how fast leaf props will grow as well.
Below are some plants from some of my first leaf propagations started a couple of years ago. The Echeveria purposorum in the foreground is about 1.5″ wide (a slow grower) and the Echeveria lilacina in the background is about 5″ wide (a little bit faster grower).
Leaf propagation does take some patience, but I feel it is so rewarding. And seriously, those little babies are beyond cute to look at! Happy propagating!
Very interesting