Beginner plant parents and busy people should choose succulents for their unique look. These sun-loving desert plants have thick, fleshy leaves that hold water and require little watering.
Pull a Leaf From a Healthy Plant
Horton says a clipping from a healthy, well-hydrated plant will grow. Horton explains, "You're looking for firm, healthy leaves to use."
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Allow the Leaf to Callous
Horton suggests allowing two to five days for the cut end to heal or callous over. Observing this step helps to prevent root rot.
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Apply Rooting Hormone (optional)
Rooting hormone, supplied as a powder, can speed propagation but is not necessary. After the pup calluses, Cox recommends putting the tip in powder before setting it on dirt.
Place the callused leaf base on a tray of wet cactus or succulent soil. "Don’t over-nurture," Baldwin advises.
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"If a succulent's leaves pop off easily, like graptopetalums and sedums, those leaves want to root where they land," she says. "So try to replicate that environment."
Pot the Plantlet
After a few weeks, when the roots of your baby succulent start to get stronger, the leaf slips off by itself.
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Now is the moment to transplant the pup back into a container that drains properly, either with potting soil or succulent soil.