Don't be impatient with succulent leaf propagation - a whole cluster of little seedlings will soon grow

If growing succulents can cultivate your character, then propagating succulents from leaves is a poetic and picturesque affair, wonderful and full of joy every day. A leaf-propagated succulent is like a newborn baby, tender and adorable. So you need to give leaf-propagated succulents every bit of care.

After succulent leaves sprout, some issues must be paid attention to, otherwise some sprouted leaves will give up halfway, even if they have sprouted! They can easily dry up, or the mother leaf will turn to mush before the succulent sprout has grown. With just one or two leaves, such a tender sprout is very hard to raise to maturity. A small succulent sprout must grow at least six true leaves on the mother leaf before it can be considered past the danger period.

If your succulent leaf has sprouted but grown no roots, this is a bit troublesome, because once a leaf sprouts it will consume water, so you can see the mother leaf getting flatter day by day! If the leaf's water is used up before roots grow, it can basically be said there is no saving it.

So for sprouted leaves with no roots, we need to promptly use a succulent-specific spray bottle to moisten the soil, and keep them in a place with bright, indirect light. Moist soil and indirect light can encourage root growth. Remember, never put them in direct sun, as that increases the mother leaf's water consumption.

If your leaf has grown roots but not sprouted, this is sometimes related to temperature. As long as the leaf's sprouting point is intact, once roots have grown there is no need to worry - it will sprout when the temperature suits it! The leaf has grown roots!

There is another problem with not sprouting: when you broke off the leaf, the sprouting point was clearly fine, but as it sat there, the spot where the sprouting point was actually dried up. Gently peel off the dried part and check whether the sprouting point is still there. If it is not, then even if roots grow, it will not sprout!

If the leaf-propagated seedlings never grow, you need to check whether the seedling soil has too many granules or whether the seedlings have become stunted. If it is the former, you need to change the seedling soil. The granule content of leaf-propagation soil should preferably not exceed 30%, and the granules need to be very fine. Granules that are too coarse make it hard for seedlings to take root; too many granules means the soil does not retain water, so seedlings grow slowly, and when the temperature is too high the roots can easily wither. If it is the latter, you must transplant the seedlings; if you do not transplant them, the stunted plants will slowly die.

Overall, if you have fallen into the succulent hobby and choose leaf propagation or sowing, you need to learn to enjoy the process of leaf propagation and sowing to reap the sense of achievement from raising a plant from a single leaf or a single seed. Haste makes waste - it cannot grow into a large succulent in just a year or so. We need to learn to wait!

Mr. Liu: Loves plants, loves life even more. You are welcome to follow and connect.