Want succulents to root quickly? Add this to the soil for faster rooting

The main propagation methods for succulents are leaf cuttings and beheading. Generally speaking, leaf cutting propagation is what we use most in daily life, while beheading propagation is basically rarely used.

However, sometimes in order to make our succulents more beautiful, we have no choice but to perform the beheading ritual.

Conditions for beheading

Severe etiolation (leggy growth)

Root rot

Poor growth

Post-beheading care

Beheading method

Note: After beheading a succulent, do not rush to pot it. The wound on the beheaded succulent has not yet healed. If you pot it immediately, bacteria in the soil will infect the wound and cause the succulent to rot and die. After beheading, the succulent should be placed in a ventilated spot to let the wound dry. Once the wound has completely healed, then pot it.

Soil

Commonly used nutrient soil

Soil selection for potting: Just choose a regular growing medium. The growing medium is rich in nutrients, has good drainage and permeability (air permeability), retains moisture and fertilizer, does not crack when dry, does not clump when wet, and does not form a crust after watering.

Commonly used growing media:

Leaf mold (or peat soil): garden soil: river sand: bone meal, ratio: 7:6:6:1;

Or leaf mold (or peat soil): plain sand: decomposed organic fertilizer: superphosphate, ratio: 10:7:2:1.

Whether roots form is one of the criteria for whether a plant survives.

After beheading, a succulent that has grown some roots

After a succulent has been beheaded and potted, after a period of time many fine roots will grow from the beheaded part. These roots will crisscross in the soil, and one of the rootlets will develop into the main root of the succulent, providing nutrients for the succulent's growth.

Some succulent growers report that their succulents root slower than a snail, and still have not grown roots after ten days to half a month.

Q: What should be done in this situation?

A: Just add some vermiculite.

Rooting miracle tool

Vermiculite, a natural, non-toxic mineral with ion exchange capacity. At high temperatures, it expands rapidly. Vermiculite has particularly good water permeability and air permeability. An environment with good air and water permeability is extremely beneficial to the growth of succulents, and will not cause succulents to rot.

Vermiculite, a moisture-retention miracle tool

Although vermiculite is granular, it cannot be classified as a granular soil. It is better understood as a water-retention molecule. Its strong moisture-retention capacity can induce seed germination or plant rooting. Precisely because vermiculite has strong water retention, it has always been called a miracle tool for succulent leaf cuttings and sowing/seedling raising. In our common growing media, we can all see vermiculite.

Can vermiculite be used directly to grow succulents?

Although vermiculite has the function of air permeability and water retention, it cannot provide nutrients to plants. It is only an ingredient of nutrient soil, helpful for easing heat radiation and promoting plant growth, with excellent moisture retention, so using only vermiculite to grow succulents will not work.

Nutrient soil mixed with vermiculite

If only vermiculite is used, first, it will cause excessive water retention in the succulent, leading to root rot; second, it will cause the succulent to get no nutrients. To ensure good growth of succulents, the correct way to use vermiculite is: add an appropriate amount of vermiculite to a general-purpose succulent nutrient soil, then mix well and pot.

Choosing vermiculite

White vermiculite

Yellow vermiculite

Vermiculite on the market is divided into white vermiculite and yellow vermiculite. We generally choose white vermiculite as the sharp tool for succulent rooting and sprouting.

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