Four Methods of Succulent Propagation and Points to Note

In the process of propagating succulents, the most common are leaf cuttings and division, but these are not the only two methods for propagating succulents. Let's take a look at the four common succulent propagation methods below.

1. Sowing: Among succulents, apart from a few species that can self-pollinate, most are insect-pollinated or bird-pollinated flowers and must be hand-pollinated in order to set fruit. (=_= ) The tragic red dragon fruit, and epiphyllum too.

Succulent seeds have a short lifespan; for example, the seeds of Haworthia cooperi var. pilifera last only a few weeks. Generally, succulent seeds stored at room temperature for 1 year show a rapid decline in germination rate. For this reason, many succulents are sown immediately after the seeds mature, or the seeds are stored and sown in the following spring.

2. Cuttings: This is the most commonly used propagation method for succulents, and the common types are leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, and root cuttings.

Leaf cuttings: the thick, fleshy leaves are usually laid on a slightly moist sand bed or loose soil surface, and they soon root, with adventitious buds growing from the base of the leaf to form small plants, such as Adromischus cristatus, Echeveria, and Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

Stem cuttings: in the process of propagating succulents, combined with pruning and shaping, branches are cut into sections as cuttings, such as Adenium obesum, Stapelia, Euphorbia milii, and Euphorbia tirucalli. For Adenium obesum, Pachypodium lamerei, and Euphorbia tirucalli, whose cut wounds exude white milky sap, the cut must be cleaned thoroughly and dried slightly before taking the cutting, for better results.

Root cuttings: the roots of valuable varieties such as Haworthia truncata are very thick and well developed. A relatively mature fleshy root is cut off and buried in a sand bed with the upper part slightly exposed; by maintaining a certain moisture level and bright light, new buds can sprout from the tip of the root to form a complete small plant.

3. Grafting: In succulents, grafting is often used to propagate variegated and cristate cultivars. For example, Euphorbia neriifolia is used as the rootstock to graft Euphorbia 'Spring Peak'; Portulacaria afra is used as the rootstock to graft Portulacaria afra 'Medio-picta'; Pachypodium lamerei is used as the rootstock to graft the cristate form of Pachypodium lamerei; and Stapelia gigantea is used as the rootstock to graft Stapelia, etc., giving a good ornamental effect. However, during grafting, because the plants contain white latex, which is highly sticky, the grafting operation must be done quickly and skillfully in order to succeed.

4. Division: Division is the simplest and safest method of propagating succulents. As long as a succulent has a rosette leaf cluster or a clustering habit, it can be propagated by division through its offsets, runners, bulbs, tubers, and small plants, and this can be done when repotting in spring. Of course, among succulents, variegated cultivars such as Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii', Neoregelia 'Queen's Tears' variegata, Agave 'Night City' variegata, and Haworthia truncata variegata must be propagated by division in order to maintain the purity of the cultivar.