Can the fallen leaves of the bear paw succulent (Cotyledon tomentosa) be used for propagation?
The propagation methods of the bear paw succulent are quite flexible; it can be grown both from seed and from cuttings. However, to improve propagation efficiency, cuttings are usually the method used. And cuttings can be done by bud cuttings, stem cuttings, or leaf cuttings. That said, leaf cuttings of the bear paw succulent require a certain level of skill, and you absolutely cannot do it the way you would with ordinary succulents, otherwise it will inevitably fail.
Moreover, some growers have found during the care and management of the bear paw succulent that the plant tends to drop its leaves easily. The bear paw succulent is very beautiful, especially its leaves, which are extremely cute, just like bear paws. If your bear paw succulent drops leaves, you must promptly investigate the cause and remedy it correctly.
When many growers see the bear paw succulent dropping leaves, they feel it is truly a pity to see such exquisite, lovely leaves fall. Since succulents can usually be propagated by leaf cuttings, many growers think the fallen bear paw succulent leaves can also be propagated by leaf cuttings. If that were really the case, then while feeling regretful, we could also use these shed leaves for leaf cutting propagation, thereby recovering some of the loss.
If we want to use these fallen leaves to propagate new bear paw succulent seedlings by leaf cuttings, we first need to consider this question. If they could be used, that would naturally be better, as it would reduce waste of resources. But in fact, fallen leaves generally cannot take root and survive through leaf cuttings.
Leaf cuttings of the bear paw succulent are not the same as those of ordinary succulents. Ordinary succulents generally only require cutting off a leaf and placing it on a soft, moist substrate to take root and survive. For the bear paw succulent, this is often difficult to achieve. Even a robust, plump leaf, cut off directly and placed on a moist substrate, usually cannot take root and survive.
To improve the survival rate of leaf cutting propagation of the bear paw succulent, we usually need to cut off the stem below the leaf as well, then let the wound on the stem dry, and then insert the lower part of the stem shallowly into the substrate. As long as the temperature and humidity we provide are suitable, it will easily take root and survive.
But if it is a leaf that has fallen from the mother plant of the bear paw succulent, it is generally a pure leaf with no stem attached, so no matter how robust and plump it looks, it is usually difficult for it to survive through leaf cuttings. It can be seen that if you want bear paw succulent leaf cuttings to survive or to improve propagation efficiency, you must ensure the leaf has a piece of stem attached; this is the guarantee for successful leaf cuttings. In general, fallen leaves of the bear paw succulent cannot be used for propagation, or at least are not suitable for leaf cutting propagation.