Succulent Leaf Cutting Propagation in Spring: Control Humidity and Light to Easily Grow a Full Pot

Spring is definitely the time for leaf cuttings, because spring is the best season of the year for leaf propagation. Good temperatures, good humidity, good light - in this season (especially during the rainy season), even if you just casually pick off a leaf and toss it on a stone slab, it can tenaciously grow small roots and sprout little pups. You don't even need to worry about anything related to leaf propagation, just focus on arranging the display.

Spring and autumn have the highest success rate for leaf cuttings. Leaf cuttings can also be done in summer, but you need to pay attention to ventilation and cooling; winter is extremely unsuitable for leaf cuttings, as they easily turn to mush. The optimal temperature for leaf cuttings is between 20~28 degrees, and the optimal humidity is 60%~80%. Under these conditions, they will grow at the fastest speed. For small sprouts, water is always more useful than fertilizer. Once the leaf has grown roots, you can keep the soil moist. The speed at which leaf cuttings sprout varies depending on the variety and environment, generally around 10~20 days. If more than two months have passed without sprouting, as long as the leaf is healthy, don't give up and keep waiting, so each time you do leaf cuttings, be sure to collect a large number of leaves to do at the same time.

First is selecting the leaves used for leaf cuttings. Specifically, you need to achieve these points: leaves of succulent varieties that can sprout from leaves - succulents with very small leaves like Sedum hispanicum and Sedum acre 'Aureum' generally cannot be leaf-propagated but are instead stem-propagated. Thin-leaved types like Aeonium 'Zwartkop' have a very low success rate for leaf cuttings. So generally speaking, the characteristics of leaves suitable for leaf cuttings are mainly thick leaves and large leaves. Leaves should be selected as mature, healthy, and fully developed, without insect damage, and yellowing leaves should not be chosen. Of course, newly grown tender leaves won't work either.

Before leaf cuttings, we need to choose the soil. Generally, the soil mix we choose is peat, vermiculite, and perlite; this kind of soil has sufficiently good aeration. Before leaf cuttings, the soil surface should be level, and the soil can be slightly moist, which can accelerate leaf sprouting. Many beginners mistakenly think that leaf cuttings means inserting the bottom of the leaf directly into the soil - this idea is completely wrong. True leaf cuttings means placing the leaf flat on the soil, with the curled-up part facing upward, simulating as much as possible the scene of leaves falling in the wild.

To summarize, succulent plants Echeveria 'Red Edge', Echeveria 'Chihuahuaensis', Sedum pachyphyllum, and Sedum rubrotinctum are not easy to produce multiple heads from leaf cuttings, while Echeveria 'First Love', Echeveria glauca, Graptopetalum paraguayense, and Graptoveria 'Titubans' have a high probability of multiple heads. Ordinary varieties' leaves have a high probability of sprouting and producing seedlings, with tenacious vitality, so this might be the reason they are ordinary. Once leaf-cutting seedlings are about the same size, you can consider transplanting them, which facilitates later management. For example, Graptoveria 'Titubans' can be transplanted when it is the size of a coin; when transplanting, try to move it together with roots and soil without damaging the root system. There is no need to trim the roots of small seedlings.

Of course, for friends who for various reasons definitely cannot do leaf cuttings, choosing already-cultivated plants is also a good option. For me, leaf cuttings are a very magical thing, the joy of watching leaves slowly take root, sprout, and grow; sharing seedlings with friends around you. That subtle feeling of mutual influence between plants and people, and between people and people. Life itself is a miracle.

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