Have you ever wondered how to grow your own succulents? It is easy to go buy already grown succulents at different gardening centers. You might even have a plant that is in poor condition, hanging on for dear life, stretched or overgrown. Propagation (growing plants from an existing plant) can help you out tremendously if you have the time and patience. It all starts with one leaf from a mother plant. The process can be tricky but at the same time so easy, just follow these steps.

HOW TO:

1. Start With A Leaf:
Either a healthy leaf that fell off an existing succulent while repotting. Or one that has been carefully pulled away from a living succulent. (At the base of the succulent gently pull the leaf away from the plant.)

2. Allow The Leaf To Callus:
Lay out your leaf or leaves for 1-3 days in a shaded area inside or outside. This allows the area that was exposed when pulling away from the mother plant to dry and keeps the leaf from rotting.

3. Angle Your Leaf In Soil:
Get a shallow pot, dish or container and fill it with moist soil (.25" to .5" of potting soil) then angle the leaf/leaves to where just the tip of the leaf is actually touching the soil. (Angling will help keep the moist soil from rotting the entire leaf from over moisture)

4. Find A Temporary Home For Your Leaf:
Now that you have your leaf callused and angled, where are you going to put it? No direct sunlight for these soon to be babies. Find a windowsill that does not get direct sunlight but receives indirect light most of the day, no heat of the day windows. Your leaf will stay on it's new windowsill home in its soil bed for a few months or longer.

5. Water Your Soil:
Keep your soil always moist to touch, not soggy. I do not recommend misting the leaves, to add water to the soil take a spouted cup and pour water around the leaves until soil is saturated. Watering should be applied around every 3-7 days.


6. Watch For Roots:
Depending on the type of succulent leaf your working with, your leaf could sprout roots before a plant starts growing or vise versa. Once you do see roots it is time to up the watering to every 2 - 5 days because the plant will be more thirsty. You can now move your leaf with container to a slightly sunnier windowsill (still no heat of the day sun) or leave as is.

7. Watch Them Grow:
As your leaf has grown roots and starting forming a small version of a succulent it gets really exciting. Finally all the patience is paying off in a tiny plant baby! Your succulent plant may become pretty large in its current container, so you may want to move it to its own pot at this point. (leave the mother leaf alone, see below) The mother leaf has an important role during the growing process. The leaf provides the baby plant with all the extra goodies it needs to be on its own one day.


8. Time To Leave The Mother Leaf:
One day you will notice your succulent is getting so big but the mother leaf is starting to look ill. Allow the mother leaf to naturally die off on her own. The leaf at this point will dry up and you can simply pluck it off the baby plant. Now you have a ready to leave the nest succulent plant.

9. Introducing Your New Succulent To More Light:
Most succulents love sun. Before you get over zealous getting your new plant outside, be careful. Start of with morning sun exposure, then morning and midday and then afternoon. (week by week) By gradually introducing your succulent to more and more sun, your preparing the plant to handle the harshness of the rays. (If you do not gradually introduce to more and more sun, you risk burning and possibly killing your new succulent) Once you have moved your plant around enough from different light of the day areas, you will learn just the right spot for your particular plants needs.


Love succulents? 
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