Have you ever asked yourself what type of propagation is best for succulents?
You will get usefull instructions here, but do not expect we will force you to use just one method.
Most common ways to propagate cacti and succulents are:
- by cutting
- by division
- from seed
One great thing about succulents is that they are relatively easy to propagate. Because of the harsh environments that they grow in, they’ve developed survival techniques that allow them to take root quickly. You can produce a number of offspring from a single plant.
Cuttings are an easy way of propagating cacti. Propagation of cacti through cuttings provides larger plants much more quickly than propagation from seed, but far fewer plant can be obtained.
Take cuttings from healthy plants. Use a clean, preferably sterilized knife or shears. Let the cuttings dry (10 – 45 days depending on weather conditions and thickness of cutting). The wound should be healed before the cutting is planted. Keep the cuttings in a shady warm place (not direct sunlight). Place the cutting in dry soil and do not water for another 2-3 weeks.
Some cacti and succulents form offsets or “babies” that develop around the mother plant. One way to propagate cacti is to remove the offsets from the mother plant and place in a new pot.
Division is an ideal method of propagating those types of cactus which bud off new plants from the side of the mother plant. These offsets usually already have roots developed and need only be carefully pulled or teased away from the parent plant and placed in a pot of their own. The advantage of this type of propagation over the taking of cuttings is that division leaves the mother plant with almost no signs of disfigurement. Where cuttings are taken from non-branching types of cactus, the mother plant is often left in an unattractive condition.
Here is how to pot the plantlets:
Remove the offsets from the mother plant by gently twisting them off. In most cases, they have already put out tiny roots.
Place them on a dry, warm and shady place for week at least. That is the time plants need to heel their roots.
Fill one third of pot with draining soil, then cover it with cactus mixed soil.
Top-dress the soil with a layer of coarse sand or baked clay. The top-dressing keeps humidity down and helps hold the cactus upright.
Push the offsets down into the top-dressing so that the roots are touching the growing medium – the body of the cactus should not be in contact with anything that holds much water.
Do not water young plants for 10 days. First time watering should not be plentifuly, but ever after you should water them well when the soil is completely dry.
Chellenging and pretty difficult way to propagate cacti and succulents is from seed. Thou it demands efforts, by seeding seeds one can get great number of young plants and, more important, they will be healthy. It up on you to decide if this chellenge if suitable or not. More about this kind of propagation you can read here.