Many people love succulent plants for a reason. With juicy leaves, stems, or roots, they form a vast and diverse group of plants, offering easy-care plant choices for your home. They look stunning planted alone or as companions to other succulents or leafy plants.
Although many succulents are easy to root from leaves, not all leaves will produce new plants. If your rooted leaf cuttings are refusing to grow, you may have tried to root the wrong succulent, not taken enough cuttings, or taken them at the wrong time of year.
Wrong Succulent
Not all succulents grow well from leaf cuttings. Some will root but stall at that point rather than send up new leaves. For example, leaf cuttings of Hoyas are problematic. Taking leaf cuttings may result in deep roots, but a healthy plant never forms. If you want to propagate a Hoya, take a stem cutting.
Too Few Cuttings
An attempt to root only a single leaf may lead to disappointment. Some succulent leaves may root but never produce a plantlet. Take several leaf cuttings to improve your odds that some will grow.
Wrong Time of Year
Cuttings do best if taken just before the time of year when they naturally put out the most growth. Summer dormant types grow most vigorously in fall and spring, while winter dormant types shoot up during summer. Echeverias should not be propagated during summer. If you are patient, cuttings that root during the wrong season may eventually send up new leaves in a few months.
Rooting for Success
To take succulent leaf cuttings, snip or break leaves from a healthy plant, retaining their petioles, the leaf stems if they have any. Lay all the leaves in a bright, dry place, out of the direct sun, for at least two days to allow calluses to form over the cut edges before you pot them up. For a potting medium, use a barely damp mix of one part peat to one part sand or two parts of succulent potting soil combined with one part of fine grit. Insert each leaf or leaf stem far enough into the soil that the leaf can stand upright at a slight angle, and mulch the soil with a layer of fine grit to help retain moisture and support the cuttings. If the soil is lightly damp, the leaf cuttings should root within three weeks to three months.
Source: sfgate.com
Links
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus