Propagating Succulents In Water
Propagating Succulents In Water Summary
In general propagating succulents in water is easy with leaf cuttings and beheadings, just make sure the cut is clean and the water is topped up regularly, then leave them in a bright and warm window sill for a month or two to root before .
Introduction
Can you really propagate succulents in water, they’re drought loving plants that can’t be true, right!?
Well it actually is, and I find it a really easy way to get more plants, they look great in water in a vase showing off their roots as a table centerpiece too.
There are two main ways to get succulent cuttings to water propagate, by leaf cuttings and ‘beheadings’ (cutting the top off a stem). Echeverias, crassulas and sedums lend themselves well to these types of propagation, we’ll go into more detail below. Welcome to our guide to propagating succulents in water…
See also: String Of Hearts, Succulent Soil.
Succulent Water Propagation
To propagate a succulent in water follow these steps:
- Get the equipment you need ready: a glass jar full of filtered tap water, kitchen plastic wrap, a rubber band, and some scissors.
- Take your cuttings, either beheadings or leaf cuttings or both. For leaf cuttings you need to get the whole leaf and remove it cleanly from the plant. If you damage it and leave some on the plant it may not work, so be careful and use your thumb and finger to gently twist the leaf slowly until it comes off. You can also take a beheading, where you cut off the top of a branch, including some leaves, but strip the bottom few leaves off so that there is some naked stalk.
- Let the cuttings callous over for 2 or 3 days to reduce the risk of rot.
- Get a jar and cover it in plastic wrap where the lid should be. Fix it on with a rubber band
- Make small holes with a knife or scissors in the plastic wrap that will be big enough to hold the succulent leaves above the water without letting them fall through.
- Set the cuttings in the plastic wrap holes so that the part that was attached to the plant points downwards. And so that the calloused over part is just under the water surface.
- Put the jar in a warm and bright window sill and watch the roots grow over the next month or so.
- Once the roots are well established you can pot the cuttings up in a cactus and succulent potting mix.
See also: Succulent Propagation (with pictures).
How Long Does It Take To Propagate Succulents In Water?
It can take 4-8 weeks to get root growth on your succulent cuttings before you can pot them up. Use a clear jar so you can monitor root growth.
Further Reading
Hope you found our guide to propagating succulents in water useful. You might also like our articles on String Of Pearls Propagation, Propagation of Snake Plants, Water Propagation.
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