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an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

SUCCULENTS2

see part one here!

About a month ago, following this awesome tutorial, I trimmed the leaves off my "leggy" succulent plant in an attempt to propagate (grow tiny new plants) from the cuttings. I am sharing my progress in real time, to give you (and me!) a REAL idea of how long this takes.

Succulentprogress

I currently have my cuttings sitting on top of a pie tin filled with super dry cactus soil. For the longest time nothing was happening.

Succulentprogress2

And then, after about two weeks, the leaves started to send out purple roots. They are fine and long and nearly every cutting has a few.

Succulentprogress7

A few days ago, I noticed baby plants growing at the base of a few of the cuttings. This is what I was hoping for…slowly, but surely, I am getting little plants. Remember, the "goal" is that each leaf will produce a tiny plant and root system and I'll be able to replant that (and discard the original cutting).

Succulentprogress5

The original plant heads are starting to sprout roots of their own. Not too long from now, I should be able to replant these.

Succulentprogress4

My trimmed stalks in the original pot are a bit slower to develop – offically making them the ugliest plant in the house.

Succulentprogress3

But there are a few tiny plant bubbles appearing on some of the stems and I'm hopeful they will continue to bloom.

Succulentprogress6

I have not watered the soil yet but both the stalks and the clippings get decent sunlight and tons of encouragement from both me and Ellerie all day long.

I'll continue to keep you posted! So far, slow, but exciting.

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23 responses to “adventures in succulent propagating / part 2.”

  1. Lauren Avatar

    I propagated two succulents in February and have realized what a slow process it is. The purple roots are really cool to see though aren’t they? A friend asked me why I had such an ugly dead plant on my windowsill when he came to visit a few weeks ago. I was sure to enlighten him to succulent propagation.

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  2. Maura Avatar

    Very cool! It’s always amazing to me that some new plants can grow just from cuttings.

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  3. Kelsey McEvoy Avatar

    I’ve been wondering for ages how exactly this process is done, as I have a few plants that could definitely use a little propagation attention. Thank you so much for linking to the original tutorial AND for sharing your own progress/experience. I think I have yet another item to add to the “around the house” to-do list!

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  4. Welcome Home Taylor Avatar

    Exciting!! I can’t wait to continue seeing the progress!!
    xoxo
    Taylor

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  5. Anna Kristina Avatar

    I’m currently propagating succulents too. I saw your pin of that tutorial, so I’m on basically the same timeline as you. Mine have definitely started sprouting tiny leaf buds in addition to their roots. I’m so excited to see them turn into tiny plants!

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  6. Paige @ Lux Per Diem Avatar

    Very cool! I’m always so impatient with plants though, I don’t know if I could hold out long enough.

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  7. Mary Avatar

    Thanks for posting this! I started mine about a week after yours, but I missed the parts about not watering them and keeping the original plant out of soil until it “scabs” over and starts growing roots. Hoping making these adjustments will help my plants!

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  8. tammy Avatar
    tammy

    Thanks so much for this post! I started this about a week after I saw your part one post and yesterday I’m staring at these leaves like, “NOTHING IS HAPPENING….” My husband is begging to throw my experiment in the trash and I almost let him. I have renewed hope. 😉

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  9. Megan W Avatar

    this is such a cool idea! and reminds me that I keep meaning to make some cuttings of our jade plants for my mother-in-law.

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  10. Martina Avatar

    I totally missed the part about not watering them! Opps!

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  11. Joy C. Avatar
    Joy C.

    I just started propagating myself in January! So obsessed. I live in San Diego also. Are you keeping the cuttings indoors or outdoors? Full sun or shade? How often are you watering your other succulents?

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  12. Miss Megan Avatar

    This is so cool! I love succulents and I’ve been growing a huge pot of various ones for about a year and a half now. They’re great little plants. 🙂

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  13. Katherine Avatar
    Katherine

    I propagated mine a few years ago- totally on accident! That’s what happens when you knock over your potted plants…. Trying it a second time intentionally, I’m starting to see roots and I love it!

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  14. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    LOL, hang in there!

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  15. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    indoors and decent sun. 🙂
    I water the others every couple weeks by dropping in an ice cube. 🙂

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  16. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    Maybe use a spray bottle or mist setting on the garden hose to dampen but not soak the soil? Once I started getting roots I did that every few days (because I have been watching/encouraging them often, too… It’s too fun not to check in on them!), and they seem to be growing like crazy now. I have no idea what I’m doing, but decided to play along after you posted your first attempt and tutorial.

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  17. Andi Avatar

    I started mine right after your first post because I’m OB-sessed with succulents. And besides not using cactus soil, I’ve been doing pretty much the same thing, yet a lot of my leaves have dried up. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong 😦

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  18. Julie Tiu Avatar

    Thank you so much for posting!! I just rescued a bunch of succulents from my mother-in-law’s house and have been researching cactus propagation and care for the last hour. I’ve never had cacti before, eeek. Hopefully my experiment will be successful, too.

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  19. ZoeZuDesign Avatar
    ZoeZuDesign

    Good Luck! I tried this way but wasn’t patient enough, so I tried something different which has worked here in dry Oz. I cut the leggy stem off near the base, then leave it out to dry for a day,(key point). Then I stick it straight into dirt and let it grow it’s roots once in the dirt. The stem looks like a healthy succulent already in it’s pot & you can stick as many cut off’s in the same pot. Then the original plant, is left alone until new growth starts on it. That’s what I mean about being impatient – this method results in almost instant new plants.

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  20. Kelsey Avatar
    Kelsey

    New reader here. This article turned me into a propogating nut! I went to Lowes and searched around their succulent area for stray leaves that had fallen off the plant or had broken off but were still healthy and got a small handful of them. Put them on a small tray of potting soil along with leaves from a few of my own succulents. Super excited to see if they root!! Thanks so much for the informative post!

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  21. maya Avatar
    maya

    I don’t understand why you don’t water it?

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  22. Jeanne Reid Avatar
    Jeanne Reid

    HELP….the once beautiful “tops” that I decapitated….are now droopy looking and looking really bad….let the bottom stems callous over, they started to look deflated….so I put them in the succulent soil hoping that would perk them up, but they look terrible….are they dying? It’s only been two weeks and I fear I disassembled a once beautiful succulent, only to have the cuttings look like nothing and the tops…dying!
    Advice? Have read every “advice” piece on the internet and some say this and some say that….some say mist the cuttings and remaining tops once a day….wrong?

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