Easy-Peasy: Propagating Succulents

Succulents are easy to propagate. All it takes to really know this is watching Bette Vanietti, our succulent lady here at Santa Fe Greenhouses. Clearly at home with succulents, she handles them like she knows them on a first name basis. And she should. She's been working with them for 48 years.

  • Topic: Succulents and Cacti
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: succulents, propagate, Succulents and Cacti, cactus, cactuses
  • Date: October 2003

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Doesn’t it makes sense in these times of drought to grow plants that store their own water? Succulents, or xerophytes, do just that.

In some instances they look pretty rugged, in others they’re delicate and fragile. But all succulents are tough. They can withstand harsh winds, long dry spells and greater degrees of neglect than other plants.

They are also easy to propagate. And all it takes to really know this is watching Bette Vanietti, our succulent lady here at Santa Fe Greenhouses. Clearly at home with succulents, she handles them like she knows them on a first name basis. And she should. She’s been working with them for 48 years.

“When my husband got transferred to work on a reservation in Idaho, we took our son rock collecting. From there, I just became interested in growing plants among the rocks we brought home,” she said. She first started planting cacti and it didn’t take long to move into succulents.

Now she has her own greenhouse and garden, bringing many of her own plants from home to start new ones here. There are several parts of succulents that can be propagated—the stems, roots and leaves. Of course, different parts work better with different plants. Then there are different ways to propagate—dividing, cutting, and using seed. Starting succulents from seed is the most difficult.

In using existing plants, Bette says, “It’s pretty easy making new plants. With so many of them, all you need is a leaf.”

Make sure, though, the leaf is green. “Yellowed leaves won’t root. They’ve lost their chlorophyll and they need the chlorophyll to re-grow,” Bette said.

Take a leaf (from echeverias, gasterias, graptopetalums, kalanchoes and sedums) and place it on top of the soil. Water sparingly and let the soil dry out. Slowly little root hairs will develop and a new plant begins.

When making stem cuttings, (sections from stems and topped with leaves) make sure it is allowed to callus for a few days. Then place in a pot to mature.

Bette suggests making a mixture of 1 part sand, 1 part Perlite, and 3 parts potting mix. We also sell a bagged cactus mix if you don’t want to make your own. Then, don’t water too frequently and don’t let the soil remain soggy.

Another succulent lover is David Salman, president of Santa Fe Greenhouses, who says he sterilizes sand by baking it for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. He suggests laying a half-inch of sand on top of the potting mix. “It helps stabilize the plants while they are rooting,” he said.

“South African succulents, the ice plants, are very easy to propagate,” he said. David also says making the potting area “kitchen clean” is the rule for working with succulents to prevent disease. And when making cuttings, make sure the knife is sharp to get a clean cut.

We carry several books in our garden center that cover many aspects of growing succulents. Some are:

  • Succulents for the Contemporary Garden, by Yvonne Cave
  • Succulents II, by Maurizio Sajeva and Mariangela Costanzo
  • The Complete Book of Cacti and Succulents, by Terry Hewitt

If you’ve wandered around our Garden Center and Greenhouse, no doubt you’ve noticed the dish gardens. Bette makes these of succulents, cactus and rocks; and these individual container plantings truly invite the imagination. And if you look closely, you probably won’t be able to resist venturing into this special corner of horticulture. Succulents create little worlds unto themselves.