If you have a favorite succulent plant and you want more (I mean, who doesn’t?), you’re in luck! It’s simple to grow a new succulent plant from a leaf and it’s really fun to watch the baby succulent plant grow.
How to Pick a Leaf
You don’t want to cut the leaf off of the plant – just gently tug at the leaf until it comes unattached from the stem. Ideally, you’d like an entire leaf – one that is not broken or cut in any way. Generally, this is pretty easy to do and you should have a perfect leaf to start a new plant with.
How to Start the Leaf Cutting
Place the entire leaf on top of the soil surface. Then spray the surface of the soil with water. That’s it. Simple, right?
Now, here comes the hard part. You have to wait. And wait.
Growing new succulent plants from a leaf takes a while, so you’ll have to be patient, and keep the top of the soil moist but not too wet (or you’ll grow some fungus). But, the bonus is free new plants!
The growing baby succulents are just adorable too. How fast they grow will depend on the air temperature and light intensity. If it’s warmer, they will root faster. Since I started these in the winter months, even though my house was heated, they were slow growing.
Light Conditions
Since most succulents prefer bright, direct or bright, indirect light, it’s helpful to keep your succulents under a quality grow light while they are rooting. If you like, you can also keep them outdoors in bright light, but it’s harder to control the soil moisture that way.
I grew mine under a grow light in the winter months and then moved them outdoors into the sunshine in early spring to harden them up and get them ready to take off.
Plant and Enjoy
The final step is simple. Once you’ve determined that your new succulents have a decent root structure (You can do this by giving the growing plant a gentle tug. If it resists, there are enough roots to hold the soil.), then you can transplant them into a new pot or directly into the ground.
If you’re planting it outdoors, be sure to harden the baby plants a bit in the sunshine and outdoor conditions prior to planting outdoors. You can do this by placing the plants outside for a short period of time, gradually increasing the time outdoors each day until they are ready to transplant.
