HOW TO PROPAGATE

Method 1: Stem cutting

Cut a stem of the succulent plant using sharp scissors or secateurs.

either leave the cutting to dry out for a couple of days or pop it straight into a small plant pot filled with succulent mix. Now you will have to be patient and wait for about a month for your plant to grow roots!

you will know your plant is ready to pot on once the roots start poking through the bottom of your pot. if your container has no drainage holes, add some grit for drainage before popping in the plant and the compost. use a spray bottle to lightly water your new plant. keep it somewhere bright indoors but away from the direct sun.

Method 2: Offshoot cutting

Great for people who do not like to wait for roots to grow! Many succulents will grow baby plants from the side of the parent plant. they will look exactly the same as the parent.

If you find a plant with babies, tip it carefully from its pot. using your thumbs, gently break the baby plants away from the parent plant. remove any dead leaves from the large parent plant.

Put some compost into the plant pot and replant the parent plant. Give it a little drink of water. if you have some nice small stones, you could give it a mulch to finish with.

take each baby plant and again remove any dead leaves. each plant will have its own root system.

add grit for drainage, if needed, before you put the compost in the new pot. then plant your baby plants in the compost. water gently weekly with a spray bottle.

Method 3: with leaves

Choose a healthy succulent plant from which to collect your leaves. Carefully break off some leaves from the base of the plant.

if you are using a container with no holes, add some gravel for drainage. Fill the container with succulent mix or a 50/50 mix of fine potting mix and grit.

Place the leaves on top of the compost and give the container a fine spray of water. (I put my container inside a plastic strawberry punnet to make a mini greenhouse.) Position somewhere warm but not in direct sun. Give the container a fine spray of water once every few days.

After a few weeks you will see some roots growing from the broken off end of the leaf. you might see a small new plant starting to form after a month. Once your new plants have a few leaves of their own they will start to look like the parent plant.

When you are ready to move your small plants to their new home you can use a teaspoon to gently dig the plants and their roots up. the baby plant will still have the leaf attached to it. Do not take it off as the new plants will still be using this to help them grow. as the plants grow larger the original leaf will shrivel up and die.

Continue to only give them a small amount of water every week. too much and they might die. Succulents are used to growing in hot climates with little water.