Propagating succulents and increasing your collection is the dream of every succulent collector. Today I want to share with you one more method of succulent propagation which is safe and effective. Arranging succulents in groups makes a better statement than just one solitary plant in a container.
I am always trying various methods of propagating succulents. I usually record the process so that I can share them with others who are interested on my local succulent group. However, there are times when I am too excited and just go ahead and do something and discover that it works out very well. This is one of those time when I didn't fully record the process but had to do it again to show you how it works.
PVN or Perle Von Nunberg is my absolute favorite succulent. I have about 15 small pups and some just in their infancy (pups still attached to their leaves). However, I need more and need them real quick for a project I have in mind. Growing pups from leaves takes forever. Succulents also serve as my special gifts to friends and family and I am always running out of supplies.
I beheaded or cut off the growing tip of this succulent hoping to get more pups. In the picture you'll notice that the plant has only a few leaves left. I've waited for more than three weeks and I should say for some reason all that happened was that some of the remaining leaves also dropped off. I was frustrated to put it lightly. Let me also mention here that this is the first time that this beheading method has failed for me (I guess there are times every method fails). I have always had beheaded succulents put out six to ten pups in a couple of weeks after I behead them.
Well, I decided that instead of waiting endlessly I would try other methods of growing pups on the same plant. The 'scratch and watch' method😂 is the one I tried. I have seen people do this on Youtube videos, but Youtube is full of bull crap. People show you videos of propagating plants from flowers, flower buds etc. A smart gardener always knows that when you plant something in the soil, it shows signs of decay before it forms roots and leaves, nonetheless there are so many who fall for these baits. These video creators show you plants growing from fresh looking flowers. Hence, I had to test this method myself before sharing my experience on Hive.
The first step is to use a blunt object (here I used my clay shaping tool) to scrape/scratch the trunk lightly. However, this wasn't working very well so I used a blade to lightly but carefully scratch the trunk. This needs to be done very delicately and evenly so as to remove just the outer covering of the stem. You'll notice in the image below that the places where the leaves have fallen off or the nodes are, are the ones that look like they have been scraped. This area is slightly raised and this should be enough as this is from where new pups will sprout.
Once this step is completed its time to clean and prepare the surface for propagation. I cleaned the part that was scratched with a brush. Next, I wet the area with a clean tissue which was made slightly wet with water. This step is only to ensure that the next step is effective.
Now it is time to apply some rooting hormone on the wet surface. I took some of the powder in my fingers and rubbed it on the stem. I prefer this method as it helps the rooting hormone to adhere well to the surface. If you have liquid rooting hormone you could spray it on the prepared area. Please read and follow the instructions given on the package while using the product, I always use organic rooting hormone powder as I use it for my veggies as well.
Ensure that the plant is not left out in the rain or the prepared area gets washed out during watering. Care needs to be taken at least for 3-4 days. After this period you can leave the plant in its original spot and treat it like how it was treated before. You'd notice in the image below that the rooting hormone used earlier is still visible. Its important to apply the rooting hormone while the stem is slightly wet.
In a week to ten days you will see the magic happen. Look at this stem, it has tiny reddish protrusions all over the trunk. This is new growth, you could end up with a couple of dozen pups depending on the surface area you cleaned and prepared.
Once you see new growth its time to give the plant a feed of diluted fertilizer to be able to support the number of pups it carries. I used a regular organic fertilizer which is balanced. The NPK values should be the same. The one I used is 9-9-9. Don't go heavy on the feed you may end up with burnt roots and a dead plant. It is better to err on the side of caution. Right now it is almost mid summer here and some plants are already being scorched by the summer sun so I'd rather be cautious than over feed and kill my plants.
I will show you the progress in the next few weeks if I remember to record it.
I find this is the easiest way to get more pups, especially if you are dealing with slow growing succulents. I repeated this process on my Graptopetalum paraguayense or ghost plant and I see that it works quite well.
I hope this post helps if you are trying various means of propagating succulents. I do know that there are some who keep complaining that the leaf propagation method doesn't work for them and they are afraid to cut off the growing tip and end up with a dead plant. This is not only a fail proof method but it is also safe method for beginners.
Thanks for the reading this post. Hope to see you soon in an update from my succulent garden.