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Propagating Succulents from Leaves – Adorable, Tiny Plant Babies!

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I never knew how easy it would be to make more plants whenever I wanted them. Propagating succulents from leaves that fall is a new obsession of ours! After attending a succulent planting workshop, my life has never been the same.

Learning how to propagate succulents from leaves was way easier and more foolproof than I would have imagined.

The process was so quick and simple. All we really needed besides a succulent leaf was a little patience.

Propagating Succulent Leaves - holding a baby succulent plant over soil
Propagating Succulent Leaves – holding a baby succulent plant over soil in our 2022 indoor gardening adventures.

What causes succulent leaves to fall off?

Most often, watering issues are the root cause of succulent leaves falling off. Giving a succulent too much water can greatly harm it or even kill it. Too little water for succulents, while not as common, can also be problematic.

What causes succulent leaves to be mushy?

Too much watering causes succulent leaves to be swollen and mushy or squishy. They are no longer as healthy as they could be. It seems overwatered succulents leaves may very well have abandoned ship to avoid further water uptake.

How do you get succulent leaves to root?

The best way to get leaves from succulents to form roots is to place them out of the way, away from water. The leaves will eventually send out roots, sometimes as quickly as a few days to a week later, depending on the plant.

Knowing how to get succulent leaves to root did not come naturally to me. My daughters and I actually learned about it from one of the owners at a succulent potting workshop on my birthday in 2022. It was an amazing event and we learned so much!

The quick lesson on how easy it is to root succulent leaves was the biggest takeaway for sure. All this time, I didn’t know that the leaves of the succulents needed to be kept DRY before they would send out roots seeking water.

It makes so much sense. But, after years of propagating plants directly in water, it just didn’t dawn on me. Now we know!

How to Propagate Succulents from Leaves

Propagating succulents starts with finding a fallen leaf or taking one. I feel so bad to yank one off the plant, so I usually wait until one is falling off anyway or when I see one that’s already dropped.

Follow these steps on propagating succulent leaves to try it yourself!

  1. Choose a healthy-looking succulent leaf. Best if it’s already fallen off, but you can also pluck one off the plant if you’re careful.
  2. Set the succulent leaf aside. You can set it on a saucer, plastic lid, paper plate, whatever floats your boat.
  3. Literally forget about it. At least for a few days.
  4. Then, go check. Inspect the leaf to see if any roots emerged seeking water.
    • Depending on how much time’s passed and how quickly it’s growing, you might also find a baby succulent plant already attached to the leaf.
  5. Bring the rooting succulent leaf to soil. Once the succulent leaves have roots (with or without a baby plant), place them gently on some potting soil. (Don’t do anything with the other ones until they grow some roots.)
  6. Water it. Use a water spray bottle to lightly dampen the soil around the rooted succulent leaves.
  7. Monitor it daily for moisture needs and signs of further growth. Continue to check the other succulent leaves for their new roots.
Lots of baby succulents starting from leaves
Lots of baby succulents starting from leaves

Propagating Succulents from Leaves: Final Thoughts

If you get pretty good at propagating succulents from leaves, you may even find yourself running a little plant shop out of your home. You never know!

Do you have any other tips on trying to propagate succulents from fallen leaves? Are there any questions we can answer for you on succulent propagation?

Feel free to leave a comment below – we love hearing from you!

Happy Gardening!

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