How to Remove “Pups” from Your Succulent
There's not much better than when your succulents propagate on their own. Especially when they get a bunch of new babies growing around their stem. Having lots of new babies is so much fun! But as the babies start to get larger, it's often difficult to remove them from the parent plant.
Usually this brings up a lot of questions about timing and the process of removing these babies. So lets jump right in on how to separate these succulent pups from the mother plant.
How big should the succulent pup be before removing it?
The ideal time to remove a succulent pup from the stem is once it is about 1" (2.5cm) in size, or big enough that you can hold it easily without smashing it.
How to remove the pup from the mother
Use a sharp knife to cut off the baby right at the base of the stem. Leave other babies attached if they haven't grow large enough yet. A baby will generally grow larger faster when it's still attached to the mother plant.
Once the baby is removed from the stem, set it on a dry surface to "heal" or callous over on the cut end for about 24 hours. The raw end needs to dry out before you plant it.
Planting the succulent pup
When the dried end is healed over, you can place the new baby into soil. I recommend planting babies and cuttings in a layer of coconut coir to help them stay wet a little longer than they would in the typical gritty mix that I recommend for succulents.
You'll want your pup to be in a pot or planter that gives it room to grow, but isn't huge. Usually about a half inch (1cm) around the edge of its leaves is enough room. I would avoid planting it in anything that gives more than 1 inch (2.5cm) on each side.
So if your pup is about 1" in diameter, then place it in a pot that is about 2-3" in diameter.
Place the cutting in an area with bright, indirect sunlight. Direct sun can stress the baby and cause it to burn or dry out quickly. If you're growing indoors, make sure it is by a bright window or under grow lights a few hours each day.
Watering your succulent pup
You'll also need to keep an eye on the baby and water it pretty frequently for the first few weeks. Every 2-3 days is usually a good amount. This allows the pup to access water when needed, but also provides a period of drought to help encourage new roots to form.
If you have a hard time keeping track of when you watered, try using an app like the Succulent Tracker (on Apple and Android) to remind you. Plus, you can take photos and add them to the app as the baby grows to have a record of it's progress.
Once it's rooted you can begin slowly reducing the watering frequency and follow the soak and dry watering method.
If you want to speed up the growth of the baby, you can fertilize it once it has rooted. Be sure to use a diluted fertilizer and make sure the pup is getting enough (but not too much) light so it doesn't stretch as it grows.
7 Worst Mistakes Beginners Make When Growing Succulents
Many people assume that they can take care of succulent plants however they want -- just treat them like normal house plants. The problem is succulents aren't like most other house plants. They have completely different watering needs and often need more sunlight and airflow than other plants. Find out what the most common succulent mistakes are and how to avoid them.
This article originally appeared on Succulents and Sunshine.