7 Easy to Propagate Succulents
Find out which succulents propagate with little or no help! You'll discover succulents that propagate easily from leaves and offsets to multiply your collection quickly.
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Most succulents can be propagated from cuttings and many from leaves. There are also a large selection that “pup” or put off new growth all on their own.
If you are just getting started with propagating succulents it can be tricky to figure out which ones propagate from leaves, which do better with cuttings, and which will create babies easily on their own.
But, that's why you're here, right? Let me tell you about 7 succulents that are extremely easy to propagate.
Just a quick warning… Once you get started propagating succulents you're in for a full blown addiction. When I first started growing succulents I knew I wanted more but wasn't in a position to buy more.
That's when I discovered propagation. You'll love the plants below because they make expanding your collection easy! Now let's get to it…
Kalanchoe daigremontiana | “Mother of Thousands”
This plant is actually considered a noxious weed in various part of the world because it is so prolific. I tried to buy one from a guy in Florida when I was writing the Idiot's Guides: Succulents but he refused, constantly telling me how awful this plant is.
I love it though! It grows little babies along the edge of it's leaves. When the babies start to get roots of their own, they fall off the mother plant and start the process all over again.
It is so fun to see the edge of these leaves overflowing with new little babies!
Sedum morganianum | Burro's Tail
This is one of my personal favorite succulents to propagate from leaves. It also does extremely well from cuttings. It's just an all around survivor.
I love that it can be used as a trailing plant in arrangements. It's not uncommon to see these growing several feet long in areas where they can be left untouched.
Sedum rubrotinctum | Jelly Bean Succulent
Ahhh, the jelly bean plant. Don't you just want to squish them? Sedum rubrotinctum is very similar to Sedum morganianum but more colorful and equally prolific.
The leaves of this plant fall off quite easily. Don't worry though! Those leaves will produce a baby plant in no time.
You can also take cuttings of this guy and plant them elsewhere or share with a friend. It's a giver!
Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives'
How can you resist the gorgeous coloring of Fred? I have been hooked on this succulent for quite some time. He propagates extremely easily from leaves, cuttings, seeds, and even just a bare stem!
My sister-in-law had a really leggy Fred Ives that was getting unsightly. We cut of the head and planted it in a new pot. We kept the base which put off new offshoots. I decided to keep the stem and see what would happen. It grew new offshoots too!
Seriously, this guy is awesome!
Graptopetalum paraguayense | Ghost Plant
This succulent grows faster than any others I've seen. It's not great for indoors, but if you have a sunny spot outside it will thrill you for years!
It can easily be propagated from leaves and cuttings, forming the most perfect little rosettes you've seen.
Graptosedum ‘California Sunset'
Just like it's rosette friends above, this guy propagates easily from leaves and cuttings. It forms nice clumps of rosettes as it gets larger.
You may also find that it produces 2-3 rosettes on each leaf you propagate! A special treat for you 🙂
It does require quite a bit of sunlight to maintain a deep red color, so once it's fully grown you'll want it somewhere that gets bright light all day.
Sempervivum varieties
If you live in an area that gets snow and frost during the winter, this last succulent is going to be your favorite. Pictured above is a arachnoideum variety of Sempervivum, also called houseleeks or hens and chicks.
These succulents can tolerate freezing temperatures with ice and snow. When spring arrives, they will start to put off new babies like wild rabbits. By the end of summer you'll have so many you won't know what to do with them.
You'll find these to be a great option for filling pots as well as ground cover.
These are just 7 of some amazingly prolific propagating succulents. I asked some of my succulent friends what some of their favorite prolific propagators are and ended up with a huge list!
Here are just a few: Echeveria imbricata, Aloe vera, Cremnosedum ‘Little Gem', Graptoveria ‘Alpen Glow', Portulaca molokiniensis, Mammillaria elongata, “String of Pearls”, Kalanchoe tomentosa, Mammillaria gracilis fragilis, Kalanchoe 'Aurora Borealis', Kalanchoe marmota, Aloe nobilis, and Senecio mandraliscae.
Go add some to your collection and start propagating! You can see a weekly update of some leaves I'm propagating here.