How to Clone Succulents

Succulent plants tend to be carefree and require little more than occasional watering for even the most novice of gardeners to experience success. If you want more plants, you can propagate a succulent by collecting cuttings that will grow into a clone of your existing plant, providing you with new plants for free. As with any plants, take cuttings with all clean materials, and in a few months you should notice the new plants thriving.

Knife or hand pruners
Bowl
3- or 4-inch pot
Succulent soil

Instructions

- 1
  Watch your succulents in early spring to note when new growth appears as a sign dormancy has broken. Look over the body of the plant. Plan to take a cutting from an area that would need pruning anyway so the overall shape of the plant won't become distorted.
- 2
  Cut a portion of the plant from the main body using a knife or hand pruners just below a joint or at a fork in growth. Cuttings of some plants such as the Christmas cactus or jade can be as small as a single leaf, but it's best to aim for collecting a sample with at least one joint in the body of the cutting above where you separate it from the plant.
- 3
  Fill a bowl with a 1/2 inch of water. Place the cutting upright into the bowl so the freshly cut surface is submerged. Place the bowl in a sunny window and refill the water as often as necessary for two to three weeks until new roots have formed and are an inch long.
- 4
  Prepare a small pot by filling it with succulent potting soil. Plant the cutting into the center of the pot, burying it only as deep as necessary for the cutting to stand upright.
- 5
  Place the pot in a sunny window. Water weekly with enough water to wet the soil for a few days, but allow the soil to dry for a few days before the next watering. Start with 1/2 cup of water each week and adjust the amount as needed if your pot is going dry too soon or remaining wet for too long.

Types of Leaf Cactus

Deserts With Cactus

Growing Cactus