Time to propogate my succulent?

16 years ago

I have a succulent that's grew really rapidly and is now a little oddly shaped. Here's an image below (the gangly green guy, ignore the Aeonium in the blue vase).

I've been told I should cut the shoots and replant them, but I've never done this before so I was hoping to get some advice about which shoots to cut and where/how. I guess I'd need to cut the ones that drape off the side of the vase in a kind of "U" shape, but if I do that, will they then grow straight?? And what about the central main shoots, the ones that are more or less straight, should it cut those too and replant them? They seem a bit tall, so I thought that might be a good idea? I'm new to all of this, so sorry if these are stupid questions.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

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Comments (3)

brandon7 TN_zone7
16 years ago
It should be a piece of cake to take cuttings from your succulent and get them to root. You could take tip cuttings from the ones hanging over the side and root them, but, if you use the whole stem, it may be harder to manage because of the "U" shape. In the picture, the dangling stem on the left (the one more clearly visible) looks to have around 9 or 10 nodes above the "U". I would cut just beyond the "U" and try to root the straight part. Alternately, you could bury part of the "U", because you wouldn't be able to see the buried part anyway. With the straight stems, cut them at whatever level you think would look best.

Cut the stem just below a node (where the leaves emerge from the stem) with a clean, sharp knife. Then remove the lower leaves (at least a couple of sets). Remove enough leaves so that the part of the stem placed in the soil will be sufficient to hold the rest of the plant upright. Let the stem sit out to callus over (at least a few hours and maybe even until the next day). Letting the cutting seal before planting will reduce the chance of rotting. Once your stems are sealed, plant them. Water lightly or as you normally would. Don't overwater, but keep just a small amount of moisture in the soil. You will be able to tell your plant has rooted when it starts growing.

Your plant looks pretty good to me, but you could decrease the lankiness by providing more light. I bet the area where they are growing receives at least a little shade. Most succulents grow best in full, direct sunlight.
ceglia
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi Brandon,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I'm going to try it out tonight, and hopefully it'll all work out! I've never done this before, so I'm a little scared, but I think it'll be alright.

By the way, you're right about it not getting enough light. It's on my porch, which is north-facing unfortunately, so it's always in the shade.

Would you happen to know what this succulent is called by the way?
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brandon7 TN_zone7
16 years ago
I generally try to avoid IDing plants I'm not sure about (It makes me look smarter to not fall on my face, LOL). Many succulents are much harder to ID than most other types of plants, and I could easily see your plant belonging to at least three genera. People over in the Cacti & Succulents Forum might be able to give it a try. They might even think it's obvious, but I'm afraid to touch it.

But, that doesn't really change the advise about taking cuttings. All the possibilities should respond about the same. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cacti & Succulents Forum