This is the information I used to start them:

http://www.succulentsandsunshine.com/propagating-succulents/how-to-propagate-succulents-from-leaves/

Thanks, I've been trying to cut back on the water. Today was the first time I watered them in a couple days.

Could I use gravel (like fish tank gravel) or sand instead of the grit and perlite?

I wouldn't recommend sand unless it is coarse - if you sift it using kitchen sieve, use what remains inside of sieve. You could use fish tank gravel - I have used it myself - just not extra large. Perhaps you could post a photo of it next to something common for size comparison? (maybe even few grains of rice...) Do you know if your existing soil contains lots of peat? If so, I would use smaller amount of it.

Perlite is quite inexpensive & sold in many stores (even Wallmart) - so maybe you could eventually get a bag. Do you have many succulents?

Rina

Pls. stop watering the plant at all, a couple of days w/out
water is nothing for these plants. This
cutting could easily go a week btwn drinks w/ no problem.

It helps to
understand that the defining characteristic of succulents is their ability to
hold water in their fat, fleshy leaves. That means they already have the
water they need to get well established, you're giving them more than they can
manage is what's causing them to rot. Without roots, they can't take up
water, so it causes them to rot. Also using smallish pots helps, like the
size in your 2nd pic or even a size smaller helps combat overwatering as well.

Rina is correct in suggesting you not use sand unless it's coarse sand as it tends to cause problems for the plants rather than help them.

If you're propagating from leaf do it on a big tray/saucer of sand, coarser is good but most sand is ok long as it's not a powder. Keep it in shadowed spot not direct sun.

Don't need to water at all unless weather is really hot for weeks on end. Big trays outside pickup enough moisture from nightly dew & mist from rainfall.

Hi, I live in the Philippines and the humidity here is quite high. I've learned not to water the leaves that I am trying to propagate AT ALL. When I first tried propagating, I misted them every other day, and my plantlets ended up like your second photo.

When the plantlets are exposed to a little bit of sunlight, the leaves turn translucent first and then shrivel up and die. Once it turns translucent, then the leaf is a goner.

I also made the mistake of leaving the plantlets in a shaded area but some rain got to it when there was a typhoon, and they all died.

So, all in all, I have initially managed to kill most of my plantlets. These are the latest ones which I have ignored, no water whatsoever. They are all growing roots except for the yellowish one on top which a bird pecked and dropped in an area with sun.