4 Reasons Your Leaf Cuttings Won`t Grow A New Succulent

If you’re a succulent lover that decides to propagate your plants, you probably learned the easiest way to do that is from leaf cutting. So, you cut the right leaf and planted it, but nothing is happening. The main problem can be that your leaf cutting is only producing roots, but nothing is growing on the surface. You don’t have to worry. There’re only a few reasons for that and you can easily solve your propagation problem.

You Choose the Wrong Succulent

Not all succulents can be grown from leaves. If you try to propagate succulents like that from leaf cuttings, those cuttings will root and stop at that point, rather than sending up new leaves. If you tried to propagate Hoyas like this, you definitely faced this problem. Planting leaf cuttings from the wrong succulent will result in deep roots, But you’ll never get a healthy plant. Like in the case of Hoya, you should try and propagate those succulents by stem cuttings.

You Took Too Few Cuttings

If you tried to propagate your succulent by taking only one leaf cutting, you probably faced a disappointment. The reason is the same as we mentioned before- some leaf cuttings will root, but never produce a new plant. To solve that, take as many leaves as you cant from the succulent you want to propagate. This will improve the odds of some of those cuttings growing into healthy plants.

You Tried To Propagate at the Wrong Time of Year

If you choose to propagate your succulents by leaf cuttings, be careful with choosing the time of year to do that. Cuttings will generally do best if you take them just before the time of the year when they’re naturally growing the most. Cuttings from summer dormant types of succulents will grow better in fall and spring, while those from winter-dormant types will shoot up during summer. For example, Echeverias shouldn’t be propagated during summer. However, if you took and planted leaf cuttings in the wrong time of year, just be patient. They will eventually send up new leaves in a few months.

Know How To Root Cuttings For Best Results

When you’re propagating your succulent from leaf cuttings, you need to take a few steps. First, you need to snip or break a few leaves from a healthy plant and retain their petioles (leaf stems) if they have any. Then you should lay off the leaves in a bright and dry place for a few days, keeping them away from the direct sun. This will allow calluses to form over the cut edges. After a few days have passed, your leaf cuttings are ready for potting. Youll need to choose the right soil. You`ll make a great soil medium with a barely damp mix of 1 part peat to 1 part sand or 2 parts of succulent potting soil combined with 1 part of fine grit. Place each leaf or leaf stem in the soil making sure they’re far enough that they can stand upright at the slight angle. You should mulch the soil with a layer of fine grit to help retain moisture and support the cuttings. If you keep the soil lightly dump, you can expect leaf cuttings to root somewhere between 3 weeks and 3 months.

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