It’s always a joy to grow succulents because of their beauty, compact size, and low maintenance requirements. If there’s one thing we both love and hate about them, it’s that they take longer to grow than other plants. It’s why many beginners wonder how long propagating succulents would take.
For instance, how long would it take to root succulents in water? Would this technique hasten the process as compared to rooting in soil? That’s what we’ll talk about in this quick guide.
What To Consider When Propagating Succulents
There are three factors that determine the amount of time it takes to propagate succulents. These are the propagation method you choose to employ, the type of succulent you’re trying to propagate, and when you do it.
Propagation Method
The first factor that influences propagation time is the propagation method you’ve chosen. Growing your succulent from seeds, for instance, will take a longer time than rooting them from stem cuttings. Rooting from the stem is also different compared to rooting from leaf cuttings.
Succulent Type
Another factor that can significantly impact propagation time is the type of succulents you’re growing. There are varieties that grow faster than others and some that root a little bit slower.
Growing Season
Finally, you also need to account for the natural active and dormant seasons of your succulents. For instance, Agaves are summer growers, so they are more active during the sunny months. Meanwhile, Aloes are known to be winter growers and are, therefore, more active during the chilly seasons.
How Long Do Propagating Succulents Take?
There’s no way for us to list all the different types of succulents and their respective growing seasons here. Thus, let’s focus on the propagation methods instead. Here are the different ways to propagate succulents and how long each of them takes on average:
Leaf Propagation
In our experience, this is by far the fastest way to propagate succulents. It generally takes around two weeks for leaf cuttings to show signs of root growth. Then, after around six to eight weeks, you’ll already be able to transfer your new plantlet to its own pot.
Stem Cutting Propagation
This is another fast and convenient way to propagate succulents. However, it does take a little bit longer to grow a new plant from this method compared to the previous one. It takes four weeks for stem cuttings to grow new roots. Then, it can take another couple of months before you see new leaf growth that will tell you it’s time to transplant it to its own pot.
Offset Propagation
This method of propagation involves the harvesting of new pups or offshoots produced by the mother plant. Not all succulents produce them, but those that do should be cared for the right way to increase your chances of success.
Remember, a plant growing in its ideal environment will be more likely to “give birth” to new plants than those that are neglected.
The time it takes to propagate from offshoots may vary, as most of the effort will be up to the plant. Once you have successfully harvested a new pup, it can take around one to three months for new roots to develop enough to be transplanted.
Seed Propagation
Finally, it is also possible to propagate new succulents from seeds. You can harvest seeds directly from flowering succulents or buy them from your local nursery. However, this is the propagation method that takes the longest time.
At times, it can take between three weeks to a year just to germinate succulent seeds. Then, it can take much longer than that for your seedlings to grow to full-sized plants. This reason is why we seldom do this and why we don’t recommend this method to new growers (or impatient ones). Instead, we’d rather grow our succulent collection through cuttings.
How To Propagate Succulents Faster
Are your cuttings taking their time to grow their roots? Don’t worry; this is only natural. However, if you’re running out of patience, there are ways to hasten the process a bit and to increase the chances of propagation success.
First and foremost, keep in mind that cuttings need a lot of moisture. This is the reason why most growers prefer to root them in water. Rooting in water reduces the chances of your cuttings drying out compared to planting them directly into the soil.
Another thing you need to ensure is for your cuttings to get sufficient light, but not too much. New pups are more prone to getting sunburnt when exposed to direct sunlight. As such, we usually place our propagation trays and pots in a spot where it will get a lot of bright yet indirect sunlight. Finally, don’t forget to give them a lot of care and attention. For instance, remember to replace or add water as needed.
Propagating Your Succulents
Succulents are not that hard to propagate. Still, we understand why it can feel like forever at times. For cuttings to develop new roots, the tips we shared will help hasten the process a bit. They will also ensure that your new pups will grow happy and healthy. Good luck and happy planting!
