Propagating Succulents and Cacti

• Succulents and cacti naturally propagate through stem cutting, leaf cutting, and offsets/pups.
• With the right method and care, you can expand your plant collection and support the health of your mother plants by planting succulent clippings.
• Tula House offers healthy mother plants, tools, soil, and expert guidance to ensure success when propagating succulents.

At Tula House, we love to say that a plant’s only job is to grow. But growing takes many forms, and plants have evolved countless ways to grow and spread their species far and wide. 

Nowhere is that more evident than in the world of resilient, tough, and ingenious cacti and succulents. Their strong root systems and adaptable stems and leaves make the process of propagation incredibly easy.

Propagating from your existing plants is a great way to add more greenery to your workspace or home. Here, we’ll share all you need to know about how to cut succulents for growing cuttings.

Does Propagating Succulents Harm the Mother Plants?

Pruning back and propagating do not harm a plant. When you make a cutting ahead of planting clippings, a succulent will respond by shifting its resources toward growth elsewhere.

In the wild, factors like other wildlife, wind, fire, and extreme weather actively prune back plants. For this reason, a plant losing limbs or leaves is very normal, and some plants even benefit from it.

The natural propagating of succulents and cacti is part of these unique plants’ evolution. Sometimes the easiest way to proliferate a species is for a piece of one plant to fall off and start to grow elsewhere.

Routine pruning is an important part of caring for mother plants. It improves overall health and airflow for stronger growth, and keeps the plant looking tidy and balanced. Using the pruned pieces for propagating your succulents is a welcome bonus.

How To Cut Succulents for Growing Cuttings

There are three ways for successfully propagating succulents and cacti: stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and offsets (also called pups).

For a visual guide to the different types of succulent propagation, watch this Plant Sessions video with Tula co-founder Christan Summers.

Every plant does best with a different method of propagation. While we have provided examples, consider researching your plant before choosing a specific method.

1. Propagating Succulents From Stem Cuttings

When you propagate through stem cuttings, you remove a stem with leaves from a mother plant.

• Use a clean, sharp knife, secateurs, or snips and cut on an angle across the stem. If possible, do this at the joint of a mother plant, so the mother plant looks naturally pruned back. Trim any lower leaves from the stem of the cutting, so when you do put it in soil, you can bury it enough that it is secure.
• Before planting succulent clippings in a new planter, allow the fresh cutting to scab or callus over. Think of the fresh cut as an open wound; you would never put dirt into an open wound. More often than not, this would cause rot on the cutting, because bacteria from the soil can easily infect the plant.
• When the cutting has callused, finish propagating your succulent by planting it in appropriate soil. Then water thoroughly, give it sun, and continue to water when the soil is dry and light. Read our guide about proper plant watering.
• Every week or so, test root growth by playing with the cutting gently. Eventually, you should start to feel more resistance as the roots grow and bind with the soil.

Often, succulents will push out aerial roots on their stems. You can expedite propagation by removing these stems and planting those aerial roots directly, and gently, into fresh soil. Planting succulent clippings this way takes advantage of the already established roots.

2. Propagating Succulents From Leaf Cuttings

When exploring how to cut succulents for growing cuttings, many people are surprised to learn that leaf cuttings are an option. Propagating leaf cuttings is the method of removing healthy leaves from a mother plant and employing them as the “seeds” of a new plant.

• Snap a thick succulent leaf like Graptopetalum or Kalanchoe at the base of the leaf, where it meets the stem. It’s best if you get as much of the leaf as possible, snapping where the leaf would naturally snap (without tearing) if the wind or a passing animal removed it from the plant.

• Bury these leaves directly in soil, about a third of the leaf down, with the rest exposed. 
• Introduce water slowly, misting the soil well whenever it is fully dry. Eventually, you should see a new plant sprout from the soil just off the base of the planted leaf cutting.

Leaf health is very important for successfully planting succulent clippings in this manner. Leaves that are wrinkled or bruised, or mushy or yellowing, should be avoided. Pluck choice, fresh leaves for the best results when propagating succulents by cutting leaves.

3. Propagating Succulents From Offsets/Pups

Smaller pups on the edges of plants can be planted separately to create whole new plants. There are two methods of propagating pups; one is more invasive to the mother plant but results in quicker propagation of the pups. The other is not invasive at all, but requires time to let the pups root.

For the first method:

• Uproot the whole plant and massage the root ball to allow soil to fall off without damaging roots. Soon, you’ll be able to isolate a pup and its roots.
• Remove the pup from the mother, taking some of the roots along with the new pup. You’ll have to tear roots, but isolating the pup and removing soil will help you tear as few roots as possible.
• After they have been removed, pups with roots can be planted directly into soil as new, small plants. 

Overall, these plants are very resilient in the roots – don’t worry about harming the plant too much by snapping roots when propagating succulents. 

For the second method:

• Use clean, sharp scissors to snip the pups from the base of the mother plant — without uprooting the plant itself.
• Allow the snipped ends of the pups to callus over before planting.
• Once these succulent clippings are callused, proceed with planting in fresh soil.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which method is best for propagating my succulents or cacti?

While all of these methods are effective, it’s important to make the right choice in how you cut your succulents for growing cuttings. For instance, jade is a common example of a plant that is perfect for stem cuttings, whereas many agave species are best suited to pup propagation. The video above references the best methods for several of the arid plants we routinely work with. We recommend researching your plants, or stopping by Tula House for advice from our friendly experts.

What type of soil should be used when propagating succulents?

As with full-grown plants, you’ll have greater success with planting succulent clippings if you use a soil designed for succulents and cacti. Tula’s Arid Mix makes an excellent choice. 

Is there a good time of year for propagating succulents and cacti?

Generally, your plants may be propagated whenever they are healthy. We recommend propagating in the early spring, so the mother plant has the proper energy to focus on regrowth, and so that the cuttings have the right conditions to reroot.