Hi! First time plant owner here! I tried cutting some leaves to propagate however every leaves seem dead now? 1st pic is now and 2nd pic is last week. Can't these type of succulents be propagated through leaves? Should I try other methods? Thank you in advance.
by crystalskyblue
4 Comments
The leaf has to have a node located on the stem. They look like little black/brown nodules on the stem. A leaf alone won’t propagate
They also look pretty dry. Some people use a spray bottle to keep them damp until they have taken
It really depends what they are, as many people see a succulent and treat it as such, when some should be treated differently. I can see the echeveria leaves(I think) still look nice. I can’t tell if the larger ones are Florist Kalanchoes or if they may be younger pads of some type of very scalloped orchid cactus. Can you identify either of those for me? The only reason it’s kinda confusing me between the two is purely because a very water-starved pad of an orchid cactus may develop heavy veining in the same way, and can have a very leaf-like appearance at the base as well when water starved. The way you prop Orchid cacti(and likewise holiday cacti) can be much different than Kalanchoes. Keep in mind too that if you do get the florist’s Kalanchoe to grow, it eventually looks nothing like the plant they were taken from as often they use specific fertilizers to increase leaf size.
The other commenter also has a great question, with whether you left them to scab over or not. This can really make a difference betwen them dying off or propping well.
If those are Kalanchoe leaves, I would check the base of each of the stems for rot. Those that are still solid, I would plant edge up in some moist cactus soil mixed equally 50/50 with perlite. Let it dry out well before rewatering. Unlike typical succulent leaves that you can leave out on top of a soil and see them pup, Kalanchoe leaves are going to want to prop much more similarly to how one would propagate a snakeplant, a full stem of a succulent, or a cactus pad.
You can also try to do a humidity prop with the ones that look scabbed over and well, by taking a large glass, and placing a little water in it, then putting plastic wrap over the top. You cut a little slit in the top and have the leaf hanging OVER the water. This creates a humid environment that can help induce root growth and rehydrate the cutting. Once you see some roots, you want to slowly reduce the humidity that it’s recieving by peeling back the saran wrap, until it’s in room level humidity, then plant it up. Some people also do this by using a plastic bottle with the lid on it, with a little water at the bottom, then they cut little slits in the side of the bottle and gently put the cuttings into it. Again, you don’t want to place any part of the cutting in the water, but if it grows roots that reach for the water on it’s own, that’s totally fine.
Water