Propagating Succulents In Winter

 

Think you can only propagate succulents in the summer? Think again. In fact, the process is not too different from propagating succulents throughout the year. 

Interested in growing your succulent collection all year round? Read on to learn how to propagate succulents in winter.

How To Propagate Succulents In Winter

Propagation begins either with a leaf or stem cutting. If you decide to use a leaf, be careful not to break the entire leaf off as it won’t root, as well as avoiding accidentally knocking off more leaves from the plant than you need.

Next, prepare a rooting mixture of light, sandy soil. You can make it yourself or buy a premade well draining succulent soil mix. If you decide to make your own, ensure that you include perlite as part of the mixture to help with drainage. 

Overwatering is a very common killer of succulents, and insufficient drainage is one of the biggest culprits. Perlite helps excess water drain out of the soil and away from the roots.

Insert the cutting carefully into the potting mixture and gently pack the soil around it. Remember to give the cutting a little bit of water every day, but not too much as you could drown the plant before it has a chance to grow. 

The next step is to plant the cutting. 

How will you know that it’s ready for planting? The easiest way to tell is that the cutting has started to develop its own roots.

Plant the rooting cutting into a regular succulent soil mix. If you are propagating from a leaf, avoid planting it too deep in the soil. Set the leaf on top of the soil and bury the roots in a thin layer of soil; they’ll dig deeper into the soil as the baby plantlet grows.

On the other hand, if you’re propagating from a stem cutting, simply plant it into the soil as you would an ordinary plant.

Make sure to use a small plant pot - around two to four inches is optimal. Once potted, care for the baby succulent just as you would any other succulent. 

Note that succulents are dormant in winter, so you may not notice much growth until spring.

Winter Succulent Propagation Care Tips

It’s easy to grow succulents in winter. Once they’re planted, all you have to do is care for them exactly the same as for regular succulents. With this in mind, here are a few extra tips to ensure that they grow healthy and to their full potential in their dormant period.

Location

Keep your baby succulent inside during the winter, even if the adult version is winter hardy. Baby succulents aren’t as strong so the cold weather can freeze the cells inside the plant, causing it to die. Feel free to plant the succulent outside when temperatures are more kind.

Light

Place the baby succulent somewhere where it can get plenty of natural light. The best place is on the windowsill. Not only will the sun give it the light it needs, but it will also help to naturally regulate the optimal growing temperatures. 

If you don’t have easy access to a windowsill, then it’s best to purchase a grow light and keep the plant under it throughout the winter.

Water

Baby succulents can easily wash away when they’re watered. If they don’t wash away, they may still dislodge from where they need to be, so again, it’s important to be careful. For this reason, you may be better off misting the plantlet until it grows bigger. 

Water onto the soil directly, rather than onto the plant. Excess water can lead to rotting, which is far from ideal if you’re looking to grow your collection.

Another method you could use is bottom watering. However, it’s tougher to know if you’re overwatering this way. It may be a good idea to use a soil moisture gauge if you’re unsure about how much water you’re giving to the succulent.

Fertilizer

Because they are dormant, succulents in winter don’t need fertilizer. That said, they will benefit once the warmer months of spring and summer roll in, but fertilizer is really not necessary for succulent propagation or growth.