All of our succulent cuttings are picked fresh from our mother plants here at Corseside Nursery. Having worked with succulents for over 20 years, Sandra takes pride in hand picking all of the cuttings herself from the correct point on the plant giving you enough stem to root the cuttings with confidence on arrival.
There are quite a few different ways that you can root your cuttings; from hydro propagation, rooting straight into soil to pushing cuttings into floristry oasis and crushed shell. We can’t say for sure that any way works better for us, it’s really down to personal preference. Most of our cuttings are pushed straight into soil due to the convenience and speed of this method in a professional environment, but we like to experiment. At the moment, hydro propagation is quickly turning into one of our favourite ways to watch them grow in the house.
Scroll below for tips and recommendations for growing your cuttings.
On Arrival
As with all our plants, make sure your cuttings are put in some
good direct light to soak up after their journey in the dark. Succulents love light! Certain succulent varieties prefer an indirect light, but after being kept in a box for a few days it’s best to give them a good dose of direct sun for a few days to help them recover.
However you choose to propagate your cuttings, its best to give them a good soaking on arrival. You can mist them on a waterproof surface, wrap them in a wet tissue or place them into a glass or egg cup of water.
Inspect your plants on arrival. We do our very best to ensure your succulents arrive in perfect condition. If you have any concerns about their condition please contact us right away. Some succulents will shed their lower leaves in the transport and re-planting process. This is completely normal so please don’t worry. You can simply wiggle off these shedding leaves and dispose of them. You can even try to propagate these into new plants!
Succulents change colour throughout the year as the levels and quality of sunlight change. We try to list pictures of winter and summer colour variations where possible to help you understand your plant’s characteristics when choosing
A note on Rooting Hormones
Should you use a rooting hormone to propagate succulent cuttings?
Whilst we’re sure that many succulent growers have great success using rooting hormones to help with propagating succulents, we have never used it. We propagate, grow and sell thousands of plants every year with fantastic success using the gifts of mother nature alone; soil, sunshine and water.
Hydro Propagation
What is Hydro-Propagation?
Hydro propagation is a method of rooting plant cuttings by letting them sit in water. This is fast becoming one of our favourite ways to root cuttings so we can watch them grow and develop. You can use any kind of pot or glass (that doesn’t have holes!). We have designed our very own hydro propagation station available on our website HERE.
You simply drop the cuttings into the water and leave them to do their thing!
How long should you leave succulent cuttings in water?
We have succulents that have been sitting in our propagation stations for months now and are perfectly happy. We’ve been enjoying studying them in this environment, but presumably you will want to be potting them up to grow into larger plants. The root systems vary quite a lot with succulents so there is no exact time or root length to look out for. What we suggest, is to wait until the foliage starts developing and flourishing in this environment. That will be the right time to pot them up into soil.
Cuttings straight into soil
Pushing cuttings straight into soil is our preferred method for propagating succulents at the Nursery. We are able to take whole plug trays of succulents very quickly and care for them all in a very small environment. As a small family-run Nursery, space is a commodity
It is best to start small when picking a pot/container to root your cuttings so the plants are fairy ‘pot-bound’. You can keep up-grading the size of the pot as the roots fill each size. Consider the pots as stepping stones until you have them in your desired container size.
It’s best to stick with a pot that has holes in the bottom to help manage the drainage at this tender stage in their growth. We advise lightly misting the plants until you start seeing signs of growth. At this point you can gradually increase the watering as the plant grows and its appetite for water along with it.
Please refer to our CARE GUIDE FOR POTTED PLANTS for more information when your plants develops from the cutting stage.
A note on Seasons and the
Growing Environment
It is worth noting that growth rates and watering requirements are going to change quite significantly throughout the year in the UK. Cuttings purchased in the warmer months will propagate much quick and watering requirements will increase too. Be mindful of this when reading advice. You need to adjust your care to suit your own needs. A succulent growing on a windowsill right next to a radiator is going to need much more water than one growing in a cold utility room for example.
Soil for succulent cuttings
What soil should I use for my succulents?
This is a very common question we get asked.
Succulents like to be in soil that allows water to drain freely from around the roots. They like a good drink, but they don’t like to be sat in water. For this reason, it is advised to mix your normal potting soil with material that has larger components such as crushed shell, gravel, perlite or pumice. We tend to use sand and crushed shell with most of our plants; 2 thirds soil to 1 third drainage. There is no right or wrong here; you are just trying to make it easier for the water to drain away from the soil. Succulents don’t like soggy bottoms or wet feet!
Cuttings in displays
We love experimenting with succulent cuttings in displays and planters. We often fill an object with floristry oasis or crushed shell, soak it, and then push cuttings into it.
This large vase below was filled with crushed shell before pushing these Aeonium cuttings into it. This picture is 2 years on! We can’t quite believe it ourselves really.
I think the take-away from this article is…..
Just give it a go!
You can't go too far wrong
We’ve created a facebook group called ‘Secrets of Succulents’ for our succulent obsessed community and would love for you to come and join in the conversation here. This is a safe space to ask questions and troubleshoot and a place to share your wins and successes. We’d love to see how you’re getting on with your new plant babies.
Thanks for reading, and happy growing!
I was so please to receive all my new babies which were nicely, beautifully and packed with tender loving care. Love them all. Thank you. My 2 grandchildren was also involved in planting them in soil with my strick instruction and chosen their own favourites. Many thanks for selecting various varieties for me to start with. You will hear from me very soon!
Awww that’s so lovely to hear Maria! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
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Hi I’ve just got my little babies & potted them in small pots with grit. Can I put th outsid e now?
Thanks Grainne
Hi Grainne,
At this time of year all of the succulents enjoy being outside for their summer holidays. If you’ve bought a tender variety you will want to start thinking about brining it in around September/Ocotber… If you let me know what you bought I can confirm if it’s a tender or hardy succulent 🙂
Rosie
Corseside Nursery
Thankyou so much for my babies which arrived today. I have planted them in peat free compost in small containers to start them off. All are in excellent condition and look very healthy. I may need to ask more advice later on, but for now they are on a sunny windowsill awaiting spring sunshine!
Aww that’s great news! Thanks for sharing Marjorie. We are always on the other end of an email or phonecall if you have questions down the line.
Kind Regards
Rosie
Corseside Nursery