I love succulents. They’re cute, fairly easy to care for and incredibly easy to multiply. It doesn’t require deep pockets or a magic wand to grow your succulent collection. All it takes is a little bit of now how on propagation and little bit of patience.

You may notice some of your succulent friends getting a bit lanky from time to time. This is usually due to an inadequate amount of sunlight. But, don’t fret! It’s really just an opportunity to start your own miniature succulent farm.
Step one: Use a pair of clean, sharp scissors to snip the rosette (the bunch of leaves near the top that’s still relatively close together and somewhat resembles a flower) off of the trunk. Next, remove the remaining leaves. Gently wiggle each leaf from side to side until it comes free.
Step two: Place the separated leaves and rosette in a warm, dry place. I like to put mine in a small cardboard box on top of the refrigerator. They’ll need to stay like this for 3-5 days until the ends callous over. This is where the patience I mentioned earlier comes in to play. If you don’t wait long enough for the ends to callous, the leaves will absorb too much water and get all bloated and gross and then they’ll die. So, wait.
Step three: After the ends have properly healed, place the leaves on top of some well draining soil. You can give each leaf it’s own pot or clump them all together. But, be sure to allow enough space to grow. Place the head (or rosette) directly into some well draining soil as well. Now simply move them to a place that gets a generous amount of sunlight. I’ve found that a sunny window sill is the best place. Soon, each leaf will sprout roots. Once this happens you can start to water them. Once every 1-2 weeks should be plenty.
Author & Illustrations by Emily De Nicolais exclusively for ohdeardrea. To see more of Emily’s work, click HERE

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