How to plant succulents without roots?

Have you been given some cactus and/or succulent cuttings and don't know how to root them? Don't worry. The vast majority of succulents (whether they are cacti or succulents; both are) can be multiplied without too many problems this way, from leaves and/or stems.

But it is important to keep in mind at all times that these are not plants that need to be watered very frequently and, therefore, it would not be good for the soil to be kept moist all the time, not even while their first roots are still developing. So, I'm going to explain to you how to plant succulents without roots and be successful with them.

What succulent plants can be propagated by cuttings?

Succulents, whether we are talking about cacti or succulents, are very popular plants, which is more than enough reason to have a very interesting collection. And there is also a huge variety of species sold all over the world, and many of them have very affordable prices. But, Have you ever wondered why they are so cheap? Well, one of the reasons is because they reproduce very well by cuttings., whether they are stems (most) or leaves.

Now, which ones can be propagated by stem cuttings, and which ones by leaf cuttings? It is important to know the answer to this question, because sometimes we may be given - or get - leaves from a succulent (for example) that cannot root in this way. Therefore, in order not to be disappointed, let's look at a series of examples of succulents that propagate very well by leaf cuttings, and which ones by stem cuttings:

• Leaf cuttings: 
  • Crassula
  • echeveria
  • Epiphyllum
  • Fenestraria (note: rather than leaf cuttings, what is done is dividing the plant)
  • Schlumberg was
  • Sedum
• Stem cuttings or suckers: Here we include the vast majority of genres that we have not named before, such as:
  • Aeonium
  • Agave (only multiplied by seeds or by shoots with at least a little root)
  • echinocactus
  • Mammillaria
  • Opuntia (be very careful with the thorns, especially the short ones that can go unnoticed)
  • rhipsalis

And now that we know this, we can ask ourselves…:

How to plant them so they take root?

If we want them to root as soon as possible, we will have to first prepare the pot in which we are going to plant these cuttings. And to do this, what we will do is: Choose one that is wide enough for the cutting to fit in well.But be careful: we must not put it in a pot that is too large, otherwise, if we do so, we will most likely increase the risk of the succulent having some problem as a result of poor watering.

Therefore, if the cutting is, for example, 4 centimetres wide, the pot it is in should not be more than 5, 6 or at most 7 centimetres in diameter and more or less the same depth. And, of course, this container must have holes in its base, otherwise it will not be useful.

Now that we have the pot, We will have to fill it with a substrate that allows the succulent cuttings to have a chance to move forward.. And what is that? If we don't want to complicate things, it is highly recommended to buy a special bag of soil for cacti and succulents, which is already ready to use, like thisBut it is equally valid to make our own mix, for example with 50% black peat + 50% perlite; and if we add a first layer of volcanic gravel to further improve drainage, even better.

Once ready, we will water well, thoroughly, so that all the soil remains well moistened. And then, we will proceed to plant our cuttings. But how do you plant succulents that don't have roots? Well, this depends on what type of cutting it is. So, If we are talking about leaf cuttings, what we will do is lay them on the surface of the substrate, and cover their base (that is, the part where the new roots will emerge, which is the one that was attached to the mother plant) with a little soil.

If, on the other hand, we want to plant succulent plants without roots, we can do it very easily and quickly, since we only have to do the following: first, fill the pot with soil, then water it, then make a hole in the center with a stick or a finger, and insert the stem into that hole. And that's it. Easy, right?

In case we have any offspring, We will plant it as if it were any other plant., filling the pot with a little substrate, placing the shoot in it, and finally adding more soil to finish filling the pot. Once we have planted it, then we will water it.

How long do succulent cuttings take to root?

It will depend a lot on the time of year they were planted (winter, for example, is a very bad time for this), the climate in our area, and the health of the cuttings, as well as their own genetics. But let's suppose that we have planted leaves from a very healthy Echeveria in spring. The temperatures are high but not too high, as there is usually a maximum of 25ºC and a minimum of 15ºC.

The cuttings are kept outside, in an area where they get direct sunlight for a short while in the morning, and shade for the rest of the day; and we water the soil as we see it drying out. Well, with those conditions, Normally, cuttings would take very little time to root: no more than two weeks.Aeonium cuttings would take about the same amount of time.

And if we are talking about shoots, they should start to become active after a few days, since they already have roots and can therefore spend a large part of their energy on producing leaves and growing.

Good luck with your rootless succulents.