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At times, succulent leaves can fall off due to some reasons such as underwatering, overwatering, and too much heat. Fallen succulent roots at times can grow into brand new succulent plants. Once succulent leaves fall off, do not dispose of them but rather propagate the leaves to produce another small succulent plant.
Propagating fallen succulent leaves is more manageable and helps you create a new dish for succulent plants. For the information discussed below, you will learn how to use and reuse your fallen succulent wire in other ways apart from getting rid of them.
Reasons why succulent leaves fall off
Succulent leaves may fall off due to several reasons, mainly concerning watering reasons. First, succulent leaves may fall off because of too much water they have absorbed in their system. Too much water causes the leaves to swell, become soft and eventually fall off from the plant.
Too much heat may also cause the succulent leaves to fall off after withering. This is due to too much moisture evaporating very fast from the soil and the leaves, especially during drought seasons. To prevent your succulent from falling off during drought, ensure that you shade the plants during a heatwave. You can also water the plants depending on the plant’s needs.
Finally, using sand soil with poor drainage features stores excess water, making leaves swell and becoming soft and eventually falling off. Ensure you use recommended soil for your succulent plants to keep them healthy.
After leaves fall off from the plant, the leaves finally dry after approximately three days. After drying, you can use the plants for propagation to grow new succulent plants from them. This process helps you reuse the fallen leaves instead of getting rid of them or buying new succulent plants.
Before throwing the fallen leaves away, first, ensure you try replanting the leaves after propagating them carefully. If the leaves are damaged beyond reuse, you can dispose of the leaves to prevent bugs from hiding in them. You can cut the leaves and prepare them for reuse through a process known as propagation.
Steps on how to propagate succulent fallen leaves
The following steps describe how to propagate succulent fallen leaves to generate new succulent leaves for plantation or growth.
- Collect all the materials required to propagate the fallen leaves
Collect the materials you need for your project. The materials include; fallen leaves, sand soil mixture, a container to place your succulent leaves, sunlight and a spray water bottle.
- Cut the fallen leaves and leave them to dry
After collecting the leaves, cut them correctly and leave them to dry. Ensure you leave the cuttings to dry until the end from which the leaves fell from dries completely. If your succulent leave is watery, dry it on sand or in direct sunlight.
- Leave the fallen leaves for some time to dry
After your succulent leaves have fallen off, collect them, and leave them to dry for approximately two to three days. After drying, take the pot that matches your preferences and place sand soil on it. Place your leaves on top of the soil and stick them a little deep to prevent them from falling off.
Moreover, ensure that you spritz water out of the leaves daily to ensure the succulent leaf cuttings are completely dry. If you use the leaf cut without drying completely, the curt will rot before developing into a new succulent plant.
- Dip the dried cutting into the soil
After preparing the pot sand mixture, lay cut leaves on top of the soil with the front-facing downwards and to the light. Ensure you use the correct soil to prevent the cuttings from rotting before developing into plants. It is also advisable to use sand soil mixed with potting soil equally.
- Position the leaf-cutting towards sunlight
Expose the leaf cuttings to direct or indirect sunlight depending on the type of succulent plant you have used. Mostly, it is advisable to use indirect sunlight to avoid scorching the leaves and withering them. Ensure you alternate your plant to ensure each part accesses light to prevent the plant from leaning towards one side.
- Using a water spray bottle, water your plants until they grow new roots
Growing succulent plants require more water than already developed plants to grow to root. Use a spray bottle and water the leaf cuttings regularly until they develop into small succulent plants with roots. Ensure you don’t use too much water when spraying to prevent the leaf cuttings from rotting before growing roots.
Using a water spray bottle helps you the plants and soil damp but not watery. But, if you live in a place with too much moisture, no need to mist your leave cuttings as they will rot.
- Use more soil to cover the roots
Once your leave cuttings have developed roots, that is about for weeks, put a thin layer of soil on top of the roots to cover the whole roots. Covering the roots prevents the new succulent plant roots from drying.
Once the soil has covered the roots, they will continue to enlarge, and the leaves will begin forming new leaves. Ensure you are taking care of the growing succulent plant carefully to prevent the plant from drying or rotting.
- Transfer each growing succulent plant into their jars
After the leaves have grown fully into a plant, put soil mixture in different pots and transfer the new succulent plants into separate jars. Care for the new succulent plants until they fully develop.
Frequently asked questions:
- How can I transplant and grow new succulent plants?
When transplanting and growing new succulent plants, follow the following steps.
1. Remove the mother leaf from the succulent plant.
After the new succulent leaves develop roots, they start growing their leaves. The central leaf is usually used to propagate and examine the new succulent plant if it withers. Remove the main leaf from the new succulent plant gently to avoid damaging your roots and the developing leaves.
After examining the main leaf, transfer each succulent into its pot.
2. Prepare your mason containers to transfer the succulent leaves.
First, bring your jar or pot with draining holes at the bottom. Place rocks at the bottom and add soil mixture on top. The rocks provide better draining features that prevent the plants from rotting.
Ensure you prepare each pot the same way for each new succulent you propagated. It is advisable to use soil that is equally mixed with sandy soil and potting soil.
3. Transfer the propagated new succulent plants into different pots.
Locate the central position of each pot you are using. Remove each new succulent plant from the initial pot and place each plant in the main part of their pots. Cover their roots with soil to prevent them from withering. Care for the new succulent plants as recommended until they grow into normal size.
4. Water the soil and plants when necessary.
After transferring the new succulent plants, water the plants only when needed and avoid a regular watering schedule. Watering the new succulent plants soaks the plants hence resulting in them rotting.
5. Expose the plants to sunlight and nutrients.
Ensure you provide sunlight to the growing succulent plants and also well-balanced nutrients to increase their growing speed.
Conclusion
Once your leaves fall off from the plant, try creating new succulent plants out of them instead of disposing of them. The above steps will help you propagate the fallen leaves and transform them into new plants.
