How to root succulents
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Many friends who propagate succulents are concerned about how to root them. All succulents waiting to root, whether leaves or cuttings, are in a special dormant state from the moment we pick them from the mother plant due to the shock. Therefore, the most important core of rooting succulents is to keep the succulents in a stable and comfortable environment until they trust the new environment and start growing.
This dormant state of succulents is very efficient, their life activities quickly drop to a very low level, and they are better at closing their stomata to conserve water than rooted succulents.
Rooted plants sent from overseas always need to be dried for a few days to avoid breaking or losing leaves. When we receive them, they often look like a wilted cabbage. However, the cut plants stand there full of vitality, with hard leaves and maintaining a good state. In spring, I cut a leaf from a string of beads and didn't want to throw it away, so I half-buried it in the pot to see if it would survive. By summer and autumn, that leaf was still there, although it hadn't sprouted, it wasn't withered either. This shows that their ability to preserve themselves is very strong.
The reason these rootless lives need to be preserved so carefully is that in their homeland, the climate conditions are not only harsh but also changeable. If a leaf were to take root boldly just because the temperature slightly dropped, it could be quickly killed by the following consecutive hot days.
Therefore, a stable and comfortable environment is key to root development. During the rooting period, try not to disturb them.
Most friends have the patience to wait slowly for leaves to root, after all, leaves are easy to come by, and even if leaf propagation fails, it doesn't cause the heartache of losing a plant (leaves cry: so you never considered me a person in the first place!).
However, the cuttings (especially expensive ones) are completely different. You often treat them as a rootless plant – indeed, sellers also promote them this way – just root them and it's fine. But little do you know, the cuttings are actually just a part that fell off the succulent body, and they are also very cautious about rooting.
Friends who have successfully rooted can observe their succulents and see where the roots grow from, whether leaves or stems. All new roots grow from the growing points, right? The cells of the growing points are the most active cells on the succulent body, while the epidermal cells of other parts of the stem and leaves have evolved to be very low in activity to reduce water loss.
So, you must ensure that the succulent you are preparing to root has fresh growing points. Now, it's very popular online to shape old stakes (C-S), so some unscrupulous merchants directly cut the branches of old stakes for (C-S). Of course, friends hope that the lower part of the branches can root, so they directly plant them in the soil. As a result, the branches of old stakes not only fail to root but also wither and rot from the bottom, leaving no choice but to cut them. Fortunately, after several cuts, the old stake finally roots successfully, but unfortunately, sometimes even cutting to the bottom of the rosette doesn't produce roots.
If such so-called shaped old stakes are not potted from the beginning but left alone, the first place to root is often not the bottom of the branch but the base of the old leaves of the rosette. The reason is simple: the growing points on the branches have aged and the active growing point cells have died, so they can't root.
The same is true even if what you're waiting to root is not an old stake branch but a perfect lotus rosette, there is also the problem of aging growing points. Some cuttings are side buds, and the growing points at the bottom of these plants are more active, with normal metabolism of old and new leaves. You can clean up the old leaves under the rosette to expose the growing point for rooting. Another type of cutting is really cut from the top, and the leaves at the bottom may be very fresh. In this case, you can painlessly break off a couple of leaves to expose the growing point for easier rooting.
There are many methods for rooting, and many persistent friends have already tested them, such as holding them in the mouth of a water bottle, placing them on vermiculite, on black cubes, or directly planting them in dry soil. There are many methods, but in fact, the differences are very small under normal circumstances.
However, this is a tutorial for beginners, and avoiding accidents is still very important, otherwise it would be too discouraging for our enthusiasm for raising succulents.
So my suggestion is to place them flat on a seedling tray, with the following benefits:
1. The seedling tray is black, and root cells have photophobia, which theoretically favors the growth of adventitious roots.
2. The seedling tray has many small cells, which perfectly support the rosette and avoid injury to the bottom leaves.
3. The seedling tray has a function of water immersion, so you can spray some water from below.
4. Some seedling trays also come with a lid, which can be used to adjust humidity on dry days.
5. Most importantly, you can pick it up to check the rooting situation to satisfy your curiosity without worrying about hurting it. Until the adventitious roots under the rosette are very lush, then dig a small hole in the potting soil and place the rosette flat on it, waiting for the roots to enter the soil on their own.
Almost all articles about leaf propagation warn not to cover the growing point with soil. This saying makes sense. First, the growth of adventitious roots does not rely on soil, but on the moisture in the leaves, so soil has no effect on rooting. Second, the organic matter needed for the division of growing point cells still has to rely on photosynthesis, and covering the leaves with soil blocks sunlight. Third, even if only the growing point is covered with soil, it can lead to more cases of roots not sprouting, and even if they do sprout, the young seedlings have to struggle out of the soil, which is not easy.
Leaf propagation and cutting are essentially the same thing. Patience is the best guarantee of success rate. Don't do things like watering to speed up their rooting if you're not sure, a spray bottle that can produce a fine mist is enough.
If you're really in a hurry, you can try things like rooting powder, which are usually hormonal substances that can speed up cell division in plants. In the case of cutting old stakes mentioned earlier, using rooting powder should increase the success rate significantly. However, I must admit I've never used rooting powder. My homemade method is to soak the rooting part of the healed wound of the succulent in concentrated sugar water (sweet enough for you) for 15 minutes. Don't soak for too long, otherwise the cells of the succulent will lose water.
Finally, I wish everyone success in rooting.
The above is an introduction to the methods of rooting succulents, which can be used as a reference suggestion.