Propagating a Jade Plant from Leaves
I've got this jade plant that has been through SEVERAL incarnations! Bless its little heart. I got it as a small, tiny plant about ten years ago, and it's almost died a couple of times - but, has been saved through various & multiple cuttings.
In this life, it's been upstairs for a bit too long, apparently not receiving enough sunlight and/or water. It got super droopy and wonky in a lot of its branches!
So I clipped those four branches off, popped off some of the lower leaves, and am going to try my luck in having these leaves propagate new plants! I'm sure I got some of the leaves clipped off poorly, and I don't expect much out of it, but hey - if it happens, I will consider myself very lucky!
I've done a bit of research online, and for me, letting them rest on sand was the best choice. The leaves need to be in a dry area, away from moisture so that the wound can dry & callous up. Apparently this prevents both new plant and root rot.
In a couple of weeks, roots should appear from the wound end of the leaf, and then teeny tiny little baby plantlets as the leaf shrivels up (because the roots are drawing moisture to grow). All of this, though, could take up to two months! Once the new babies show up, and the leaf is mostly shriveled, they can go into quick-draining soil with light watering.
There was also something really zen-like and relaxing, when I was placing the leaves onto the sand. Working patiently to make sure that they all fit, that they had enough room to breathe, that they (hopefully) aren't going to rot!
I did also save the curved branch cuttings, and immediately stuck them in water, as there were roots already coming off of the stem. If i have any luck with those, I will make another post! I've also left those top two, upright branches alone. Plants can get stressed out, and I'm sure that losing over half of its arms is going to freak it out. I am interested to see what happens to it over the next few months.
Have any of y'all had success (or failures?!) with propagating jade plants?
My only experience with propagating jade plants is them doing it themselves, lol. My experience has been that if you neglect them long enough they will get into fight or flight mode and start dropping the leaves with roots ready to go. I didnt mean to neglect my poor jade plant but my daughter had just been born and was sucking up all of my nurture time.
i've only had one plant that has given off babies from a leaf by "accident" - and it was just recently!
Yes! The branch pieces should root in the water for you, I've had luck that way with a trunk of one. I love succulents! Propagating them is so much fun, the 'lil babies they make are so cute:)
Looking forward to the update!
i saw someone online who said that the branches also need to heal - but whatever! if they root, hooray! i still have some christmas cactus that are "healing" off to the side, oops. i need to get them dusted up with root hormones & into something, quickly!
It is luck of the draw sometimes! It is all worth trying though, I think:) You just necer know.
Get on getting those babies into new homes!!!
It looks like you also re-purposed a plastic container - cool!
indeed i did - this was left over from something bought during the summer at the farmer's market. sunflower sprouts, i think. thank you for noticing! :)
The layout of the leaves does look very zen also :)
Nice!
I used to have a jade plant. Until I killed it...
It was from leaves sent to me from my mom, so I wish I had popped off some leaves and made little baby ones... Maybe I can get her to send me more. ;)
you should definitely at least ask! maybe she'll do the work for you ;) LOL
Haha! That would be nice...