Cutting propagation of Echeveria



To Plant A Garden Is To Believe In Tomorrow

Echeverias are also propagated in our nursery. They are easy to care for and have the beautiful appearance of a desert-grown rose. Echeverias are native to Mexico and central America and consists of dozens of species and countless cultivars, consisting of range of different characteristics, such as shapes, size, colour, ect. These succulents have a huge success rate when propagated via cuttings, and therefore we use this method when propagating Echeverias in our nursery.

 The mother rosette consists of multiple leaves nestled against each other. When propagating, we simply pull a leaf away from the mother rosette and lay it on the surface of the soil or rooting medium. The leaf starts to root in a couple of weeks, and a tiny, new rosette emerges from the base of the leaf cuttings (Figure 2 - 4 shows different stages of root and plant development). It is also very common for the new rosette to develop before the new root system. The old leaf will later dry up and detach from the new, rooted rosette (Figure 5).
Figure 1 Leaves placed on rooting medium


Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 A Having depleted the nutrient and water supplies of the leave cutting,
the young rossette will soon detatch from the leaf and start taking up nutrients and
water from the soil, via it's newly formed root system.



The soil we use for propagation is a peat-based cactus-mix, topped with perlite; peat-based because it is loose and drains quickly, and perlite because it does not retain water, and therefore keeps the cuttings dry and prevents root rot. It resembles the dry natural conditions in which these succulents grow, and enhances evaporation. Echeverias are very self-sufficient, and therefore there is little need (if any) to add nutrients to the soil. We only add fertilizer if the plants look a bit poor or languid. Then we use very diluted fertilizer that can dissolved in water.

Initially we don’t water the new rosette, as it relies on the leaf cutting (from which they develop) for survival. When the leaf has dried up and only the new plant is left, we wet the soil thoroughly, to ensure that the growing roots will have access to it immediately after watering. Echeveria will tolerate temporary moist conditions, but it is vital for the soil to be completely drained before watering again; the soil must drain easily and well (as already mentioned) so that root-rotting is avoided. These conditions may sound extreme, but one should remember that Echeveria is a desert plant which naturally relies on summer rainfall, normally consisting of heavy thunder showers, followed by long periods of harsh, dry conditions and therefore thrives on little water.

Echeveria prefers bright light, but full sun could be damaging to the plant. When replanting cuttings at home, plant it in a container situated in an area that is exposed to morning sun, or only receives sun for a few hours a day. Over the course of a week, one can move the plant to areas of increased sun exposure, until it is exposed to full sun. In areas where the summer temperatures routinely exceed 32°C they should be planted in areas of semi shade. Careful consideration is given to the placement exposure to sun, as to much shade may cause them then to loose their leaf's natural symmetry.

We propagate Echeverias in greenhouses, because it enables us to control light and temperature conditions. We can provide enough light for optimal growth and functioning of the plants, and we are able to prevent any unwanted temperature fluctuations between night and day. (Ideally, Echeverias shouldn’t be exposed to more than a 10oC difference between night and day.) Echeveria prefers dry climates, but it shouldn’t be exposed to humid climates, therefore we don’t use any covering for the soil; any trapped moisture can lead to rotting. For the same reason we see to it that there is sufficient ventilation in the greenhouses.







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