Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Echeveria Propagation, Hopefully

I am hoping my newest little plant project goes well, seeing as I haven't had much experience with the world of warm-climate succulents. I am attempting to "renovate" my sister-in-law's succulent tray. She had a lovely tray of tropical succulents that I adored when she got it this past summer. Those fat, blue-green leaves and the spotted aloe did look so striking in the shallow painted terracotta pot. The plants unfortunately grew a little leggy and started to look sad, so I offered to try to fix it up.
Decapitated rosette from the top of an echeveria stem:

I have cut three echeveria to stumps and kept the root balls. The aloe looks fine and is in a separate pot. I am keeping the rosettes from the tops of the echeveria stems and many individual leaves, hoping that they will root and produce new plants. I made the cuttings yesterday, leaving the pieces open to the air on a shelf overnight (to "callus over", the websites say).
Tray of echeveria cuttings:


Today, I dipped the leaves, bare stem segments, and rosettes in rooting hormone and then stuck them in cactus soil. I will sparingly water these and wait for new growth. I hope this works! If it does, I may end up with a lot of little succulents. I just can't believe that I was lucky enough to find a few bags of cactus soil on clearance at the local hardware store in January!

Top shelf of my basement light garden right now:

I have a few orchids, herbs, and little perennials for the alpine garden growing here right now. Nothing too exciting.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

You'll do fine propagating these little darlings. I have leaves fall off mine into their pots and take root. Such lovely plants. Ours get a little straggly looking in the winter because we don't get enough light, but a few weeks outdoors brings them around brilliantly.

Barbarapc said...

They are so gorgeous. I don't blame you for wanting to maximize your return. First time I saw a herd of them was at Thomas Hobbs garden in Vancouver - he had scads of potscapes all over his Vancouver garden - their blue-ish hue looked really sharp with the coral/orange he's painted his house.

O.I.M said...

those should do just fine. I started a new echeveria just like you're doing right now and it's quite happy. but what's the trick to keep them from getting leggy? i have all these little rosettes on the tips of long, bare branches and it doesn't look especially good. any ideas?
irena

themanicgardener said...

Lovely shelf there. And good luck with the rooting.
--Kate

breannep said...

I'm curious what seeds you are starting now...do you start perennials really early inside? I am trying to figure out when to start my perennials... I am in a Northern zone too, but not quite as far north as you...

Gardenista said...

Hello there. For the answer on my blog -- to the question of what I have growing now -- not too much. I only start slower growing plants that don't get too tall now. For perennials, I have a few Echinacea, primulas, the Jovibarba, and aquilegia. I am trying to start some gentians too. Large plants like Delphiniums would get too tall if started now. Most annuals and the tomatoes will be started in March and April, since I can't plant out till June.