Do Succulent Leaves Grow Back

Do Succulent Leaves Grow Back? Can you propagate them using this method? Is it the best way to multiply them? Let’s find out!

Belonging to the arid and desert regions, succulents have fleshy and engorged foliage. Though the plant is easy to maintain, sometimes, the gardeners face a challenge when it’s leaves fall and the plant starts to look bald. So, Do Succulent Leaves Grow Back? Can you use them to propagate the plant further? Let’s find out!

Check out our article on how to grow succulents in India here!

Do Broken Succulent Leaves Grow Back?

If you are noticing that your succulent plant is growing bald, then don’t worry, the leaves are going to grow eventually. Just make sure to take the right care of the plant, keeping it in bright sunlight, and avoid overwatering. The plant grows new sets of leaves from the ‘head’ and also the ‘offshoots’ on the parts of its stems. However, if you are not liking the way your plant is looking, you can use the same leaves to propagate a whole new plant!

Depending upon the way you snip it and the condition, the leaf can grow a whole new plant. If the leaf is broken or not fully torn from the stem, it will die. But if it is cleanly cut or consists of a little bit of stem part as well, it will sprout.

How to Grow Succulents from Leaves?

Propagating a whole new plant from a single leaf requires a few easy steps to be followed.

Cutting Leaf

You should snip off the leave from the base of the plant instead of cutting the younger ones at the top of the plant. Using your fingers, hold the leaf by the base and twist it back and forth until it comes out of the plant.

Drying

Once you have snipped the leaf from the plant, place it on a paper towel and let it dry in a warm and indirect sunlight spot for 3-7 days until it develops the calluses at the cut section. Do not keep it in direct sunlight, as it can burn.

Dip in the Rooting Hormone

Once your leaf dries out, it will turn to a pale brown color. Dip the cut section of the leaf in a rooting hormone. This step is optional, but it increases the chances of successful germination.

Planting

Take a shallow tray, and fill it with a cactus mix soil. You can also DIY the soil mix for succulent by mixing coarse sand, coco peat, and perlite/pumice in equal parts. Lay the leaves at the top of this soil and keep it in the bright, indirect sunlight. Mist the leaves regularly with a spray water bottle.

Sprouting

After 4-5 weeks, the new root will start emerging from the cut section of the leaves. After some weeks, a whole new plant will regrow. Once a new plant grows, the leaf used for propagating will turn dry and brown. Separate the main leaf from the newly growing plant using hands, and transplant the new plant into a new pot.