Succulents: Propagation Secrets

Tell us you secrets. Starting mix. I would love to know. Norma

I have two pots I picked up at the swapmeet before I knew any better that have no drainage, and weird pedastal feet. Not much good for cache pots or growing real live plants, so they sit there filled with sand. These are my nursery pots. They sit on the back of my potting bench under the eaves and only get about an hour of early morning sun, depending on the time of year.

I bring home odd leaves, cacti bits, pieces/parts and pop them in. If they shrivel and die, this plant was not meant for me. I have started lots, and lots, and lots of plants this way.

I check in two weeks for roots, ignoring them in the meantime, then pot them up into one inch terra cotta pots, still with sand. When they get their own pots, then they get some water. I often use a kitchen spray bottle with good water, and just a shot per pot. When they get a decent root ball, and show good signs of vigorous growth, they get potted up into a "real" pot with 'real' dirt.

Thats about it in the Secret Department...
Cena

I have a cache pot that is actually a flat 18x18 lined with newspaper. I put it in a semi shaded spot, good light, but not direct. Everythings goes in there. I can't wait to see if the seeds tossed in grow. I also start all my Sans. cuts in there as well. Norma

Cena,

What a great idea (a communcal nursery). I think I'll have to try it -- thx for the thought.

I have also noticed that seeds must be fairly fresh or they won't germinate. Sometimes 2 weeks after I harvest them I sow, or I get a low crop. Norma

How does one go about fertilizing flowers of Sans. I have not been successful. Norma

Since Sans flowers open serially I don't know. I only have the one experience for this, and was not doing Hand Pollinating yet. I would assume a good hair paint brush and just tickle, dab, visit each open flower then on the the next.

Perhaps you should start a whole new thread for this.

Cena

Cena, that is what I have tried to do here. Open up the discussion to all that will participate. You and I just won't cut it. I harvested some Euphorbia seed today, they have three seeds per fruit. But when ripe they pop open and I miss the seed, that just go all over.

So now I set the plants in a high sided cardboard box and put a strainer on top, when they pop the seeds fall to the bottom. These were hand germinated they are E. obessa and I needed male and female plants. Some Eurphorbia are self fertile. Norma
P.S. Castor Bean also have fruit with three seeds and pop out all over. I have a beautiful red leaf form, which is seldom found in the wild in California.

crasulady, i know you've sent me stuff already, but is there any chance of getting a few of those euphorbia seeds please? just say if u want anything back in return, i'd be very happy to send you some seeds!

lil

Hi Lillith, I would be happy to, but they weren't mine to give away. I volunteer for the Huntington Gardens, and one of my jobs is to pollinate and collect the seeds and put them into brown paper envelopes with the name of plant, when collected, when sowed, etc. I will always share what I have with the group, so keep posted. Norma

Euphorbia seed, I'll keep a look out for them. Peraps I'll ask for some from the Huntington. See what I can do.

Sansevieria tip. They are growing new offsets this time of year so be sure to water and fertilize regularly. When the new offsets are about 6-8 inches high, this would be the time to take them off. Make sure that you leave at least 2" of the stem, especially if they are hybrids, or they may not come true and revert. If you have a hot house this may be done any time of the year. Norma

thanks for that crasulady, that would be great :)

lil

Now is the time to take Kalanchoe cuts, Mexican Sedum, Crassula if they have finished flowering, but not Aeonium. Let them dry a few days to heal over the cut, then set them in damp soil and wait a week before watering. I have also been taking offsets of Aloe, Haworthia, Gasteria and many other species. My plants are all smiling this time of year, I hope yours are also. Crasulady

Hi Lilith, I started a E.Medulosa today from just a arm. I was told that it would form a base. If this is so, please group tell me now. I haven't forgotten, I did try to get you one this morning from an old time grower. She just didn't have but one, couldn't talk her out of it. The Huntington doesn't have any extra plants either and I tried in the wholesale houses as well, so far none in sight. Norma

My latest new find: 1. Cut vining plants and put pieces in the soil, hyou have nothing to lose, and sometimes it works, this tip was giving to me by Rogers Weld of Fernwood Nursery. 2. Peel the skin off the Bowiea volubilis, it is like an onion, it is layered, make sure it is a good size piece and lay face down on soil in the shade, it will root and from the new bulbletts.
3. I have some Begonia that form tubers of good size, I thought the only way to get a caudex is to grow them from seed, not so. Cut the stems, set in soil and water the next day, set them in shade. It will take about three years to form the caudex. I discovered this by just trying it.
4. I have some Mexican woody stemed caudex type plants, I was told to put these cuttings into soil, and wait. They will grow and form a caudex in time. They must be in a very small container. Iip is from Sylvia or Henrietta's Nursery.

Don't take off any seed (fruit) from the Sans. plants until they turn orange. Plant in about 2 weeks, they take 2-3 weeks to germinate. Keep babies damp so they can put on good growth before it gets cold. Growing indoors make sure they get some humidity. Sans. love humidity. I have been harvesting seed this past week. This information was given to me several years ago by Juan Chahinian. (the king) Hawaii is ideal as well as any island. So. Florida comes next. Lets hear your ideas about propagation. Crasulady

Make sure your seed pods are dry before harvest. So you don't lose any seed either use scotch tape which I do on my Gasteria seed to keep them closed. Boxes to catch them with a screen over them. Make sure the fruit is ripe before harvest.
Echeveria, turn brown and hang their heads down, even the out side cap? must turn brown. Put these on a white dish and shake them out, they will look like dust. Crassula, Sedum, Aeonium, Tylecoden also.

thanks for trying to get those seeds, norma, and thanks for all your help...i'll be trying a few of those tips out, i got a cutting of some sedum and was wondering how to get it to root :)

lil

Norma, have you tried to tape your euphorbia seed pods to keep them from exploding? On my E lophogona I have collected seed from pods I pollinated by covering the pod with a small piece from the toe of a woman's stocking (no, not mine). It should be about three or four inches long. When the seed explodes it may knock the stocking off, but the seeds will be inside. Years ago I had my E. coerulescens (spelling??) set many many pods. I didn't get around to it and they all exploded. The plant was inside in a room with indoor/outdoor carpeting. With a hand-vac I went all over the area and got about 175 seeds, which went to Strybing Arboretum. Almost all the seeds germinated and they had many seedlings.

I get seedpods on some sanseverias by rubbing my hand over the open flowers--but only in the evening when they are open and receptive. You have to do it every evening as the individual flowers are only receptive for a day or two, in succession over about a week or two. S. conspicua always sets seeds.

For lots of succulents I root cuttings in pure pumice. It's a great medium for starting epis, hoyas, sans. and general succulents like echeveria etc. Cacti grow well in pure pumice, but I think they would prefer a mix with a little peat, fine rock, and coarse graded sand added to the pumice (but NO composted material).

For larger outdoor growing succulents I use my sand pile. It's on the driveway and really warms up in summer. I water it along with the potted plants. Here is where I root big cuttings of yuccas, agaves, aloes and cacti. In the fall and spring I root dudleyas and aeoniums. If I stick a yucca cutting in the sand pile in late winter (perhaps because a stem rotted from winter rain), it will just sit and sit. But, once the weather warms and the sand heats up, the yucca will root very fast.

Some of my tricks only work because I live in Northern Califonria in a mild coastal area--but inland enough that our summers warm up a little.

Jon, I know that the seedlings of the Euphorbia come up all over when you don't even plant them. Now what about sowing them all in one pot, now when should I do this? Soon after I collect, or are they seasonal, like waiting to come up in the winter?
Please Jon, if yo have the heart shaped Hoya could beg, or buy some leaves from you, I know I can root the leaves, isn't this so? I have taken cuttings of Hoya just a week ago cutting about 2" below the leaves so I have a stem to sink into my mix, but cutting the top of the stem 1/4 above the leaves hoping that is where the new stems, leaves will come.

I think you can plant euphorbia seeds as soon as you collect them. This is their wet season whey they would most likely germinate well. I don't know about rooting hoya leaves. I would think you need some stem, since that is where the roots initiate.

Propagation of seeds, don't plant them deep. Pack the soil down in the post and put about 50 seeds per. sprinkle the seed evenly and then add a fine layer of clean fine bird gravel/aquarium gravel, made sure these seed do not dry out give them plenty of indirect light, and air circulation. Misting is good.

Jon I'm counting on you for tips on how to stop damping off. We never have this problem, but other do. Crasulady

Watch this thread, I'm going to try to get a secret from a famous grower of puya, bromalaids, tillandsia. I want to know what he plants them in. No comments, I know my spelling stinks. Crasulady

Toady, I must take off fruit of a milkweed tree, butterfly's lay their egges on the thin leaves, so I will only take off the fruit and not any leaves. This plant attracts the Monarch here in So. Calif., it also attracts a lot of bugs, so they lay their eggs and eat lunch at the same time. The flowers are white tiny lacy bells of white and lavander. The fruit looks like puffer fish that are frightened the seeds are all on parachutes inside and look like dandelion seed flying in the wind. I think the Stapelia also have seeds that look like this.
Do you want seeds? Crasulady

Hi, I am brand new. My username indicates two groups of plants that I like. Norma, I plant bromeliads, all but Tillandsia, in regular *good* potting soil, but not the trash you can buy at many stores. I add to that stuff some perlite or gravel and some extra organic stuff. Fortunately a local nursery sells a very good base. Tillandsias - if they are going into a pot I simply use some cocofiber, also known as coir; but they prefer being mounted on wood and for that I use Liquid Nails(TM). I cover the LN afterwards with a very thin layer of milled sphagnum.

Those of you that are growing Crassula. The summer species are in flower now. Wait until the flowers are completely dried up before starting the cuttings. Some will actually put roots down. Wintering flowering plants again start them after they flower, this will also be their growing season.
C. capitella varieties are starting to flower big time, I will actually start cutting off the inflorence when they are dry. C. capitella 'Campfire' I will not need to cut until December. It will then put out the offsets which I will start at the end of April. These plants do not like water. Watch for mealies.

San. They are growing like crazy, the heat, humidity, food is all in their favor. I still am having trouble getting them to set and hold fruit. Should they be dry when in flower? I know I must not water the Crassula when in flower. Any input, Jon?

I have many in flower, they have heavy perfume at night starting at 7:30. We still don't know who is their natural pollinator so I take a camel hair brush, and start at 8:00 and every two hours until about 2:00 in the morning, I do the deed. They start to form within a few days, and fall off. What am I doing wrong. I missed a whole crop of Hoorwoodii. Norma

Cerepegia, I have been taking cuttings of these vine like types that have parachute flowers that are really different.
I take ten cuts to a bundle and set them in a 1" x 4" pot. Wait a week then water. I alway take the cuts about 1" below the nodes. These plants look to me like climbing sticks, having parts that grow from the joint. Messy, but good basket types, they will climb. They need the heat to do well, but I have them in a unheated greenhouse. Crasulady

Today I took the heads (tips, rosette) off the Crassula
streyi, cutting 2" below the bottom leaves. These I sank the stems all the way up to the bottom leaves about 5 to a 4" pot. Now I must wait a week before watering. This plant needs protection against the sun during the summer. It has rather large leaves with deep wine undersides and makes an excellent house plant. Really one of my favorites. [:o}
Crasulady Do not start the winter Crassula growers at this time of year, wait until your weather cools off. Crassula will not do well in climates that are hot at night.

Today found an Aloe growing out of very small pot, boy did it look healthy. Well I worked it out with out any damage and started to pull it apart, each head was separated, then I saw a problem, mealies, down tight in the leaves hiding, so I immediately took off the first row, but then looked again and had to take off the second row of four, broguht them into the house and soaked in soapy dish water, took them out again, and rinsed them off with the hose and sprayed with Safers.
They are now repoted. If more mealies don't hatch the next five days, I will have killed them all. I wouldl have never discoverd this problem had I not emptied the pot of Aloe, then it would have been too late. Crasulady

Euphorbrom and Jon, thanks for your input, I know both of you are extremely knowledgeable and appreciate all the help you give us. Crasulady

Zala said she had a problem with the lampranthus, I told her to cut the tips back to forse new growth and perhaps increase her chances of more flowers, a little fertilizer wouldn't hurt and she could also plant the cuttings, if it is growing in a pot, please change the soil at this time also. Jon what do you say about this please? Crasulady

I going to take cuttings of the Epi, Ripsalis family next week, I will let these dry before I set them in moist soil to root, I always start these species in tiny rose pots l"x 4" about 6 to a pot. Wait a week and water. The less I fuss the better my results. Epi only 1 per pot Crasulady Norma

Norma, I like to root epicactus in pumice. It really cuts down on rotting. Once they are well rooted I pot them up in an epiphytic cactus mix--I'm still not sure what that should be. But, it would be something like pumice, coarse peat, fine bark, coarse sand. I use pumice to root rhipsalis too.

You might want to try this mehtod for Crassulaceae seed.
They will look like dust. I purchase my Crassula seed from Africa. At the Huntington They use 24 hour flourscent lights, 4 light per shelf. There are 2 kinds you must use to each fixture. The seed are sown when fresh 1-3 mo. old.
Now I'm going to send this, and write the second part.

We use an small under 4" container, and put in at least 50 seed it we have that many, the more the better it seems. We than start misting them daily, until we see sprouts, then lightly water and fertilize. Part 3

Now we wait to watch them grow slowly, do not take them out of the container until they are bursting to get out and are easy to handly, then only lift out the largest. Pack you soil slightly in the post, sowing seeds on top. Water from the bottom, the water will draw the seeds down into the soil. You may want to sprinkly with the finest white granite sand that you can find. When you water be careful to wash away the seeds. Crasulady

#4. Sedum from Europe grow differently and have different requirements than Sedum from the America's
#5. Crassula from the East Coast is different from those on the West coast, it is very important to know the difference, African seed are sown the opposite than in Africa June=Dec. etc. If you sow the wrong time of year they will not germinate. Crasulady

Anther note regarding seeds: If you fertilize the seed with a brush, remember most of the time you must have two plants that are not related that is why location data is important. Some plants the fruit are self fertile that is another advantage to have seed grown plants. Besides you will get more variety. Not all fruit will have seed inside.
I hope this was explained this correctly. Crasulady

Today I harvested the Echeveria 'Harry Butterfied'seed, I certainly have more than I can use. They are like dust, having about 300 seeds per capsule. When I pinch them, all the dust falls out and I clean away the chaf and bag them up with their name and date harvested.

I have 6 packages to give away, you certainly may contact me. First come first served, of course their no charge for them. Crasulady

I would like to give it a try. i emailed you! thank's!