Life from just the leaves

Here is a fun way to grow many varieties of succulents.   This Graptopetalum (or Grapto for short in my book) is an unknown variety I have had for awhile.  It is perfect for pulling off leaves as it leggy even in bright light (it has a long stem and grows upward as opposed to tight rosette).  Echeveria are often too compact to easily get leaves off cleanly.  The Grapto leaves are always falling off around the parent plant.

In that picture it is rooting in some perlite. But these will sometimes root all alone in the area they fall, one of the possibly more likely ways to propagate one's self over seed.

I'll root many of mine on top of my refrigerator near a bright florescent light. This helps them from rotting.  To be successfully they need to be dry but in a bright and humid environment for 1-2 weeks. No direct sun or too dry environment as that only speeds up drying out.  The refrigerator I have is old and warmer than general room temperature on top so that speeds things up. 

Some sources say just 3 days to develop a callous is all that is needed. Then to just plant in a cactus mix. A callous means the cut is completely healed over. Watch twice a day on some you harvest and you'll see the cut dry and tissue around it swell a bit. I they are big enough to leave out for a week and the room is humid roots will even start while they are just sitting there.

The best specimens are the ones that just drop off or come off easily. The leaf needs to be complete. If it tears and leaves critically needed cells on the stem you won't get roots and a new shoot. I have even had some that just grow roots and never a shoot! 

I have the best luck with leaves of Crassula, Echeveria, Graptopetalum, and Sedum. But many others are possible. On Echeveria that are often tight and compact for me in part sun I will harvest the small leaves that are attached to blooms in spring.

Another trick on Echeveria is to grow it for a month or so in shade or dim light.  It will get leggy reaching for the light and then you can get a bunch of leaves easily.  It will cause a nice compact plant to be lost, but cut the top off after the loose leaves come off and it will root too.  Whats left of the parent will sprout again as well as long as you leave a couple leaf nodes above the soil.

Here is a picture of the leaves or leaflets in between flowers. If they are too small they usually dry out but I can usually grow a few this way.