When is the best time of year to propagate succulents? If you think summer is the only time you can propagate succulent cuttings, I have great news for you! I found an easy trick that makes propagating succulents in the winter almost as easy as it is during the summer. Keep reading and I will show you exactly how to propagate succulents in winter…
It’s extremely easy to propagate succulents in the summer. All you have to do is stick a succulent leaf cutting in dirt and walk away.
In fact, rooting succulents during the summer is so easy that sometimes they don’t even need your help. The succulent leaves that fall from the plant will just root themselves in the dirt.
Succulent plant propagation during the winter is a different story. During the winter, succulent plants go into a dormant state, and rooting succulent cuttings is much more challenging.
Can You Propagate Succulents In Winter?
Yes, you CAN propagate succulents in winter… and it doesn’t have to be difficult either!
I discovered a way of easily propagating succulents from leaves during the winter – and it was completely by accident. Here’s how it happened….
Growing succulents during winter on my window ledge
How To Propagate Succulents In Winter
As you can see, I have this wonderful ledge next to my south facing window where my indoor succulent plant collection lives during the winter. One day, I found a leaf that had fallen off one of these plants had roots and new growth!
When the leaf fell from the plant, it landed on the adjacent window frame. It’s a cold but sunny spot, where the succulent leaf received moisture from condensation on the window.
When I found the baby succulent plant growing on the window ledge, I was intrigued. I wanted to see if this was a fluke or something that would work all the time.
So, I took a few more leaf pieces that had fallen from the various indoor succulents I have, and put them on the window frame. Sure enough, I was able to start growing succulents from leaf cuttings I added to the ledge too!
After a few weeks, these succulent leaf cuttings started to put on new growth, and the roots became fuller. Woohoo!! This is going to be my new method of propagating succulents from cuttings during the winter.
Propagating succulents from leaf cuttings in winter
These succulent cuttings didn’t need any special care from me, and rooted just fine on their own.
But, if you want to try this method of propagating succulents in winter, and would like to get your succulent cuttings to root faster, try dipping the cut end into rooting hormone before putting it by the window.
Rooting succulent cuttings on window frame in winter
Taking Cuttings From Succulents
Succulents can be propagated by leaf or stem cuttings. All you need to do is carefully break or cut off a piece of the leaf or stem from your succulents. Now, you’re ready to start propagating.
One thing to keep in mind when propagating succulents from leaf cuttings is that when you break off a leaf, make sure you get the whole thing.
A half broken succulent leaf won’t root. You can see in the photo below examples of both a bad leaf cutting (on the left), and a good one (on the right).
Taking succulent leaf cuttings
The end of the leaf on the left was broken when I tried pulling it from the plant, and that one won’t root. The leaf on the right has a clean break, so I’ll be able to propagate it.
Learn more about taking cuttings from succulents, and get step-by-step instructions for growing succulents from cuttings in my detailed post: How To Propagate Succulents From Cuttings.
Planting Propagated Succulent Cuttings
Have you ever wondered how to plant succulent cuttings? The good news is that potting succulent cuttings is pretty simple too.
It’s easy to figure out when to plant succulent cuttings, they’re ready to be planted as soon as the cuttings start growing roots.
Succulents are very sensitive to being overwatered though, so it’s important to use potting soil that is specifically made for succulents when planting a succulent cutting.
You can buy potting soil for succulents, or you can make your own succulent soil using my recipe.
Succulent growing roots from stem
If you’re propagating succulent stem cuttings, you can simply plant the rooted stem piece into the soil like you would pot a plant. But, if you are growing succulents from leaves, then be careful not to plant them too deep.
To plant rooted leaf cuttings, lay the leaf on top of the soil and gently cover only the roots with a thin layer of soil.
If the roots aren’t very long yet, you can just leave the leaf sitting on top of loose soil, and the roots will find their way in as they grow longer.
Use small pots when planting succulent cuttings. Basic 2″ starter pots or 4″ starter pots work great for baby succulent plants, or you can buy some small succulent planters for your new babies.
Planting propagated succulent leaf cuttings
Winter Succulent Cuttings Care Tips
Growing succulents in winter is very easy. Once you have potted up your rooted cuttings, you can care for them just as you would any other succulent plant.
Just keep in mind that since succulents go dormant during the winter, so you may not see much growth on your cuttings until spring.
Propagating succulents from stem cuttings during winter
Light: Put your succulents inside, in a sunny window where they will get lots of light. If you don’t have a sunny window to put them in, then you should add a grow light.
Water: Tiny succulent plants can easily wash away or be dislodged when you water them. For that reason, you may find it easier to mist the small succulent plants rather than watering them, just until they get a little bigger.
Bottom watering your baby succulents would also work, but it can be more difficult to tell if you’re over watering them when you water from the bottom.
If you have trouble giving your small succulents the correct amount of water, I recommend using a soil moisture gauge.
Fertilizer: Succulents don’t need to be fertilized during the winter, but will benefit from being fed during the spring and summer months.
Once your miniature succulents are established in their new pot, feed them using a cactus and succulent plant food, or use a general purpose houseplant fertilizer.
Planting propagated succulents in starter pots
Read my detailed succulent plant care guide for more tips on taking care of succulents.
If you find it difficult to propagate succulents during the winter, give this method a try. It’s a fun experiment, and a great way to keep busy during the long winter months. If it works for you, stop back and let me know.
Do you want to learn more about plant propagation, and be able to propagate any plant you want? You’ll love my Plant Propagation Made Easy eBook! It will teach you all the basic methods for propagating any plant you want, as well as how to care for your new plants. You will get hooked on propagating your plants for sure! Download your copy today!
If you don’t have any succulent plants yet, you definitely need to add some to your houseplant collection! They are fun and easy (and addicting!) to grow! You can buy succulents online (this is a great source), or find quality succulent plants at your local garden center.
Recommended Books On Succulents
- Plant Propagation Made Easy eBook
- Succulents Simplified: Growing, Designing, and Crafting with 100 Easy-Care Varieties
- The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents
- Idiot’s Guides: Succulents
- Growing Succulents Indoors
More Information About Plant Propagation
- How To Propagate Jade Plants From Cuttings
- The Best Plant Propagation Tools, Equipment & Supplies
- Plant Propagation: A Detailed Guide For Beginners
- How To Propagate Spider Plants
- How To Propagate Aloe Vera By Division
Products I Recommend
Do you propagate succulents in winter? Leave a comment below and share your tips for propagating succulents.
Martin le Maitre says
Hi! Great article, thank you!
Context:
I live in Johannesburg in South Africa.
We’re heading into winter, which is very dry, and night-time temperatures can (occasionally) fall to -2 C (I’m guessing that’s about 28/29 F…?). Possibly -4 C once every few years.
A friend of mine had a BIG Pachypodium Lamerei in her garden… about 5 feet high, and maybe 10 inches diameter at the base. I don’t have a common name for it, sorry – and even if I did, it would probably be different from yours!
It’s an upright cactussy type thing, with long straight vertical branches, and vicious double-headed thorns spiralling around it – a VERY thorny plant.
It’s unusual to me that it has leaves growing at the tips of the branches which are not juicy and succulent, more like a leaf from an oleander or a eucalyptus.
It was hammered last winter by a black frost. The lower half was completely frozen, then rotted, then dried. Amazingly, it still held the growing top half up, but crumbled to dust as soon as she touched it. She chopped off the growing half and handed it (very carefully!) to me to see if I could get it to grow some new roots.
Problems:
But, as I say, it’s a HUGE, fat cutting, about 3 feet long and 8 inches across at the base. And “Winter is Coming”… Furthermore, there is only a short section of really fat trunk at the base, which I would like to save for the overall form.
Ideas:
I had no idea that succulents are dormant in winter, thanks for that, live and learn!
I would like to plant it no more than an inch deep in soil, supported by rocks or wires, and gradually grow more roots until it can support itself. I had planned to remove a row of thorns from the bottom and dust the wounds with rooting hormone – i figured these areas might be packed with growth cells.
But… Winter…
I would be grateful for any advice you can offer.
Best – Martin
Amy Andrychowicz says
That is a very cool plant indeed! The common name for it here in the states is “Madagascar Palm”. Bad timing on having to root the large cutting with winter so near. I would do just as you said, dust it with rooting hormone and put it into a large pot. I don’t see any need to remove the thorns at the bottom though, but I don’t think it would hurt. Just make sure you let the wounds heal and callus over for at least a week, or it could just rot. Then I would move it indoors to protect it from the cold. Don’t water it at all, and just keep an eye on it though the winter to make sure it’s not rotting or getting too dried out. Then in the spring, move it back outside once it’s warm enough. It may not do anything during the winter, which is fine. I’ve overwintered large cuttings like this before, and they rooted very quickly once I moved them outside in the spring. Good luck!
Martin le Maitre says
Thanks Amy, I’ll try that!
Annie B says
I have a jade plant that is 30 years old that my aunt didn’t want because it got so big.It has been neglected and needs to be pruned back but is surprisingly healthy. I have cut off 6-8 branches and hope to combine most of the large ones in a new pot to give her a more manageable sized jade. I have read all your advice and currently am curing the branches on a south window with root hormone on the end. I mist them a few times a week. Any advice for the potting process would be super helpful, I am a bit scared. Do you think 5-6 branches of 4-6 inches each would be bad to put together once they start growing roots? Thank you, all your info is very helpful!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Jade plants don’t need a lot of growing space, so potting up 5-6 of your cuttings into one container should work just fine. Good luck on rooting the cuttings!
sara says
Do you apply the rooting hormone before it calluses over or after?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Apply the rooting hormone after the succulent cuttings have callused over, just before putting them into the soil.
Kay says
Great info!
Do you have specific info on how to propagate a string of ‘x’ during winter?
I bought a struggling succelent at a nursery just before winter. I really wanted it even thought was not in best shape. It’s a sting of dolphins. The main stem/roots just shrinking and dying so I thought it may be best to cut them all and start fresh. But don’t know how – since they have a ‘string’ they look different to ‘regular’ succelents and but sure how to propagate them. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Amy Andrychowicz says
I don’t have a specific post for that type of plant, but it would be similar to propagating other succulents. You can try the same method I outline in the post above. Or you can try rooting the cuttings or leaves in soil as described here. If you root them in soil, just remove a few of the bottom leaves so that there’s a stem to dip in rooting hormone and place in the soil. Good luck!
Nfn says
It is winter now in north Texas (zone 8a) and I started this hobby late in the October. Luckily I have a very large south facing window in the bathroom so I put 4 trays of leaves there. I used 1:1 ratio of perlite and cacti soil I got from Lowe’s. I mist it everyday because the window receives a lot of sun and it could become hot and dry. Some varieties root faster than others. So far some of the leaves have rooted and sprouted babies. Some just grew lots of roots and no babies. Some are just being stubborn and laying there. Anyway I feel like a mother hen checking up on my chicks everyday. Haha.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha, that’s awesome! Sounds like you’re having lots of fun experimenting with propagating your succulents this winter. Enjoy!
Joseph Buckley says
What about a heating tray. There have the same heat as summer. I live in Ireland and grew succulents in a cold garage.
This year i am going heatinf because i have growing some already summer in garage.
Joseph Buckley
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, a heating tray should work to propagate your succulents during the winter.
Helga Miller says
HI Amy, I have a light fixture above my garden window with a regular spotlight bulb that I turn on after dark for a few more hours for my succulent collection. Should and could I replace it with a grow light? It seems to be working but my aloe plant develops brown tips. I know it needs repotting soon. Love your advice column and thank you for it!
Amy Andrychowicz says
If the light is working to keep your succulents from growing leggy, then I don’t see any reason to change it. The light wouldn’t cause the leaves on your aloe plant to turn brown though, unless it’s a really hot bulb and the leaves are getting burned because they’re too close. But brown aloe leaves are usually caused by improper watering. Here’s detailed info about caring for aloe… The Ultimate Guide To Aloe Vera Plant Care
Patrick Ryan says
You should include a warnin,g Amy-propagating succulents can be very addictive! You collection will expand quickly. So easy.
I use Black Gold Cactus Mix with excellent results. I find that the mix is hefty enough to support large succulents and cacti. Keeps them from tipping over when they get large. Works well for amaryllis too, as they can get very tippy in those small plastic pots that come in the gift boxes at the store.
Amy Andrychowicz says
LOL, that is so true!