How to Propagate Echeveria the Easy Way

Succulents are great to add if you don’t have much space, live in a warm climate, or just want something that is low maintenance in your garden. Echeveria succulents are the perfect plant that meets all of the above qualifications. Today I want to talk to you about how to propagate echeveria the easy way.

I enjoy having succulents and have a bunch scattered in pots around my patio garden and on a garden shelf. Several echeverias are part of my succulent collection.

What are Echeveria Succulents?

Echeveria succulents are succulents that grow in rosette shapes of many different colors and sizes. They originated in South America, Central America, and Mexico. They are very popular here in Southern California!

I love that these succulents only grow as large as the pot they are in. This makes them perfect for my patio garden!

Echeveria succulents are diverse enough to place in arrangements in pots or to add to a water wise landscape in the ground.

You can also mix and match echeverias with other plants that are water wise! Before I get into how to propagate Echeveria the easy way, I want to mention some types you can grow.

Types of Echeveria Succulents

As I stated above, there are numerous types of echeveria succulents. Below are some of my favorites:

• Echeveria Afterglow
• Echeveria Black Prince
• Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’
• Echeveria Black Knight
• Echeveria Blue Sky
• Echeveria Lola
• Echeveria Chroma
• Echeveria Crimson Tide
• Echeveria Dondo
• Echeveria imbricata ‘Variegata’

You learn more about echeveria succulents in my Echeveria Varieties blog post.

Propagation of Echeveria

What does it mean to propagate anyway? Propagating a plant means taking a part of the parent plant to grow a new plant. This is a great way to save money on succulents if you want to add more to your garden.

You just have to be patient, since it takes time to grow a new succulent from the parent one.

How to Propagate Echeveria Succulents

Since this blog post is about the propagation of echeveria, let’s dive into that. There are several ways to propagate Echeveria succulents. You can propagate from the leaves, cuttings, or pollen from the flowers.

You can experiment with each way and learn how to propagate echeveria succulents the easy way for you.

How to Grow Echeveria from Cuttings

Growing echeveria from cuttings is the easiest way to get new plants. Once your echeveria grows too big for the pot its in or too leggy, cut it just below the rosette.

Wait a few days until the place where it was cut scabs over. Then place your echeveria into a new pot with well draining soil mix. Water until your plant is established.

Don’t throw away the stem where you cut off the echeveria! Baby echeverias can grow from the stem. It may take a few days, but its worth the wait!

Once the babies grow large, cut off and place in a cool, dry area until the place where they were cut heals over. You can place the babies in one pot or give them each a pot.

Water until the plants are established in their new home. Now you have several new echeverias from one!

How to Propagate Echeveria Leaves

To learn how to propagate echeveria leaves, gently pull several leaves from the parent plant and place it in a dry area where there is no direct sun. You want to use several leaves since they may not all grow new plants.

Make sure the leaves look nice and healthy. Healthy leaves are more likely to grow baby echeverias than unhealthy ones. Gently pull off the entire leaf and try not to rip it!

Keep the leaves in a dry and cool place so that the area where they were attached to the parent plant dries up. It can take several days to a week for this area to callous over.

Once the area of contact has dried, lay the leaves down flat in a pot with succulent soil. The new plant roots will find the soil while the baby plants grow out of the calloused area.

Lightly water the leaves every few days. It may take a month or longer to see baby plants. The leaves from the parent plant will eventually shrivel up.

You can also carefully remove the old leaves without damaging the new plant and roots. You can move the baby echeveria to its own pot, or make sure it has plenty of room to grow in the pot its in.

Water your new echeveria succulent every few days and continue to keep out of direct sunlight.

Rooting Hormones

Another step you can add when you propagate echeveria leaf is dipping the leaf in rooting hormone before planting it. Place the calloused part of the leaf in rooting hormone, then stick the leaf in the soil.

I have yet to do this with my echeverias, but I have done this when propagating plumeria trees.

Propagate from Flower Seeds

A more advanced way to propagate echeveria is by sowing seeds from their flowers. Echeveria succulents produce beautiful flowers throughout the year.

You can collect seeds after the flower closes back up once its finished blooming. Dry the seeds, then place in seed starting soil or a mix of this soil and succulent soil.

Watch new echeverias grow right before your eyes!

How to Propagate Echeveria the Easy Way

Remember to be patient when waiting for your new echeverias to grow, since it takes time for the succulents to emerge and grow large. Always use more plants and leaves than you need, in case not all of them grow into new succulents.

My version of how to propagate echeveria the easy way is just a guideline to follow. Have you tried propagating your echeveria succulents? Let me know about your experiences in the comments section below.