apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Uhmm I see people do this with succulents, but I believe you're actually suppose to let cut end dry for a couple of days and then replant.

http://www.ehow.com/how_15655_propagate-succulents-cuttings.html

You-guys are starting to get me going about succulents too! Guess I'll have to go out this weekend and buy some plants....

Oh, let me add.... The recommended way to start jade plants is *not* to stick a cutting into water. It is to keep the cutting out of anything for a day or two, until the cut forms a callous. Then stick it into dirt, water it, and then don't water again until it's pretty dried out. I was skeptical about the callousing part, but I tried it and it worked well. My pal in the office down the hall says that he did not have success rooting in water, but rooting in dirt worked fine.

I used to think I could NOT grow a plant to save my life, but my new apartment seems to have better light and I think that makes a difference!

http://rainycitystyle.blogspot.com

My succulents died.

I just take broken ends or cuttings of succulents and cacti and place them straight into some dry soil. They usually have roots in about two weeks or sometimes less. Some times a branch or leaf falls of and sprouts roots on its own in the planter and finds its own way into the soil.

i have more than a black thumb. I have a black heart. Even succulents die in my presence. My icy touch kills!

So I'm not along in killing succulents :D

Um, yeh, I beg to differ, too. I killed 2 succulents. I bought another 2 this year to replace them. Let's see what happens...

Those of you who kill off succulents probably over-water them (or have them in soil with poor drainage). I know whereof I speak, alas!

And I have to say those windows bring back memories ... the same as in my mother's kitchen (and in fact, throughout the house)!

I tried cuttings for the first time with succulents....some succulents do amazingly well, others struggle. But I did the callous and also dipped in growth hormone before planting it. I'm a little impatient to see how my single pedal from a succulent is gonna grow into something. I think they are so cute all lined up on my window sill :)

The question I have about succulents is how do you keep them from growing super tall stems and not growing "fuller" I have a few that kinda look like roses and the grow tall but not out and I don't have any new stems growing.

In my experience, it depends on the succulent. I have some that need to be dried planted. One in particular likes the water method.

Ugh, i wish there was an edit button....I meant, my problem is that my succulents grow up and tall, but don't seem to get as full. So when I do a big bowl of them, it looks good and balanced for about 2 months and then they all grow like crazy. What I'd like is for them to just grow fuller or grow more plants as opposed to just getting taller....Is that possible?

gerianne--they're getting 'leggy', just snap off some of the ends of the leggy parts and it will trigger the plant to send out a new stalk that's lower. If you regularly trim it should keep a lot of the legginess in check!

never tried it with succulents but I've down this with another plant of mine that I love and it was successful.

Succulents are not the easiest plants for some people - I REALLY like plants, but have struggled with succulents, mostly because of light. Most orchids have been easier - and they have actually bloomed and been around almost a decade for me.

The type of succulent makes a big difference - I have several that do ok with east-facing windows. Haworthia and Stapelia species do well. Some Mammilaria cacti and some Sedum, Aloe and Crassula species do ok. Some succulents seem to really detest being houseplants for me, though, like the Echerevias - the hens and chicks type plants. (Correct spelling in this post is not guaranteed.)

Sometimes leggy growth is not enough light, sometimes it can be the wrong fertilizer - one with too much nitrogen.