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Taking sedum leaf cuttings

HoneyheartHoneyheart Posts: 40
in Plants

A couple of weeks ago on GW they showed how to take sedum leaf cuttings - this was as simple as cutting a leaf, sticking it into a gritty compost and waiting. I took a dozen leaves off a few plants but all but 2 sort of collapsed in the seed tray without creating a new plant. (The 2 remaining leaves are still sat in the compost but haven't produced anything yet..... ) I didn't overwater so I wondered what went wrong and how to ensure a better result. Thanks for any advice.

Posts

  • Johnny canoeJohnny canoe Posts: 367

    I took a few sedum cuttings this past spring. I dipped them in root hormone first and I put each pot in a clear plastic bag with some holes in it, for about a week. That helped keep it nice and moist, they rooted quick so I took the bags off them in about a week.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    when I did it I took a piece of stem as well and stuck it well down in gritty compost. I had 100% success with one variety and very poor with another. I wonder if some are easier than others.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    I find it much easier to just pull Sedums apart, you will get lots of little plantlets, with roots attached, which will then grow quickly into good sized plants.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • HoneyheartHoneyheart Posts: 40

    I forgot to say, I'm talking about the tall sedums like Autumn Joy (not so easy to pull apart as often only have 3-4 stems). Thanks

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618

    A lot of succulents will produce roots from bits that drop off. I have trouble with vine weevils with echeveria, which chomp on the roots. The tops often fall off and the old roots rot. I have had the tops on a bench in the greenhouse with no soil whatsoever for the winter, and in Spring they start to produce roots and then I pot them into fresh gritty compost. Most sedums I split in Spring. Mr Goodbud at a year old split into six quite easily, in March(just as the new shoots are emerging) potted on and grew and flowered as good size plants the same year.

  • sueschles2sueschles2 Posts: 7
    My sedum leaf cuttings have rooted and produced little plants. When do I cut off/remove the leaf?
    Strawberry 

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    You don't need to remove the leaf. Eventually the plant will grow larger and absorb the energy from the leaf and it will just shrivel up. Sometimes with leaf cuttings I will withhold water for a couple of weeks and that will spur the new plant to use up the original leaf's water to make a better root system. Keep an eye on the young growth when you do this though. With a lot of succulents you can not water the leaf cutting at all until the leaf has dried up which gives the young plant motivation to get a good root system going.

    For hylotelephium sedums though I prefer to take shoot cuttings in spring when the plant it making vigorous new growth. It makes new plants much more quickly but does reduce the size of the parent plant.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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