Have you been looking for an evergreen plant for your home that is easy to propagate? Sedums or Stonecrops can easily fit any space in your garden or planter. Growing Stonecrops is one of the simplest plant endeavors because of their low cultural needs and simple upkeep endeavors.
Stonecrops belong to the genus Crassula, consisting of other succulents such as Echeveria and Jade plants. The Stonecrop perennial plant does well in hot sunny climates, making it easy for you to propagate and take care of.
What to Note Before Propagating Sedum
Stonecrops are a great way to get started as a gardener. They can thrive in either artificial light indoors or natural sunshine outdoors. The Stonecrop plant is excellent for container gardening, pathways, perennial borders, and rockeries. Moreover, Stonecrop succulents seldom suffer from diseases or pests, making them an ideal candidate to have at home.
Sedum has a shallow rooting system which means you can plant it on a tray or shallow pot. Sedum doesn’t like competition from weeds or other plants for nutrients. As such, you can only add some small stones or mulch at the base of the plant to offer support, decoration and keep away pests.
The soil must be well-drained, rich in organic additives; you can use low nitrogen fertilizer during the growing season. When the plants are young, water them every two days; however, they should not require any additional water afterward. In the fall and winter, watering is not needed at all.
Overwatering is the most common problem with Stonecrops. Use unglazed clay pots to encourage evaporation of surplus water when planting in containers.
How to Propagate Sedum
You can propagate Sedum plants from seeds, leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, and division(offshoots).
Propagating Sedum Using Seeds
Sedum seeds should be handled with care. They are quite small, thin, and lightweight. You can purchase them from gardening centers or pick them from your existing Sedum plant at home.
Here is how you can your own seeds from an existing Sedum plant:
To collect your seeds, remove several seedheads immediately after the Sedum plant blooming period is over, and the formed seed heads start changing color from green to brown.
Place the seedheads in a paper bag and keep them in a cool, dry area for at least two weeks to allow them to dry. If you plant the seeds without drying or place them in a damp place, they will rot.
Remove the seedheads from the bag once they’re completely dry, then thresh them to collect seeds using your fingers. Do this over a very fine screen and place the screen over a bowl or tray. This allows seeds to pass and collect in the container, retaining all the debris on the screen.
After collecting all the seeds, put them in a bag labeled with the Sedum’s name and date of collection. Seeds collected from a fall-blooming Sedum plant can be sown the following spring. While waiting to sow the seeds, you can store them in your fridge for one year.
In the spring, when temperatures range from 45 to 65℉, is the best time to propagate your Sedum seeds.
Prepare a fine-textured, sterile seed-starting soil mix and soak it to make it damp and not soggy. Take the seeds and sow them on the potting mix and enures not to cover them with much soil.
It usually takes two to four weeks for the seeds to germinate, but you must keep the soil moist during the germination period. Once the seedlings have developed, repot them or plant them in our garden and tend to them until they thrive.
How to Propagate Sedum from Leaf Cutting
Propagation of Sedum plants from seed is slower and less predictable than propagating them from leaf cuttings. You have the potential to fill your garden or containers with new Stonecrop plants as every Sedum leaf is a potential cutting to develop into a new plant.
To propagate Sedum from leaf cuttings, you need the following:
- Sharp knife/Pruning shear
- Alcohol rub
- Rooting hormone
To plant your Sedum from leaf cuttings, simply snap off only healthy leaves from the parent plant using your pruning shear or sharp knife to plant your Sedum from leaf cuttings. Remember to sterilize your cutting tool using alcohol rub to prevent transmitting or spread of pests and diseases.
Take the rooting hormone and apply it at the cut area or leaf node. Rooting hormone is for encouraging fast rooting. Now, take the leaves, and you can either root them in water or soil.
If rooting in the soil, ensure the soil is well moisturized and doesn’t retain water. Place the leaf on the well-draining potting mix slightly, covering the leaf node area.
If you have a gardening heating pad, use it to keep the pot or tray bottom about 70℉. Proceed to spray the container with water on a regular basis to maintain proper humidity levels. Alternatively, cover the pot or tray with clear plastic and place it under indirect light.
After two to three weeks, the plant will develop new roots, and you can observe new Sedum plants sprouting around the base. Transplant the young plants, and then you can discard the old leaf.
If rooting in water, you may need a mesh or something like a toothpick to support the leaves in a glass of clean water. You will have to constantly change the water for it not to get stagnant and cause the leaves to rot. Once you spot roots shoot, it’s time to transplant your Sedum.
How to Propagate Sedum from Stem Cuttings
Cut a stem about three to four inches long.
Tip: The bigger the plant, the bigger section you will need for planting.
If there are any leaves below the planting surface, cut them off and let the stem cutting have just a few leaves above. Be careful when cutting the leaves not to cause damage to the stem.
Now, dip the stem in water, followed by a rooting hormone powder. Water helps the powder to stick.
Go ahead and root the stem either in water or in soil. If rooting in the soil, prepare a well-draining soil and water it. Take the stem cutting and slowly push it into the potting mix.
Water the soil lightly every time it dries up. Sedum cutting needs water at this time to develop roots and thrive. You can water it at least once a day, only when necessary. It might take three weeks for your cuttings to establish roots and, once they have, start watering them less.
If you are rooting your stem cutting in water, add clean water in a glass or bowl and dip your cutting into the container. Make sure there are no leaves in contact with the water and always change the water on a daily basis. After two to three weeks, you will note rooting, which is when you can transplant your stem cuttings into pots.
How to Propagate Sedum from Division(Offshoots)
If you are a home gardener, the best way to propagate Sedum is by dividing your plants when it produces offshoots. It is usually very easy and most successful, making it ideal for novices.
Some items you will need:
- A clean, pruning shear or sharp knife (for cutting)
- A shovel or trowel (to dig up the plant)
Spring is usually the growing season for Sedum, and at this time, it will start producing new green shoots. Your goal is to separate the shoots from the parent plant.
If looking to separate a grown Sedum plant, the procedure is similar to separating clones from a mother plant.
Dig up the whole plant, making clean cuts with the shovel on both sides. Make sure the shovel is driven deep enough, and you have the full root ball.
Begin by cutting the core portion and working your way outward, aiming for two or more roots-bearing sections, and in each piece, there is a green bud. The ideal scenario is to get sections with multiple roots.
Make sure your divisions are replanted as soon as possible to avoid drying out. Plant the divided Sedum at the same depth before and at the base, add some mulch or compost. This will help keep the soil wet.
Final Thoughts
Sedum plants can be propagated easily following the above different ways and have hundreds of them popping up all over your home. All you need to do is a little care when planting, and once they grow, they require little caring.
Go ahead and plant some to gift your friends and relatives.
Last update on 2023-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
