Jade babies from leaves

by Andrew S.
(Ithaca, NY, U.S.)

I have had a jade plant for a while and it is doing very well and I have succeeded in propagated it from stem cuttings multiple times, but I was curious about trying leaf propagation.

As you can see all of the leaves seem to be developing babies (are multiple babies normal?) and things seem to be going well. I just wasn't sure where to go from here, do I let them grow a bit and replant the entire clump? Should I be separating them? I have had them in a relatively bright window and have been watering them every few weeks or so, is there anything else I should change?


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Andrew, it sounds as though you're doing everything right - the order of the day when propagating with leaves is patience. It takes a long time to get any size, so you just have to leave them alone. Fiddling with them just sets them back. It's common to have a clump of babies using this method. Once they get big enough to handle you can gently tease them apart, or if you prefer, simply plant them together so they grow into a clump.

Overwatering is the single most deadly thing you can do with succulents, especially baby ones - they don't require much water, and they need to be encouraged to seek it out by letting the soil dry out a bit in between.

I think you've been bitten by the propagating bug (rubbing hands with glee!) - luckily for us, succulents are a great place to start; relatively challenging, but also easy to have success with.

See these pages for more information:

Succulent Care

Succulent Plant Propagation

Happy Gardening!
Jacki