Unknown Succulent Plant Cutting

by Susan
(New York, USA)

This is a succulent of some kind with round leaves that take the form of small rosettes, but it is a long-stemmed plant. I am having a hard time identifying it and my friend has had it so long, she doesn't remember what it's called. The shoots are doing well and I am hopeful because they are rooting in plain water. But I want to be sure I give them the right kind of conditions but it's hard if I don't know what it is!


Drought Smart Plants reply:

That's exactly why I like to ID my plants - they all need slightly different care to thrive.

This one, however, has me puzzled. I thought it looked like a Crassula, or jade tree, but it's a little different, judging by the bamboo like stems.

As it's rooting for you in the water, I would just continue what you're doing; one thing I would watch for is if it starts to rot, as most of these types of plant don't like to be in water too long.

The other issue that happens is that the roots are so brittle and easily broken that they can't adapt to life in soil when you pot them up, so I would get it planted as soon as possible after it roots.

You can pot it into a small pot with damp soil, then put the whole thing into a clear plastic bag, blow some air into it and tie the top closed. This gives it exactly the right conditions to live in while it makes roots.

Happy Succulent Growing!
Jacki