Looking at that accidentally touched succulent leaf in the pot, you suddenly wonder: can you grow a new succulent from it? In fact, propagating succulents from leaves is the most amazing and cost-effective way -- a tiny leaf, after patience, can grow roots and buds, and eventually become a full plant. Whether you're looking to expand your succulent collection or rescue a leaf you accidentally bumped off, leaf plugs are the perfect choice. Today, we'll show you how to grow succulents from leaves, explaining every step from leaf selection to transplanting, so that even novices can get started easily.

Why do leaves grow succulents? It's a “special skill” of succulents 

Succulents store a lot of water and nutrients in their leaves, which gives them the ability to “reproduce asexually” -- even if they are detached from the mother plant, as long as the leaves are healthy and in the right environment, they can induce roots and new shoots. This is just like the ability of some plants to take cuttings, except that succulents have “given” this ability to their leaves. Different species of succulents have different success rates in leaf plugging. Most species in the Sedum family (e.g., Hazel Moon, Winter Beauty) have a very high success rate in leaf plugging, while the genus Haworthia (e.g., Jade Dew) is relatively difficult to do so, but as long as you do it the right way, you can try to do it successfully. 

Preparation before leaf insertion: choosing the right leaves and tools is the key 

Selecting “qualified” leaves

Not all leaves can be successfully leaf-inserted; choosing the right leaves is the first step:

• Condition: Choose healthy, full, undamaged leaves. The thicker the leaves, the more nutrients they store, and the higher the success rate; yellowed, soft, diseased, or broken leaves are basically difficult to survive. 
  
• Picking method: Gently break off the leaves from the mother plant, try to keep the leaves intact, especially the base of the leaves (the part connected to the stalk) should not be broken, as this part is the key to rooting and germination. You can pinch the base of the leaf blade with your fingers and gently shake it from side to side to let the leaf blade fall off naturally, avoiding pulling hard enough to cause the base to break. 
  
• Varieties: Prioritize varieties that are easy to succeed in leaf plugging, such as Hazel Moon, Winter Beauty, Purple Pearl, Bearberry, etc. The One Bloom's “Leaf-Plugging Specialized Variety Set” contains these, which are good for newbies to practice. 
  Prepare the necessary tools and materials 
  
• Container: A shallow tray, plastic box, or small pot will do, as long as it can hold soil and has some depth; the container doesn't need to have drainage holes (you don't need to water a lot in the early stages of leaf insertion). 
  
• Soil: Use a mixture of granular soil with good permeability and nutrient soil at a ratio of 1:1 (e.g., The One Bloom's special soil for foliage insertion, with fine granularity, water retention, and permeability). Avoid pure garden soil, which is prone to sloughing and leads to rotting of the leaves. 
  
• Other tools: small spray bottle (for spraying water and moisturizing), tweezers (for arranging the leaves to avoid hand injury), carbendazim (optional, for sterilizing the leaves).

Detailed Steps for Leaf Plugs: from drying the leaves to waiting for rooting and germination

Step 1: Allow the leaves to “heal their wounds.” 
Freshly picked leaves with wounds at the base are prone to rotting when placed directly on the soil, and need to be dried first:
Place the leaves in a ventilated, dry place with diffused light (e.g., by a windowsill) and let the wounds at the base heal naturally. It usually takes 2-3 days to see the wounds become dry and shrink slightly. If you're worried about infection, dip the wound in a little carbendazim powder and let it dry before moving on to the next step.  
Step 2: Arrange the leaves and wait for roots to develop 
Fill the container with prepared soil and gently smooth the surface of the soil without compacting it. Use tweezers to lay the dried leaves flat on the soil surface, with the base of the leaves slightly touching the soil. No need to insert the leaves into the soil (inserting the leaves into the soil is prone to rot), and the leaves can be arranged sparsely to avoid crowding in the later stages of growth. Put the container in a well-ventilated place with diffused light (avoid direct sunlight, or the leaves will be scorched), and keep the temperature at 15-25℃, which is the most suitable temperature for rooting and germination. 
Step 3: Maintain humidity and wait patiently 
You do not need to water at the beginning of leaf insertion; just keep the soil slightly dry. If the environment is dry, you can use a spray bottle to gently spray a little water on the soil surface every day to make the soil slightly moist, but do not let the leaves get wet, or they will rot easily. 
Waiting time varies depending on the variety and environment, fast 1-2 weeks to see white roots emerging from the base of the leaves, slow may take 1-2 months. During this period must have patience, do not turn the leaves frequently. 
Step 4: See new shoots and roots, continue to care 
When the leaves have obvious roots and tiny new shoots, the leaf plug is halfway to success: You can increase the soil moisture slightly at this point by wetting the soil around the root system with a spray bottle so that the roots can absorb the water, but still avoid waterlogging the leaves. You can allow the container to receive low light in the morning or evening to promote new shoot growth, but the strong midday light should still be avoided. 

Transplanting after leaf insertion: letting the seedlings “grow independently” 
When the new shoots have grown to a height of 1-2 centimeters and the root system is relatively well developed (2-3 centimeters in length), it is time to transplant the seedlings into separate small pots:

• Prepare small pots with a caliber of 5-8 cm and fill them with special soil for succulents (The One Bloom's special soil for succulent seedlings, which is 50% granular and suitable for seedlings). 
  
• Carefully remove the seedling from the soil with small tweezers, trying not to damage the root system, then dig a small pit in the center of the new pot, place the root system into the pit, and gently fill it with soil so that the seedling can stand firmly. 
  
• After transplanting, put the seedling in diffused light for 1-2 weeks, do not water during this period, and then water a little when the soil dries out, and then care for it according to the care of adult succulents. 

Common Problems and Solutions for Leaf Plugs

Leaf blade watering and rotting 
This is the most common problem for leaf plugs, mostly caused by unhealthy leaves themselves, wounds that come into contact with water before healing, or high humidity and poor ventilation in the environment.
Solution: Immediately remove the watery leaves to avoid infecting other leaves; keep the environment ventilated, reduce the number of water sprays, and allow the soil to dry out properly; and continue to observe the remaining healthy leaves, as long as they have not rotted, they still have a chance to grow roots. 
Only grow roots but not shoots, or only shoots but not roots 
This is due to unbalanced environmental conditions: only growing roots may be due to insufficient light, and only growing shoots may be due to insufficient humidity.
Solution: If only roots grow, you can slightly increase diffused light (but not direct light); if only shoots grow, you can appropriately increase soil moisture and spray water around with a spray bottle; be patient, and in most cases, roots and shoots will eventually grow. 
Leaf wilting, but healthy roots and buds 
During leaf insertion, the mother leaf will gradually wilt, which is normal because all the nutrients from the mother leaf are supplied to the new buds and root system.
Solution: Do not pull out the wilted mother leaf, just wait for it to fall off naturally; if the mother leaf is rotting during the wilting process, then you need to remove it carefully to avoid affecting the seedling.

3 Practical Tips to Improve the Success Rate of Leaf Plugs 

• Control the Temperature and Humidity of the Environment 
  The most suitable temperature for leaf plugs is 15-25℃, and the humidity is kept at 50%-60%. Shades should be used to reduce the temperature in high summer temperatures, and in low winter temperatures, they can be placed in a warm room (e.g., an air-conditioned room), but away from the heating vents, to avoid the air from drying out too much. 
  
• Don't disturb frequently 
  During leaf insertion, don't turn over the leaves every day to see if they are rooted and sprouted. Frequent turning will damage the fine roots that have just grown, and will also prevent the leaves from stabilizing and adapting to the environment. You can observe once a week and let the leaves grow quietly at other times. 
  
• Choose the right season 
  Spring and autumn is the growing period of succulents, and also the best season for leaf insertion, when the temperature is suitable, the leaf activity is high, and the rooting and germination speed is fast; leaf insertion in the summer is easy to rot, and in the winter, the growth is slow, so newbies are better to try in the spring and fall.

Create Your Small Succulent Garden with Leaf Plugs

Leaf plugs not only give you more succulents for free, but you can also experience the magical process of going from a leaf to a plant. The One Bloom has succulent varieties as well as soil, containers, and tools specifically for leaf plugs,  which is great for newbies to get started. When you see the first leaf grow a root bud, and as the seedling slowly grows, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched by buying ready-made succulents. Choose a healthy leaf from your home succulent and start your leaf-plugging journey, and soon your windowsill will be filled with your own propagated succulents!