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Propagate Sedum Spectabile cuttings to Create New Plants
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December 29, 2018 · 3 Comments

Propagate Sedum Spectabile cuttings to Create New Plants

Gardening· Gardening tips

How to propagate Sedum spectabile from cuttings. This is the easiest way to to create new plants for free

Propagating most succulents is easy but Sedum spectabile is probably the easiest of all. If you’re not familiar with it, you might know it by its common name of Ice Plant. This stunning and low maintenance perennial grows into clumps that reach about a foot and a half tall and wide. They grow in all types of soil, providing that it’s well drained, and reliably grow back year after year. They’re a hardy ornamental that wows with its foliage in the summer and its blooms in autumn.

Some of the first I ever propagated from cuttings filled a long bed that bordered a friend’s driveway. Even though they filled the entire area, she barely even knew they were there except for when they exploded into magenta flowers in September. Nectar rich, Sedum spectabile flowers are a welcome food source for pollinators well into autumn and range in color from pinks, magentas, red, and white.

Propagating the succulent plant, Sedum spectabile from a cutting. This is the easiest way to to create new plants for free #succulents #propagate #plantsforfree

A gorgeous Sedum spectabile spotted at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris

Propagate Sedum spectabile from cuttings

Succulents are a family of plants with thick, juicy leaves and stems. They include plants like Hen and Chicks, cacti, aloes, and of course Sedum spectabile. They grow reliably from cuttings, which are 3-4″ pieces of the stem and some 1-4 leaves.

  1. Take cuttings in spring to mid-summer.
  2. Pluck them off the plant with your fingernails, remove all but the top few leaves.
  3. Leave the stems in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight for two to three days. During this time the snipped end will dry up and form a callus.
  4. Plant into moist, free-draining compost, leaving just the leaves above the surface
  5. Keep in a bright space at room temperature or a little warmer. The cuttings should begin to form roots within a few weeks.
  6. Either pot on into a larger pot to grow on or harden off and plant outside.
  7. Ice plants like full sun and aren’t fussy about soil type as long as its not waterlogged. They’re hardy too so will grow even in exposed places.

Propagating the succulent plant, Sedum spectabile from a cutting. This is the easiest way to to create new plants for free #succulents #propagate #plantsforfree

Tough little cuttings

When propagating any cutting, it’s wise to use a free-draining mixture of compost, perlite, and/or grit. This helps water to drain away quickly but gives the cutting a place to grow. Too much moisture can encourage rot and disease so you want to avoid that situation at all costs.

However, as you can see from the photos, I used ordinary multipurpose compost to plant them in. Other cuttings would have sulked at not having more free-draining compost so this shows just how hardy sedum spectabile is. I even rooted another type of succulent in the compost while it was rooting without any issues. They want to grow and won’t mind not being coddled making them possibly one of the easiest plants to propagate.

Propagating the succulent plant, Sedum spectabile from a cutting. This is the easiest way to to create new plants for free #succulents #propagate #plantsforfree

You can push the cuttings into practically any soil or compost and they’ll grow. It’s best to use good free-draining compost though.

The photo above shows the cuttings shortly before I potted them on. As soon as roots are visible in the pot’s drainage holes you know it’s time for them to upgrade their accommodation. In this case I potted them up individually in slightly larger pots before hardening them off and planting them outside.

I’m happy to say that I still have these cuttings growing as large clumps in the allotment garden to this day. They’re one of the last splashes of color in autumn and one of the first plants to begin growing in spring. It’s a hardworking and easy-to-grow plant that will always be welcome in my garden.

Propagating the succulent plant, Sedum spectabile from a cutting. This is the easiest way to to create new plants for free #succulents #propagate #plantsforfree

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Comments

  1. A says

    August 1, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    You really shouldn’t bring home plants from abroad as this provides the opportunity for many diseases to invade native plants. Fine to do so in the area you live in but definitely not when you’re travelling foreign lands and returning with imported plants.

    Reply
  2. Jo says

    June 15, 2016 at 11:52 pm

    I’m growing one now that I saw at a yard sale. I asked the lady for a piece and she was nice enough to give me a stalk with a big hunk of root. She had a huge potful that was gorgeous, and she also used it as edging around her house. I finally found the name. Now I want it to grow faster! It’s very healthy so far.

    Reply
    • lovelygreens says

      June 16, 2016 at 10:59 am

      It will grow alright! You’ll have it filling your flower beds in no time. Great yard sale freebie 🙂

      Reply

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Tanya Anderson Lovely Greens Welcome to Lovely Greens. I'm Tanya and I share ideas on growing organic herbs, vegetables, and fruit and then creatively using them in the home, beauty, and kitchen. Learn more about Lovely Greens

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A Woman’s Garden, a new book from Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens, covers eight categories of useful plants, over thirty-five plant-based projects and recipes, and features women gardeners from around the world
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