How to Propagate Sedum Spectabile from Cuttings

How to propagate sedum spectabile from cuttings to create new plants. All you do is take cuttings, allow the cuts to callus over, then plant in the right potting mix. They’ll root into new plants within weeks.

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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Propagating most succulents is easy but Sedum spectabile, also known by its new name Hylotelephium 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 three feet. 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, reds, and white.

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.

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 just starting to bloom
  1. Take cuttings in spring to late-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 it’s 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

More Free Plant Ideas

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.

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.

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

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.

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6 Comments

  1. Miel Tieng says:

    Hi Tanya, I’m interested in the rich, vibrant pink sedum in this post. Is there any way that I can get a start? Are you selling any? Thank you!

    1. Hi Miel, I don’t sell them, but you could get in touch with your local garden center to ask about plants :)

  2. I’m a amateur bee keeper and my bees seem to love this plant! The bumble bees also love it, I recently dropped the pot and broke a stem off which eventually led me to here lol.

    1. They are a HUGE source of nectar for bees in autumn. As you say, bumblebees especially adore the flowers!

  3. 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.

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