The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Cacti and succulents => Topic started by: andrewsloan on June 07, 2012, 06:00:09 PM
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I have a lovely Aeonium Sunburst in a pot, from which I would very much like to propagate. I was thinking of trying with some leaves to see whether they would root or beheading it to see if it develops plantlets on the stem, which is about 15cm tall. Any recommendations would be gratefully received.
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Bits of Aeonium knocked off accidently have rooted for me but in general special varieties can be more fussy, can't they.
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Hi Andrew. I usually propagate Aeonium when they get too big for the space and simply root the terminal growths of about 10 cm long in a very open grit sand compost. It should be possible to also cut up the stem into shortish pieces and root them as well if you want tp produce more.
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Aeoniums can be propagated from leaf cuttings too. Make sure the whole complete entire leaf is detached carefully so the base of the leaf stalk still has the small nodal attachment from which roots and a new plantlet will eventually develop. I am not sure if variegated forms come true by this method. tn
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If you are willing to wait a bit, this Aeonium cultivar is inclined to branch prolifically as it gets older. Offsets from the mother plant are a faster/more certain method of propagation. This cultivar also tends to form crests rather readily, which can give you dozens of plantlets at one time.
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Andrew -
I've been collecting and growing, when I lived in Boulder Colorado USA for 40 years, all sorts of cacti, South African succulents, et al. I'm not the expert as some but I would say you are right. I'm not sure what luck you'll have trying to root a leaf. I had both, good and bad luck. As they say in the cacti and succulent world, "If you wonder whether you should water - don't." I have a succulent right now whose head, for some reason, rotted off but plantlets all along the stem are coming out now. I had a dark reddish aeonium too much in the shade and it got sick so I broke it off, let it dry, and covered up the stem with dirt and forgot about it. Now it has new plants coming up all along where the stem was buried as well the original larger head. Hope this helps.
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Aeoniums should be left to wilt for a few days before attempting to pull off any leaves for propagation. This maximises the chances of taking off the necessary stem tissue and node from which roots and plantlets will develop. Extreme measures can be followed by the very brave. Slice each crown in halves or quarters vertically through the dead-centre. Allow cut surfaces to dry for a few days; replant taking great care to plant only the roots and making sure that the cut crown is above the soil line. Water sparingly. Even more extreme is to slice off the top growth of the leaves down to the level of the central core - think of a cabbage structure. The core must be exposed. Allow to dry for a few days; repot, water carefully and wait patiently. In a few months tiny pups should appear in the leaf axils. THE MOST EXTREME FOR OF PLANT TORTURE is to do as above and then to drill into the central core with an electric drill. Proponents claim it works wonders on plants that are otherwise very, very slow to multiply.
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Unless you need huge quantities quickly, I'd advise just letting your Sunburst grow unmolested, and by the second or third year of growth it will generally have formed quite a few side branches, which are quite easy to remove and root. Simpler, reliable, and the original plant will keep on producing plenty more babies.
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I took the first shoot off last autumn and it is doing well. Such a lovely plant although sensitive to the strong Spanish sun in the summer as I found out when it started getting sun-burnt.