Free Succulents

[missmanors]

We've talked about getting plants for free in this forum this past summer, but how about getting free plants for your indoor enjoyment in the cold weather?

Succulents are some of my favorite plants for the indoors. Many can also be grown outdoors as well, of course. Many succulents are small, and look exquisite in small decorative planters, or several can be planted in a shallow dish and be further enhanced by using small colored gravel, or marbles, etc. between the plantings. Succulents don't need much soil, and very little water is needed in the winter.

Because so much water is held within the leaves and stems of succulents, they don't depend on their roots, as other plants do. Succulents hold water for a very long time within the stems and leaves, making it available when needed. As the stored water is used up, the leaf of the succulent will wrinkle. If the plant has roots, watering will plump the leaf once again.

Even a cutting from a succulent plant can last a long time after being severed until it runs out of moisture. For instance, a prickly pear cactus can survive for up to 2 years without roots.

The tough outer skin which encloses succulent tissue keeps it sterile and protected. When a piece of plant is severed, it opens a wound entrance for diseases that cause the plant to rot. Once the plant begins to rot, there is nothing to be done for it but cut off the afflicted parts. Even cutting can often be of no avail since oftentimes the disease goes much further than the eye can see.

The secret to a successful cutting of a succulent plant is to let the cutting dry in a shady spot for a day or two. This will allow the wound to develop a scab (callous) which seals the wound from being diseased and also keeps it from losing moisture. When the scab has developed, the cutting can then be safely placed in a rooting medium.

A special rooting medium is not needed for succulents. You can use either construction sand (the type used in plaster), or even silica sandbox sand. A shallow tray is all that is needed for your new plant. If you use a clear container, you can see when the plant has formed roots.

Before planting your cutting, moisten the sand thoroughly. Fill the container with a few inches of damp sand, but do not pack the sand down. You want the cuttings to settle in to a nice soft bed. Insert the callused cutting half its length into sand. It is fine to plant a lot of cuttings into one container, as they aren't getting nutrients from the sand, they are just growing roots. Don't add more water right away, as the sand is already moistened.

Keep the sand moist, and be sure not to overwater. Check down into the sand with your finger, to be sure that it's extremely dry before watering. (often the surface will seem dry, but moisture is hiding within the depths of the sand, this is another benefit of a clear container.)

Once roots have formed, you can transplant them to small pots which have potting soil for cacti. (You can also take the woody matter from ordinary potting soil and mix it with the propagation sand.)