If you are a beginner and looking for the right guidance on how to grow succulents from seeds, this is the right article for you. Here, I shall describe what tools and components do you need to grow succulents from seeds and how you can use these tools to successfully grow succulent plants from the seeds.
How to Grow Succulents from Seeds [The Simplest Method]
First of all…
…even you know everything about succulent plants, I will still give a brief idea of what succulents are and how they grow.
In short,
- Succulents plants usually hold water in their leaves. The leaves of succulent plants used to be thick and a bit fleshy at the same time, but some of the succulent leaves might have thicker leaves than the others. Succulents usually grow in dry climates and they don’t favor humidity a lot.
- But just like the other plants, regular watering ensures their best growth. They can even survive many days without water but that will stop their growth for that particular period. Succulent plants might rot once their roots are underwater for a long time. So overwatering them can be harmful.
Now as we acknowledge about succulents, we also require to comprehend that-
Succulent seeds are really small and thus it’s challenging to grow plants from them. One tiny little mistake in the entire process can lead to a horrific outcome.
So it’s vital to implement every aspect of growing succulents to cultivating them in the right possible manner.
Some of you might be thinking of whether you can grow succulents from leaves or not. Practically some of you might have even tried to do it.
But growing succulents from leaves always need the right ones. However, you might not even identify which leaves are the right ones to grow succulents from. Hence, it is always a better choice to grow them from seeds and it’s even easier if you know the right way to do it.
Adopt Perfect Growing Environment For Succulents
Elements affecting the process, Before beginning the process of growing succulents from seeds, you need to know about some necessary considerations in this process. There will be some elements that can affect this process. But things can always be kept under control. So there is nothing to worry about. They are-
Light
Light required for this process can turn out to be a vital factor. Because you can’t just grow the seeds under direct sunlight. Some people may put the container under direct sunlight hoping that it will provide a good outcome. But this effort made them disappointed. Because fewer plants grow from seeds that are put under lights and even sometimes no plants grow from them. So that seeds require light but that need not have to be direct sunlight.
Temperature
Normal room temperature is appropriate for the process. But temperatures around 15-25 degrees Celsius must be ensured throughout the process. Otherwise, the seeds might not turn into succulents plants.
Components required for the process
There are several tools or components required for growing succulents from seeds. But don’t worry. They are no expensive items or rare items that are hard to find. Components you will need for the process are-
Seeds
It’s quite obvious that you need seeds first to get going into this process. But it is also important to find the perfect seeds required for this operation.
Many online and local shops sell succulent seeds. But not all of them are trusted. Some of them might fool you with other seeds and when do you get to know about it? Just after the seeds are grown into plants.
That surely you would not want. Even some shops sell cooked seeds which ultimately produce no result. So buy seeds from a trusted source, from somewhere that you know someone bought seeds from has been successful in growing succulents.
Container
After buying seeds, you will have to look out to have a container where you will put the seeds into the soil. It’s not mandatory to have a specific type of container. One might choose a mini greenhouse or one can just use normal pots. However, if you are conscious about organic farming you can use fabric grow pots. It’s alright for both of them.
Though, for both occasions, they must ensure that the pot is clean and germ-free. One important thing is whichever container you choose, make sure there is a hole at the bottom of the container so that you can water the soil right from the bottom after you plant the seeds.
Soil Management
After you have selected the container you will be using, the thing you now require is soil. You can use soil from your yard. You just have to ensure that the soil is bacteria-free. For that purpose, you will have to microwave the soil for at least 10 minutes before you put it into the container.
The Step By Step Procedure for Planting & Growing Succulents From Seeds
When you are starting to plant the succulent seed, there will be a lot of questions pop in your mind. However, you are not the only person here having those questions.
Like-
- When to plant? what should be the right size for growing?
- or, how the soil needs to be mixed?
Note: I have tried to answer all the questions that popped into my mind when it was the first time to grow succulents.
Once you have the required tools (container, soil mix, seeds, etc.) and components you can just follow the below-mentioned steps to grow succulents from your seeds.
Fill the Container with Soil
As we have described earlier, the soil needs to be purified. And, for this purpose,
- You have to microwave the soil for about 10 minutes.
- After that, it’s time to put them into the container. If it’s a different container you are using to microwave the soil, just put it into the bigger container or mini greenhouse whatever you are using to plant seeds.
- Following that, you have to add or fill water. *I already said that the container you are using will be requiring a hole at the bottom of it so that you can put water through it.
- Now you will water the soil through the hole for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- You simply need to make sure the soil gets sufficient water for the time being. Besides, you have to keep the flow of the water moderately so that the seeds at the top don’t wash away.
Plant The Seeds
Once you have finished with the container and soil preparation, it’s time to plant the seeds. Since you already know how tiny the succulent seeds are, you can understand that it becomes trickier to plant them. It’s almost impossible to plant the seeds using your fingers.
However, there is nothing to worry about…
- You can use a small toothpick or even a small pin to plant the succulent seeds.
- Use the toothpick or the pin to collect the seeds one by one from your bag and then just place them into the center of the soil.
- It becomes even easier if you dip one side of the toothpick into the water and then pick the seeds one by one. One important thing to remember in this step that, it does not cover your seeds with soil.
Again the seeds you are using to grow succulents should be of a similar type. Different seeds in one container might not bring efficient outcomes. Plus different seeds might take a different length of time to grow.
It will take some days for the baby plants to grow.
Once they come out, it’s mandatory to keep them under the sun for at least some time during the day. So if you use different seeds in a single batch, baby plants from all the seeds might not come out at the same time. It will make the situation difficult for you to understand when to keep the container under the sun. You will also need to have some fresh air coming through to the baby plants once they start to grow up.
Wait patiently
After planting the seeds, you just need to follow the routine procedures and wait with patience. The routine procedure includes keeping the soil moisturized by watering them regularly.
- When watering the soil make sure it has dried out fully.
- There should be bright light but the light must not include direct sunlight as already mentioned. The light has to be indirect until and unless the succulent is grown into baby plants.
- It can take up to 1 week or even more than that for the baby plants to sprout. Once they are out, you can gradually start to bring them under direct sunlight for at least some period during the day. It is just to make them habituated with the direct sunlight.
Once you start to continue this procedure you will see results. Gradually the baby plants will grow and in less than 6 months and the seeds you planted will turn into grownup succulents as you desired.
Time Requires to Germinate Succulent From Seeds
After planting the seeds, you just need to follow the routine procedures and wait with patience. The routine procedure includes keeping the soil moisturized by watering them regularly. When watering the soil make sure it has dried out fully.
There should be bright light but the light must not include direct sunlight as already mentioned. The light has to be indirect until and unless the succulent is grown into baby plants.
It can take up to 1 week or even more than that for the baby plants to sprout. Once they are out, you can gradually start to bring them under direct sunlight for at least some period during the day. It is just to make them habituated with the direct sunlight.
Once you start to continue this procedure you will see results. Gradually the baby plants will grow and in less than 6 months the seeds you planted will turn into grownup succulents as you desired.
Things to Know to be Successful in Growing Succulents
Now, as we have learned about seed plantation and propagation. Here are some advanced tips.
Container Selection Tips
In this section, I am going to recommend, the most common size of pots/bags that are available in the market for succulent plants.
Types of pots
There are two types of containers mostly used for this plant. They are 1.plastic pots and 2. clay pots. Usually, the plastic pots are a little bit cheaper than clay pots. However, compared with two pots, clay pots are better than plastic pots. Because it is very useful for long term growth and the plant’s health.
Even clay pots are used to absorbing extra water from the inside of pots that keep succulents plants safe from many diseases.
Container Size
Now, these plants are often appearing in two sizes first one 1.2” plug and 2-inch plants.
- So if I talk about pot sizes then the 1.2-inch plug is best for 2-inch clay pots and the 2-inch plant can fit directly for 2.3-inch pots
- But, according to your decoration basis, you can change your pot’s size. Even 4 inches also known as an ideal size.
Preparing Seed Planting Tray/ Container
Sometimes you are going to confuse for selecting a pot for seed implantation. in this situation, you have to make a pot by using the following instruction:
- At first collect 60% sand, 20% coco peat, and 20% perlite then mix it in a bowl.
- Now take small plastic or clay container which has a drainage hole and fill it with a mixer.
- Then puts some water but you must care about one thing that no extra water remail into these plastic pots and I think this is the best way to make an ideal pot for planting seeds.
Growing Environments Management Tips
It is important to educate ourselves on this species of succulent that closely matches in climates before purchasing them.
As I know various types of succulent plants are available in different areas and habitual places also different according to the circumstances. So you have to get some knowledge about your living place where you want to implant but if you decided to grow them at the indoor area then you must sacrifice with few issues like not growing appropriately, a different type of diseases will see, leaves will not shine as it would be in outdoor, etc.
So before taking any decision please choose your plants by following your weather conditions.
Seed Selection:
Now I am going to discuss the seed selection process. Generally, It depends on what exactly you are looking for in your place.
For example:
Flower seeds, plant seeds, and mixed rare succulents plant seeds are best for balcony panels, windows,s or indoor gardens.
Otherwise for outdoor gardening, Sedum, sempervivum, kalanchoe, aloe, echeveria, and aeonium, etc, are the best plants. Because they are colorful, big, high growth rate, and the overall texture is amazing.
Care:
When you are decided to start planting, then you must select the area where sunlight can circulate at least one time a day. After that, please try to care about all drainage system including big space for all types of species and must use rock layer, sand, clay pots, etc
Conclusion
Growing something from almost out of nothing requires a great amount of hard work and patience. It also requires courage to do things like this. Growing of succulent plants from seeds can take even up to six months. It’s about how you design and maintain the whole process. From choosing the right seeds to planting them into the soil, every step has to be followed accordingly.
Just keep in mind that things might not always go in your favor and some batch might just not grow. It’s not always that the seeds did not grow because you made a mistake. There can be other things. So you need to have patience and work harder until you reach the stage where you want to see yourself!
