Thankyou :) I'm assuming I should disconnect the leaf before planting - this is the first echiveria I've propagated.

I would plant your cute baby but leave the leaf attached until it shrivels & falls off on it's own but that's just me. A quick couple of questions. How long has your leaf in the pic been propagating & in what type of light? I ask because I've been trying to propagate Echeveria Coccinea leaves (about 20 of them in total) since August. I have been really successful with them rooting but haven't had one produce a plant yet...by the time they have numerous roots the leaf is completely shriveled then the roots just die (they get misted daily in the root area) :( Congrats on your new baby!

Hi Flowerlilies, thanks :)
I think it's been propagating for about two months. It's in very bright windowsill light, with no direct sun. I did carefully slice the leaf off the parent with a razor to be sure I got just right amount of stem with the leaf. We've had a rather hot Spring here (Melbourne, Aust) and I gave it a spray only on the really warm days. Another leaf I have is growing a baby even faster, and that one is placed inside a disposable container as a mini greenhouse - it's very dry here, so it doesn't seem to be adding an excessive amount of humidity. The test will come when I take them outside.

20 leaves with roots but no plants sounds really frustrating, but maybe you could put them into groups of 4 and try 5 different things? I seem to have the opposite problem with my other succulent leaves - plants grow, leaf dies, no roots. I need to work out how to encourage roots!

I am trying to propagate some new plants as well. I have 2 with roots and plants growing that were surprises in larger pots. I have several that have started growing roots that I started from the beginning. Hopefully they will have baby leaves appear soon. I am trying to learn to propagate and am looking forward to your updates.

I've had great luck with sticking the leaves business end down into C&S potting soil mixed with perlite.

Set, and forget.

Then come back about 3 weeks later and reap your plantlets, complete with roots. Sometimes the old leaf is still attached, sometimes it shrivels & dries up or turns black and rots off.

Either way, I end up with a plethora of babies that I sometimes wonder why I can't seem to discard fallen leaves =S

Lots of folks just lay them on the soil, but I find sticking them in the soil, I can come back in a couple of weeks and get rid of the ones that don't seem to be taking.

If I tug gently and get resistance, I leave alone and check back a week or 2 later to get my new plant 8D

Some of the echeverias don't propagate so readily, they may grow roots but no plants. Some will not grow either roots or plantlets, other plants will grow both in no time. Even with 'easy' ones, there is no 100% guarantee :)

9 months since the last update. Caz Caffeinated any pictures for us? :o

Anton, absolutely, I'm a proud parent :)

This pic is how it looked in mid December, the second in mid January.

Jump 8 months (I took this mid August) and that's an arrangement with this baby and it's sibling.

Just some thoughts on my learning experiences growing this...

I'm an all/nothing kinda person and attacked this new interest somewhat obsessively, reading everything I could get my hands on. I found considerable variation between what I read and what actually worked for me, so can't underestimate trying new things. If you can find books/blogs that are immediately local to you it's enormously beneficial - humidity and weather extremes make a huge difference. Micro climates - eg whether your yard layout gets hotter than neighbors due to layout etc - can result in variation to the norms.

For example, Melbourne doesn't get humid so I found growing leaf babies in plastic containers really beneficial and speedy, despite some websites advising that this would cause mould. I also read Semperviviums are really tough and don't need much water, but that was clearly written somewhere that doesn't get 35-40 C in summer ;)

Good luck!

"plastic containers" - covered containers with holes (I use the containers baby tomatoes come in)

Anton, I did reply with updated photos (summary, doing great!) but the post has gone :( Hopefully it's just a moderator process and it'll reappear shortly.
Will repost tomorrow if it hasn't reappeared

Caz,

I like to use those 4 or 6 pack containers, too. Very convenient. This thread is good since I've just started rooting leaves too so I'm getting some good info.

I have a question about using plastic containers to keep up the humidity. What is the optimum humidity? I live in Oklahoma and we average about 70-80% humidity in the summer. Is this high enough or do I need to start using plastic containers too?

If your humidity is that high, you won't want to use an enclosed container for your leaves. If you were starting seeds, a container would be helpful.