How to Propagate Succulents from Seed in 9 Easy Steps

For the most part, succulent plants are easy to grow from leaf or stem cuttings – but propagating from seed, while not quite as easy, has its advantages too.

Growing from seed can save you lots of money since the price of a packet of seeds is typically a lot less than the price of a single plant.

This propagation method can also allow you to create unique hybrid crosses from the specimens in your collection.

It also provides a way of propagating succulent plants that don’t produce pups easily, too!

Despite those advantages, and as much as I’m excited for you to try this method, propagating succulents from seed probably isn’t for everybody.

But there’s one way to find out if it’s for you or not – read this article and learn what this horticultural project entails from start to finish, and decide if you’re willing to commit.

Ready to start learning the process?

I’m going to provide you with detailed instructions for this propagation project.

In fact, these are the instructions I wish had been available to me when I first started practicing this type of propagation, and I hope you’ll find these directions as useful as I do.

Before we get into the details, here’s a quick peek at the steps involved:

Before we get started, I want to reiterate what I said earlier about this propagation method being a long term project:

Most succulents started from seed need care for around one year before they’re ready to transplant out of their seedling pot.

Overall, when you propagate succulents from seeds, it can take several years for them to reach maturity.

I promise, I’m not trying to turn you away from reading this article! I just want you to know that it’s much faster and easier to grow most succulents from offsets or leaf cuttings.

Want to compare methods to see which one is the best fit for your lifestyle?

Read our article to learn how to propagate succulents from leaf cuttings and by division.

If you’re still leaning towards trying out seed propagation, good for you! Here are some words of encouragement:

It is incredibly rewarding to slowly watch a succulent grow from a teeny, tiny seedling into a mature plant – just like the one you fell in love with after seeing it at a botanical garden or online!

Now that you know you’ll need marathon-like dedication if you want to propagate succulents from seed, let’s get started!

Be sure to read through all the steps before you start the process so that you know what to expect.

And since this is a longer term propagation project, you may want to use your garden journal or a digital planner to help track the different stages and set yourself reminders.

1. Obtain or Harvest Seeds

Whether you’re starting from scratch or have specimens of your own to harvest from, you’ll need to obtain seeds, also known as pips.

Where to Find Succulent Seeds

Are you thinking about harvesting seeds from plants growing wild?

Depending on the species, this is most likely a bad idea. Like most wild things these days, many succulents are at risk in their native ranges because of habitat loss, and in some cases, overcollection.

And in many places, seed collection is illegal if you don’t have a permit.

So don’t risk hefty fines for yourself or increase the risk of extinction for the planet’s wonderful succulent plants in the wild – there are plenty of other options for sourcing propagation material from specimens already growing in cultivation.

Perhaps friends or family members have some they can share with you to get you started!

Are you eyeing a neighbor’s succulent landscaping plants as they flower? Be sure to ask permission if you’d like to gather the fruits of those flowers for propagation.

Of course you can also purchase seeds – your local succulent society may have some on offer.

There are nurseries specializing in succulents which offer seeds for sale, but be sure to patronize only those with responsible plant and seed-sourcing practices.

You may also be able to source seeds through trades on social media or other online plant forums.

And of course, if you already have a collection of succulents, you can also grow your own seed supply!

Providing instructions about how to pollinate flowers for seed production is beyond the scope of this article.

But if that is a goal for you, it’s important to know that most succulents require cross pollination to produce viable seed, which means you’ll need two separate specimens that are not the same clone.

Not sure what I mean by the term “clone?”

Offsets from the same mother plant, or a mother plant and baby – these are all considered clones and can’t cross pollinate each other.

One way to grow specimens that aren’t clones, of course, is by propagating plants from seed!

Harvesting Succulent Seeds

Do you need tips about how to harvest seeds from your succulent plants?

While the vast array of different types of succulents makes it impossible to provide complete instructions in this article, the most important piece of advice is to make sure that the fruits and their contents have fully ripened. Immature seeds won’t be viable.

How do you know when the fruits are mature?

In general, fleshy fruits will be soft and change color from green to red, yellow, or orange when ripe, and pods, capsules, and seed heads will dry and turn brown.

Some plants produce pods or capsules that are dehiscent, meaning their seed cases split open when they are ripe, such as starfish cactus and other members of the Stapelia genus (aka stapeliads), which are succulent relatives of milkweed.

Other succulents produce their seeds in fleshy fruits that don’t automatically split open when ripe, such as those of epiphyllums, which resemble small dragon fruits.

To prepare the seeds for sowing, you’ll need to remove them from their casing, clean off the pulp if necessary, or remove dry bits of chaff or plant matter.

If the pulp is sticky and hard to remove, soaking the seeds in a small dish of water can help dissolve it.

If you want to store the seeds rather than sowing them right away, make sure they are dry, package them in a labeled, small paper envelope, and use for propagation preferably within the next six months.

2. Know When to Sow and How to Prepare Seeds

When you have seeds for propagating, you’ll want to make sure you sow them at the best possible time and prepare them for sowing if needed.

When to Sow

Although there are exceptions, the best time of the year to propagate succulent seeds is in late winter to early spring.

Sowing at this time of the year allows the seedlings a chance to size up by the time the next winter rolls around, giving them better odds of surviving.

Many species have better germination rates when the seeds are fresh.

In general, fresh seed is better for propagating, so you may need to sow as soon as you harvest instead of waiting for the end of winter or early spring.

If that’s the case, take advantage of all of the growing supplies recommended later in the article to help keep the seedlings thriving during winter.

On the other hand, succulents like dragon fruit, as mentioned above, are easy to start at any time of year.

How to Prepare Seeds

Some seeds may need to be prepared for sowing by either stratification or scarification.

The most commonly grown succulents don’t require either of these, but let’s look at a few that do.

Those that require stratification need cold, wet conditions to trigger them to break their dormancy for germination.

These types should be mixed with moist sand in a small container, labeled, and stored in the refrigerator for eight weeks prior to sowing.

These include succulent pelargoniums and members of the Disocactus genus, including red orchid cactus (D. ackermannii).

Others require scarification, a process which mimics the damage to the seed coat that happens naturally as it goes through freeze thaw cycles or travels through the digestive system of an animal.

To scarify seeds, soak them in hot water for 48 hours prior to sowing. Alternatively, larger ones can be rubbed with sand paper.

The most widely grown succulent pips that require scarification are those of ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata).

3. Gather Propagation Supplies

Before you sow, you’ll want to look at this list of supplies and make sure you have everything you need for the propagation process:

Growing Medium

Since succulent seeds are often extremely small, unless you are growing medium or large ones, you’ll typically need a finer mix than the typical cactus and succulent growing medium.

There are different growing medium formulations that will work for propagating succulents from seed.

Every commercial nursery has its own preferred mix, and they differ from each other greatly, there’s not only one mix that will work for this project.

For arid land succulents, such as anacampseros, crassulas, and desert cacti, the main features you want are for the mix to be gritty, fairly fine in texture, and for the product to contain no more than 25 to 30 percent organic matter.

The rest should comprise gritty mineral ingredients such as coarse sand, fine river rocks, pumice, lava rack, or zeolite gravel.

In general, the bigger the mature size of the plant, the bigger the seed will be, and the fewer you’ll sow per pot.

If you’re propagating using a seed tray and wondering how many you can fit, know that commercial growers may sow literally hundreds of very small seeds per tray and then prick out plants as they mature, so dense growing conditions aren’t necessarily a problem.

If you have very good germination rates and the seedlings are a bit crowded, they will mature at different rates and you will be removing them at different times, leaving room for the smaller ones to keep growing once the larger ones size up.

Humidity Dome

During germination and as seedlings become established, you’ll need to provide high levels of humidity by covering the pots or trays with a covering that can serve as a humidity dome.

Fungicide

Finally, you’ll want to consider applying a fungicide.

Commercial growers are able to bring large numbers of succulent seedlings to maturity because they protect them from fungal pathogens with fungicides.

This is important for preventing damping off while seedlings are becoming established in very humid conditions.

However, if you like to take an organic approach to ornamental horticulture, there are alternatives to chemical fungicides.

Bio-fungicides are types of inoculants that harness the power of microbes to ward off fungal pathogens, much like a well-chosen probiotic can help protect from unwanted gut microbes.

It’s fighting fire with fire, essentially! (Wait a minute, does that actually work? Never mind, this does.)

Trichoderma species are beneficial fungi that excel at protecting plants from fungal pathogens from the seed stage onward.

Whether you use this product or some other fungicide, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions for application.

4. Fill Nursery Pots

Now that you have gathered all the necessary propagation supplies, and have prepared the pips by stratifying or scarifying if necessary, it’s time for the fun part!

Start by mixing the various ingredients of the succulent seed growing medium as described above, if using.

This is a good time to apply the bio-fungicide if you choose to use it – the product can be mixed with water and used to moisten the growing medium.

Fill the nursery pots or seed tray with moist growing medium, leaving an inch and a half of room between the surface of the growing medium and the rim of the container.

Tamp down the surface of the growing medium to make sure it is level, then add a half-inch layer of sand. I recommend pouring the sand into a small cup and then pouring from the cup into the pots.

Wet the sand by spraying it with the mister, and make sure the surface is still level.

If you’re labeling the pots, go ahead and write out the labels now and insert metal or plastic stakes into the pots, or attach stickers to the side.

It’s a great idea to note the plant name, as well as the number of seeds sowed, and the date of sowing.

5. Sow Seeds

And now it’s sowing time – time to get down to business!

While nursery workers often apply fungicide directly to the seed, with very small seed I find it easier to sprinkle a bit of the bio-fungicide onto the top of the sand layer, much like salting food. This way it is inoculating both the growing medium and the sand layer.

Before you drop the pips into your carefully prepared growing medium, make sure you know how deep to sow them.

The packet may list a recommended sowing depth on it. However, most succulent and cacti pips don’t come in informative seed packages like vegetables and herbs do.

If the nursery provides depth recommendations, refer to that info. Otherwise are some sowing guidelines to follow:

• Small or very small seeds should be sown on the surface.
• Medium sized should be lightly covered with sand.
• Large ones should be covered with a layer of sand equal to the thickness of the pips.

To make it easier to evenly scatter small and very small seeds, mix them with dry sand before sowing.

Try to scatter the dry sand and seed mixture evenly across the damp sand in the pot.

Medium and large pips can be spaced out evenly within the pot or tray – provide at least a quarter to half an inch between seeds.

Poke holes in the growing medium for sowing, then cover with a layer of sand.

Water the seedlings in by spraying lightly with the plant mister. Then you’re ready to place the nursery pots into greenhouse-like conditions!

6. Maintain Greenhouse-Like Conditions

For succulent seeds to germinate they require a warm and extremely humid environment.

Either cover each pot with a humidity dome as described in the propagation supplies section above, or place the pots into a clear plastic bin and fasten the lid, creating a mini greenhouse.

Place the mini greenhouse in indirect bright light and in a location that will maintain a temperature of 77°F during the day and 68°F at night, using the heat mat and temperature controller to achieve this if needed.

How do you know if the light you have available is bright enough?

A range of 800 to 1500 foot candles is a good goal. You can check your light conditions by using a light meter.

Keep humidity very high for this initial phase and keep the growing medium moist. You should notice condensation on the inside of the humidity dome – when it disappears, it’s time to water.

Water the growing medium by spritzing gently with the plant mister, preferably in the morning before temperatures drop to help prevent damping off.

And if you’re using the bio-fungicide recommended earlier in the article, you can add it to the water and apply it every seven to 10 days.

The time it takes for them to germinate will vary depending on the type of plant and the individual seed. Some may germinate within a few days, and others will be much slower.

If no seedlings have appeared within a month, you may need to double check that you followed all the propagation steps properly, or try again with seeds from another vendor.

However, if some of the seedlings have popped up, there’s still hope for the ungerminated pips, they may just be a little slower.

7. Transition Seedlings

When either most of the seeds you sowed have germinated or a month has gone by and at least some have sprouted, it’s time to start transitioning the seedlings to the real world.

You’ll want to transition the seedlings to lower humidity, more aeration, and stronger light very gradually.

The easiest way to do this if you are using a clear plastic bin is to unfasten the lid and place it slightly diagonally across the box to allow some of the humidity to escape.

Do this for just an hour or so the first day, then gradually open it for longer periods, increasing the amount of the bin that’s uncovered until eventually the lid is taken off completely.

When the seedlings have been acclimated to lower humidity, progressively increase their exposure to bright light as well, depending on the particular plant’s sunlight requirements at maturity.

If you’re using a grow light during propagation, this means gradually lowering the light closer to the seedlings. Check the indications on your particular grow light for recommended distances.

Or if you’re using sunlight from a window as your main source of illumination, expose the seedlings first to just a half an hour of direct sunlight, and gradually increase this as needed.

Also be sure to rotate the pots or trays to keep them growing upright instead of leaning towards the light.

Meanwhile, make sure to continue watering with a mister, keeping the growing medium consistently moist.

While seedlings are acclimating to harsher conditions, if they show signs of wilting, slow down the transition. There’s no need to rush!

8. Continue Maintenance

This is the second to last step in this propagation project:

Continue caring for your “nursery” of young seedlings as they become established – keeping in mind that they will need more frequent watering than mature specimens.

Once the seedlings are about four or five months old they may be big enough to start watering with a houseplant watering can, depending on what type you’re growing and the size of these young plants.

Some succulent growers who propagate from seed apply fertilizers frequently, to promote faster growth – sometimes with each watering during the growing season – while others use it sparingly.

Fertilizing succulents can be tricky, as too much fertilizer can cause etiolation, stretched out instead of compact foliage.

The best approach to take with fertilizing is to learn more about your particular plants’ needs and to observe their reactions to changes in light, water, and fertilizer.

Learn more about plant nutrients found in fertilizers in our guide.

And remember, if you are applying the bio-fungicide product recommended earlier in the article every seven to 10 days, it works as a biofertilizer as well, so that may be all you need if your seedlings are showing vigorous growth!

Allow the juvenile succulent plants to keep growing in the same containers for as long as possible before transplanting.

9. Transplant the Succulents

Finally, you’re arriving at the end of this long term propagation project:

Most seedlings should be big enough to transplant into their own pots at about one year of age.

How will you know they’re ready?

The young plants will start to become crowded in their containers, and should have multiple pairs of true leaves.

Lithops and living stones with similar growth habits are notable exceptions, since they only produce one pair of leaves at a time for much of their lives.

However, if your seedlings are still quite small and not filling up their pots, there’s no rush – let them remain in their first pot as long as possible.

These lithops are still too small to transplant.

Once signs such as overcrowding and leaf development indicate the plants are maturing, you can transplant each succulent into a pot of its own – or into a succulent planter with some xeric plant buddies, if you prefer!

As mentioned, some individual seedlings will likely be smaller than others, and if that’s the case, let them stay in the seedling pot until they grow bigger, transplanting only the largest specimens.

For transplanting to individual pots, two- or two-and-half-inch pots will work well for most types of succulents at this stage.

Fill the pot with dry cacti and succulent mix, or the preferred growing medium for that particular plant.

You can use a widger for this step or a spoon to dig under the plant’s roots and remove it from the pot or tray.

Next use the widger or spoon to make a hole in the growing medium in the new pot and insert the plant, roots first, into the hole.

Transplant the succulent into the growing medium so that the soil level remains the same – don’t cover any of the plant’s foliage with potting mix.

Fill in with more growing medium if needed, then add a top dressing, a layer of small pebbles or gravel – the lava rocks used to make the seed starting mix can be used for this purpose.

Allow the plant to settle into its new home for a week before watering.

Once the young plant recovers from transplanting, begin caring for your seed-grown specimen according to the species’ growing requirements.

Propagation project complete!