Plants You Can Propagate With One Leaf
A common question that we see is which plants can you propagate using only one leaf. If that’s been one of your burning propagation questions we’ve compiled this short list of suggestions for you! The good news about this process is that even if your propagation doesn’t take off, you’re only missing one leaf, not a big piece of your plant — and right now, with so many of us staying home, it’s fun to experiment with propagation. So, read on and propagate away!
Gesneriads (African violet, Sinningia, Cape Primrose, Gloxinia)
These are some of the easiest plants I have ever propagated in soil. In fact, I’ve seen numerous people have a lot of luck taking a single leaf of an African violet, putting a toothpick through it, and letting the bottom of the stem stick in water and grow roots.
String of Turtles
A couple years back someone gave me three leaves from a Peperomia prostrata, also called a String of Turtles, and told me it would be easy to grow an entire plant from them. They were not wrong! I threw those few leaves on some damp potting mix, put that in a terrarium, and within a few months I had vines.
Jade
Crassula ovata can take a little while, but it is possible to take a single leaf, put it on potting mix, and grow a new plant. In fact, it often happens by accident and you just discover a new baby living in the pot.
Opuntia
We know, these are pads, but close enough! Just take one of these, put it on some soil, water occasionally, and next thing you know the Opuntia pad will have little fuzzy bumps that are actually new pads forming.
Sansevieria
Also known as snake plant or mother-in-laws-tongue, Sansevieria is easy to propagate. Just cut a healthy leaf, place it in just enough water to cover the bottom, and place in indirect light. Remember to change your water every few days, and soon you’ll be seeing roots.
Rex Begonia
There are a couple of steps to this one, but you can get a couple of plants out of one leaf. Snip a healthy leaf from your mature Begonia Rex, then use a clean, sharp knife to make one cross-wise cut across each of the main veins on the underside of the leaf. Place the leaf cut-side down onto damp potting mix and secure it there, then cover with a plastic bag, cloche, or anything else you have that will keep the moisture in. Place your leaf in bright indirect light, make sure it stays moist, and watch for new plants to form!
Sedum
Most Sedum, or stonecrop, can be propagated by taking just one leaf. Make sure that the leaf is the full leaf, all of the way down to the stem. Put the leaf on a nice, porous potting mix for succulents, and spray about once a week, depending on a few things such as the humidity, air circulation, and potting mix.
Echeveria
Most Echeveria types can be propagated from just one leaf, but it’s best to double-check before you start stripping leaves off of yours! A good way to find out is to pop over to our Facebook group and ask our amazing members.
If you want more plant inspo, propagation tips, or just want to show off the plant that you have propagated check out House Plant Hobbyist on Facebook to join our global community of plant people!