How To Grow Ice Plant From Cuttings. 2 Easy Steps

If you’re interested in learning how to grow ice plant from cuttings, you’ll be pleased that it will only take you two steps. You can also consider growing the cuttings in the greenhouse to guarantee rooting from controlled and stable indoor conditions. Remember that propagating can still be tricky for any plant if the conditions are extreme and fluctuating. 

The good news is that ice plants are generally hardy, so growing them should not be stressful and demanding. They can tolerate extreme heat and will manage to provide you blooms all summer. While you can start ice plants from seeds, rooting them from cuttings is more comfortable and will guarantee that you’ll get the parent plant’s exact characteristics.

Best Way On How To Grow Ice Plant From Cuttings

Step #1. Collecting cuttings

The first step in propagating ice plants from cuttings is by collecting the sections. The incredible thing with an ice plant is that you can take cuttings in spring, summer, and fall. However, you want to ensure that the parent plant is healthy, and the sections you take have no signs of damage and disease. 

You can prepare the plant by watering it the day before you intend to collect the cuttings. Growing mature ice plants in the greenhouse under stable conditions should also raise stress-free plants for this propagation method. Once you ensure that the parent plant is ready, use a sharp and sterilized knife and take a 3-inch section without flower blossoms by tracing it back to the base and cut straight across. 

Much like with other cuttings, you want to remove all the leaves except those at the top. It’s also worth noting that you must leave them to dry overnight before rooting them. 

Step #2. Rooting cuttings

This is where rooting ice plants become unique compared to other plants. Instead of a pot, use a paper cup and poke holes at the lower side and bottom of it using a pencil. Two holes at the bottom should suffice, and three holes at ¼ inches above the base are ideal. 

Use an all-purpose potting mix and get the cup at ¾ full. Stick the cutting in the medium so that half an inch of the end is inside. You can plant two cuttings per cup, but most gardeners place one per cup as well.

Water the cup thoroughly and let it drain in a tray. Place the cuttings in the greenhouse, so they receive bright but indirect light. At this point, you can water once a week and wait for the ice plant to grow roots. You can check for resistance to indicate rooting and consider transplanting the ice plants the following spring. 

How To Take Care Of An Ice Plant

You can assume that an ice plant being a succulent makes it a relatively easy plant to care for. You can also use a greenhouse to maintain its ideal growing conditions and prevent fluctuations if your location’s climate is extra challenging. But in general, keep in mind that succulents like ice plants thrive well in dry regions, so growing them should mimic those environments. 

To begin with, full sun will help maintain the health of your ice plant. Place your plants somewhere bright, and use grow lights if necessary. You should also preserve the temperatures around 77 to 86°F as ice plants won’t do well in freezing temperatures. 

If your region experiences harsh winter, place the plants indoors until the weather has subsided. When it comes to watering, you want to ensure that you don’t oversaturate your ice plants’ medium. This is why it can be advantageous to use a well-draining succulent mix to avoid the dangers of rot. 

Gardeners often recommend checking the top two inches of the surface and only water when it is dry. Remember that succulents are more prone to root rot than other plants. Instead, soaking and letting ice plants drain is more ideal, and never water until the dry surface. 

Common Problems In Growing Ice Plants

As mentioned earlier, freezing temperatures, fluctuating conditions in the environment, and overwatering will be your primary concerns when growing and propagating ice plants. These tropical plants, much like other succulents, should stay in a bright and warm environment and never in standing water and cold temperatures. More so, damp conditions can encourage fungal diseases that can damage ice plants. 

Ice plants are also prone to pests such as scale and mealy bugs. You must immediately isolate the infested plants from the area, so constant checking of the plants should eradicate arising problems quickly. More so, these problems are occasional, and you can easily avoid them under proper growing conditions and maintenance practices. 

Conclusion

Succulents are perhaps one of the easiest plants to grow. If you have ice plants, you can learn how to grow ice plant from cuttings and get more copies of these unique-looking succulents. Start collecting cuttings either in spring, summer, or fall, and remove all the sections’ leaves except those at the top. 

Let the cuttings dry overnight before rooting them in a paper cup. An all-purpose potting mix or succulent mix would work well as a medium, and the cuttings should develop well in a sunny location and proper maintenance of the mixture’s moisture. You can use a greenhouse to mimic the tropical places that ice plants came from, but ensure not to overwater as they are prone to root rot.