How to Plant Sedum Cuttings

Aug 15th 2012

How to Plant Sedum Cuttings

Sedums are one of those indispensable succulents that can find a place in nearly every succulent planter. Here are a few points about sedums that make them winners in any garden. They are very cold hardy. They are drought tolerant. They are rarely bothered by pests. They form an attractive ground cover. They can be used as trailing plants that hang down the sides of containers. There are hundreds of varieties. They are easy to grow.

If you have a sedum plant and want to use it in additional planters or around the yard, one option that you have is to propagate the sedum by cuttings.

  1. Snip off a 2-5" piece of the sedum plant
  2. Plant the cutting into soil that has good drainage
  3. Keep the newly planted cutting moist (water it like you would water petunias or another annual)
  4. After a couple weeks it's roots will take hold and begin to develop

When planting sedum cuttings people always ask us at Young's, "How deep should the cuttings be planted?" Here's a photo documentation of cuttings planted shallow vs. deep.

We took 2 sedum cuttings that were both about 5" long.

Sedum Cuttings

There were planted in the same small container. One was planted an inch deep and the other was planted 3 inches deep.

Planted Cuttings Together

Would the cutting that was planted deeper develop a stronger root system? Exactly 3 weeks after planting we removed the cuttings from the soil to see how their root systems were growing.

Sedum Root System

The cutting that was planted shallow actually had a strong and healthy root system. It looked much better than just 3 weeks of growth.

Shallow Planted Sedum

The cutting that was planted deeper had roots along the full length of the stem, but they actually don't look quite as strong as the other cuttings root system.

Deep Planted Sedum

Conclusion: It doesn't really matter how deep you plant sedum cuttings. They root out readily planted to any depth. We recommend planting them about an inch deep. As sedums grow and mature their roots do not end up going extremely deep. Many succulents, like aeonium, have shallow roots so they can capture the lightest amount of moisture on the soil.

As a sedum plant grows it creeps along the ground and sends out roots from the middle of the stem. These roots anchor the plant and help it get the water and nutrients it needs as it spreads. Sedums make colorful and unique ground covers, perfect for any yard or planter.

Sedum Stem Roots