Propagation Techniques for Ornamental Succulents

The popularity of succulents as ornamental plants has increased in recent years. This is primarily because of their unique geometric shapes, which form a rosette, coupled with their ability to retain high levels of moisture. These features make ornamental succulents suitable as landscape plants as they can withstand extreme conditions and as potted plants for indoor spaces as they require minimal watering. Appropriate propagation techniques are important to increase production rates and plant quality in the shortest time possible. These ornamental plants may be propagated in various ways, both sexually, via seeds, and vegetatively, through a number of methods, such as stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and micropropagation. In this review, methods for the propagation of ornamental succulents are described, including post-propagation care and management. Propagation aspects on which limited information is available are also highlighted. Potential areas for research required to produce data to further improve techniques, conservation, and rapid propagation efforts are discussed.