How to fix leggy Succulent plants

Succulents have long been a popular group of plants for both indoor and outdoor growers. Succulents incredible ability to withstand drought combined with the variety of shapes, sizes and colours available makes them a fantastic type of plant to grow.

In this article and accompanying video we are going to talk about Aeoniums, a beautiful genus of succulents. Aeoniums are very popular and grow into stunning large specimen plants for both the home and garden. Aeonium arboreum is a species of succulent that has the ability to grow into a stunning multi-branched shrubby form. When grown this way Aeonium arboreum produces multiple rosettes of fleshy succulent leaves. However, in poor light or with insufficient feeding the succulent can grow tall, stretched and leggy. So how so we fix a leggy succulent?

STEP 1: Cut the top off your leggy Succulent, ensuring 10cm/4inches of stem is attached to it. This might seem brutal, but this will act as our propagation material for a new smaller plant.

STEP 2: Cut the remaining stem into multiple pieces about 5-10cm/2-4inches long. Be very careful to remember which end is the top part of your succulents stem.

TIP: Cut the top of your stem sections with an angled cut and the bottom with a straight cut, this will give you a visual way to tell which way up they go.

STEP 3: Fill enough 9cm pots with your potting mix. Succulents thrive in a free draining mix. You can use a ready mixed Cactus soil or mix your own. I recommend using a mix of 60% perlite and 40% multipurpose compost.

STEP 4: Insert each stem section, including the one with the tip attached, into your soil filled 9cm pots. Ensure you put the stems into the pot the right way up otherwise the cuttings will rot. Aim to have half the stem below soil level. Firm in the potting mix around your cuttings and give them a light water.

STEP 5: Place your newly propagated succulents somewhere cool and shadey. Within 2-4 weeks your cuttings will start to root and you will see tiny succulent rosettes appearing around the side of the stems.

STEP 6: Once established you can move your succulent plants to a sunny spot To prevent your newly propagated succulents growing leggy you need to provide them with bright light and a dilute high nitrogen feed when they are actively growing.

STEP 7: Enjoy!

Hopefully you found these simple steps easy to follow and will have a go at fixing your own leggy succulents. Of course, succulents are perfectly happy growing leggy and tall, but look much more pleasing when grown in a shrubby form. Watch my video guide, where I show you how to fix leggy Succulents from start to finish.