So I need some help. I have this ghost plant that drop some leaves during the winter, and I propagated them and they are looking great. They have a few new babies and I’m expecting more to develop. But the parent plant is very leggy now. Should I cut all these stems and replant them? Here are some pictures of the plant parent plant and the new sprouts.
You could experiment with both options by cutting 1-2 of the stems and trying to propagate them, and if they don’t take like your previous propagations, you still have the rest from the mother plant. If you want to try cutting it, I’d leave a fair amount of the stem remaining on the prop when you cut. (I’ll attach a photo to show where I’d recommend making the cuts.) I’d recommend grabbing some Bonide’s rooting powder to help speed the rooting process up and improve your propagation chances, and having a longer stem remaining will provide the plant with more of a stem to develop roots or pups from, as well as give the plant some stability in the soil while propagating, as well as when they form roots so you can plant them upright. Allow the ends to callous over, dip the ends in rooting powder, place in a well draining cactus mix, and water when the soil completely dries out. (I get my rooting powder from my Ace Hardware or local plant nurseries. They might carry it at box stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s, though.) I’d check on the roots about once a month. Hope this helps!
1 like 
Wow thank you for your very helpful reply. Along with the image.
1 likeMine are leggy too and my babies do not look plump and beautiful like yours do. How much sun does yours get? Mine grow a little and then they just stop doing anything and I don’t know why. Like they are stunted.
0 likesMine receive full sun for about 6 hours a day.
0 likesI see ur Cajun are u in Louisiana? Louisiana sun is hard on plants so I’m super nervous about trying mine in full sun again. I’ve had a few that didn’t make it when I did that last year. Mine only get about 2 hours of sun at most and it’s in the evenings.
0 likesI am in South Louisiana. My house is east facing, so my plants get full morning sun, except for those under my Crepe Myrtle. Right now I have my succulents under my awning because we’re getting so much rain. But they don’t seem to mind the sun. Except for my String of Pearls. They stay under the awning all the time.
0 likesAll of mine are under my awning but for sure need more sun. I am trying to find a spot that gets morning sun and not afternoon but I don’t know if my house has such a thing. Mine is facing south east I believe but all my plants are in my back yard and no other spots to put them really. :( I might slowly try to acclimate a few succulents to the sun and see what happens.
0 likes
I do this all the time. Cut the plant off leaving enough stem for stability. Dry for a day or two. Plant in some good, high quality succulent soil. I water when the plant needs it and don’t water the whole planter. I use a squeeze bottle and water at the base of the plant. I suggest a terracotta planter but I don’t always use. In a few weeks you should have roots growing. Try very gently pulling on the plant to check resistance caused by roots. Pics are plants done exactly this way, with 100% success.
And these are the young side props from a Echeveria topsy turvy. Just cut them off a couple weeks ago.
Wow! Your plants are beautiful! I love the colors. Is that merely because of the type of plant? Or due to stressing?
0 likesThanks for the squeeze bottle suggestion. I don’t like watering the whole pot, but that would allow me to spot water so they are not so wet.
0 likes Thanks. I have some very bright grow lights that make them color up.
0 likes I believe the plant bottom left in third pic is a grapto of some sort. I have too many to remember and they are very similar sometimes. And a grapto in second pic too. Just checked and first pic is also a grapto.
0 likesAnd should I add rocks to the top? I mix in sand to the succulent soil. What do the rocks do?
0 likes The rocks or top dressing is just for aesthetics. Once they develop root systems then you can water the entire planter. For my succulent soil I use Jacks Gritty Mix. From there I will add regular potting soil to Jacks depending on the plant. For Echeverias I use almost 100% Jacks. Graptoverias about the same ratio.
1 like
I got my ghost plant because I saw a great one in a shop window, it had many tentacles hanging down with compact rosettes on the ends. I think that's just what the plant is like. Mine, a descendant of that exact plant I saw, looks terrible. Wide spaces between the leaves, no compact rosettes. This year I'll give it more sun. I want the long vines with rosettes. You are on your way there. Embrace it.
1 like