How to Divide Aeonium Succulents

Root Division

• 1

  Set the pot of aeonium to be divided on its side. Grasp the base of the aeonium near the soil and gently pull the root system out of the pot. If it won't move, rap the side of the pot against a hard surface to jar it loose.

• 2

  Separate the roots using a sharp knife, your fingers or two garden claws dug into the center of the mass of roots, with their handles facing opposite directions. Sever the roots with the sharp knife, making sure each division has both roots and one or two growing points. Or pull the roots apart with your fingers, ensuring that each division contains roots and top growth. Use the garden claws if the roots are too tightly wound together for your fingers to separate them. Again, ensure the divisions all have roots and above-ground shoots.

• 3

  Plant the divisions each in their own pot. Use a pot no more than 2 inches larger than the root system, when planting each division. Use a mixture of rich, moisture-retaining but well-draining potting soil formulated for succulents. Aeonium likes a little more moisture in its soil than most succulents, so add one part of peat moss for each two parts of succulent potting soil for best results.

Stem Division

• 4

  Inspect the aeonium to determine the rosettes you will cut off when propagating the plant with stem division. Cut off rosettes with sharp scissors near the point they emerge from the stems, but leave approximately 1 to 2 inches of stem on each rosette.

• 5

  Set the cut rosettes on a screen or wire rack for two to three days. The cut end will form a callous, which will prevent the rosette from rotting before it can form roots.

• 6

  Fill 4-inch individual pots with the same special potting mix used to replant root divisions of aeonium, in Section 1, Step 3.

• 7

  Push the base of the cut stems of aeonium into the soil in the 4-inch pots. Let the leaves of the rosette rest on the rim of the pot, if necessary. Water well with water soluble fertilizer mixed at half the recommended strength.

• 8

  Check for the growth of roots in approximately four to six weeks. Pull the rosette out of the soil and inspect the end. If roots appear robust and well-developed, the divisions have taken and may be used as desired. If the roots appear small or there are no roots, replace the stem in the pot and wait an additional few weeks before checking again.