Mother of Thousands Might Be the Simplest Houseplant to Propagate – It's Practically Effortless to get New Plants in Minutes
Discover how easy it is to propagate Mother of Thousands for lots of new indoor plants
As its name suggests, Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) is a succulent with a reputation for multiplying. Hailing from Madagascar and also known as the alligator plant or Mexican hat plant, it readily reproduces on its own and is also incredibly easy to propagate.
Commonly grown as an indoor succulent, a Mother of Thousands grows to three feet tall and its fleshy leaves are edged with small plantlets. These plantlets fall from the plant but also offer the quickest way to propagate Mother of Thousands, as they are readily available and root easily.
Mother of Thousands differs from Mother of Millions (Kalanchoe delagoensis), but both plants are straightforward to propagate. If you know how to propagate Mother of Thousands, you can expand your indoor plant collection and have new plants for friends, family, and neighbors. Here are two ways to do it: from plantlets and from cuttings. For both, you need a good houseplant soil, like this organic indoor potting mix on Amazon.
How to Propagate Mother of Thousands From Plantlets
It is easy to get lots of new Mother of Thousands plants using the baby plantlets that form all along the leaf margins. These small offsets root easily, so effortlessly that they often fall from the plant and root wherever they land.
This is not desirable; you can end up with lots of babies where you don’t want them. Thankfully, you can propagate Mother of Thousands in a less chaotic way using these baby plantlets in 4 simple steps:
- Remove the baby plantlets: Mother of Thousands is an easy houseplant to propagate in fall and winter, when the plantlets are mature and drop naturally. It is not limited to then, though, as you can propagate mature plantlets throughout the year. Mature plantlets have tiny leaves and some mini roots. When they show all the right characteristics, gently remove them from the leaves with your fingers or tweezers (available at Walmart) before they fall off on their own. To boost your chances of success, make sure they have at least two or three roots when you detach them.
- Put the plantlets in soil: Prepare trays or small pots with a well-draining potting mix. The best material to propagate plants in is a mix formulated especially for cuttings, like this plant propagation potting mix on Amazon. Put the separated plantlets on the surface and gently push the roots into the potting mix. Don’t bury the plantlets deeply; they just need contact with the soil to establish roots. They naturally fall from the plant and root wherever they land, which is evidence they don’t need precision planting to start growing. Place the container of plantlets where they can get lots of bright, indirect sunlight.
- Mist the plantlets: Keep the soil damp, but not too wet. The safest way is to mist the soil after you plant the babies, then repeat when the soil dries out. It would be a houseplant propagation mistake to waterlog the soil, as that will certainly result in the plantlet rotting rather than rooting. You can get a vintage glass mister at Walmart that makes a beautiful addition to any propagation station.
- Replant once roots form: After a few weeks, the plantlets will likely have developed a new root system. At this point, pot them up into an individual container. Always wait for a good root system to develop. A good sign they have rooted is when you feel some resistance when you gently pull – only gently, as you don’t want to risk snapping those fresh roots. Use a well-draining potting soil for indoor plants, like this houseplant potting soil at Amazon. Carefully lever the baby plant out of the soil and place it into the new pot. Bury the roots, but keep the foliage above the soil line. Water gently and keep the soil moist but not too wet going forward.
How to Propagate Mother of Thousands From Cuttings
Mother of Thousands is also an easy houseplant to grow from stem cuttings in late spring to early summer. It is a slower way to start new plants than by plantlets, but it is a reliable method.
Taking plant cuttings is a way to trim back tall or leggy plants and get new specimens for a houseplant collection. Here’s how to propagate Mother of Thousands from cuttings:
- Take a 2-4 inch cutting of a healthy stem with a pair of sharp pruning snips (available at Amazon)
- Place the cutting somewhere warm and dry to callus over for a few days
- Dip the base of the cutting in rooting hormone (you can get rooting hormone powder from Walmart)
- Place the cutting into a pot filled with a succulent potting mix (like this at Amazon)
- Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to maintain humidity
- Place the container where it can get lots of bright, indirect light
- Water lightly and don’t water again until the soil starts drying out
- Once the cutting has developed roots after a few weeks, it can be potted up
What to Shop
Growing Mother of Thousands might not be for every household, as the foliage is toxic to pets. All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested by cats, dogs, or humans.
If you have an inquisitive pet at home, our guide to the best pet-safe indoor plants includes alternatives you may prefer.
If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?
