Succulents are the Rodney Dangerfield of the plant kingdom, says master gardener Paul James; they just don't get any respect. "Most have thorny dispositions, reproduce like crazy and are just plain fat. But with over 10,000 separate species, these prickly plants deserve a little empathy."
Succulents have the ability to store water in the most extreme situations. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti make up only 25% of succulents. Succulents thrive in hot, arid climates, but since they're such adaptable plants, many varieties do fine in other climates.
Succulents reproduce in several different ways. A leaf that falls off a plant, for instance, may have air roots. Just place it in some soil, and a new plant will grow from the apex of the leaf.
Another way to propagate succulents is with a stem cutting. A stem that has been cut or broken off may have small plantlets forming on it. Simply break off the plantlets and plant them in a pot of soil. Or you can cut off a stem and plant it directly in the soil; it will soon start developing roots.
Many varieties produce offspring at the base of the plant. Simply separate the new plant from its mother and stick it in soil. Many succulents have fibrous roots and don't require much depth.
Succulents can live for several decades, some even more than a century. "Any plant that can live that long in such rugged conditions and still maintain style and grace deserves my respect," James says.
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