How to Propagate Cactus and Agave (It Works!)

Are you wondering How to Propagate Cactus and Agave? These simple little tricks work like a charm!

Then… have even more fun in your garden with my best secret Easy Gardening Tips and Tricks!

How to Propagate Cactus and Agave

So you’re wondering How to Propagate Cactus and Agave? Well guess what, it’s so much easier than you think! Once you know how, you’ll be able to multiply your favorite plants over and over again!

Trust me… once I started, I couldn’t stop!

You see, I am a bit obsessed with propagation. I’m going to have to blame my sweet grandma for the obsession, too.

She was an incredible gardener, and her yard was loaded with beautiful flowers, unique plants, and all sorts of edible treats. In my teens, she showed me how she propagated her calla lily plants. It was fascinating!

Several years later when I had my first home, I came home from work one day and was surprised to find a pot of calla lily plants sitting by more doorstep. I knew it was my sneaky grandma who had left me the surprise, and now I had several I could plant in my own yard.

So I continued to propagate and multiply those stunning, creamy white flowers, share them with friends, and move them around to different yards over the years.

I even had a neighbor ask if she could use them for her wedding bouquet.

Of course I says yes, and it was GORGEOUS! And this is how my life-long obsession with propagating began. 🙂

Now I propagate my houseplants, I propagate my herbs (like Basil), and I propagate plants all over my yard. I partially just find the whole process fascinating, and as prices of plants continue to rise. I love being able to fill my home and yard with FREE plants!

Once you know how to propagate, you can have an endless supply of your own free plants, and beautiful gifts for friends, family, and neighbors.

Or… you can even start a side hustle off of it! I regularly see people selling their propagated plants on craigslist.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get propagating, shall we?

Here’s what you need to do…

Related: Easy Gardening Tips and Tricks for Beginners

How to Propagate Argentine Giant Cactus (and similar styles)

In my experience, the Argentine Giant Cactus are one of the easiest cactus to propagate!

The mother plant is constantly reproducing new arms, so you can simply remove one arm at a time and replant them! Easy, right?

Here’s what you’ll do…

1. First you’ll want to put on some garden gloves… these guys are pokey!

2. Carefully dig out an exterior arm of your cactus using a long sharp shovel.

3. When you dig out the arm, it should already have roots growing, so it will be ready to plant immediately!

4. At this point you can transplant the baby somewhere else in your yard, or you can plant it a well-draining pot (like an old nursery pot) filled with cactus soil.

Note: As always, when propagating, not every plant usually makes it, so I suggest propagating multiple cacti at the same time for the best success.

How to Propagate Peruvian Cactus (and similar styles)

Peruvian cactus (also known as Peruvian Apple Cactus) will grow multiple new arms every year.

In the Fall, saw off new arm growth that is 4″ long or larger. I actually use a drywall knife to get the job done. 🙂

Bring the arms inside for 5 days and place on a folded towel or blanket, and let the scab heal up where you removed them from the mother plant.

After the scab has healed up, plant in a well draining pot (like an old nursery pot) filled with cactus soil and place in a partial sun / partial shade part of your yard.

Water once, then allow to sit in the dry pot until roots begin to form.

After 8 weeks, carefully pull the arm out of the pot to see if any roots have formed.

If not, place it back in the pot and check again in 1 month, and then again in 2 months. It can take several months for the babies to actually grow roots.

If the base of the cactus begins to rot, toss it out.

Not all will grow roots… typically about 50% – 70% of mine do, so I suggest propagating multiple cacti at the same time for the best success.

How to Propagate Agave

Now agave is another desert plant that is so easy to propagate! When we moved into our home several years ago, there was a gorgeous large potted agave in the courtyard.

I remember driving up to our home, even before we bought it, thinking how stunning it was!

When we moved in and I started trimming it up, I noticed it had several babies sh*oting off from the mother plant.

I got busy propagating, and now a few years later we have 4 new mature agave plants in our backyard, 3 new mature agave plants in our front yard, and about 10 more baby agaves growing in our little baby plant nursery in our backyard!

We’ve even given one to a neighbor, and they were so excited! The best part is… they were all FREE!

Here’s how it works…

What Are Agave Pups?

What I love about agave plants is that most healthy plants will reproduce and send off baby sh*ots from the mother plant.

These are called agave pups. Agave pups can be easily removed and planted in pots.

Once they are more mature, they can be transplanted somewhere else in your yard or even given as gifts!

For example, I gave one of our large agave pups to our neighbors across the street, and now a few years later it has grown into a beautiful, mature agave plant in their front yard!

How Do You Plant Baby Agave?

Agave pups *often called baby agave) are so easy to plant! Here are my top tips for How to Plant Agave Pups…

Wait until agave pups are at least 4″ tall.

For best results, you’ll want to transplant your agave pups in the Spring or the Fall.

Now go put on some garden gloves and let’s get started… agave can be pokey!

1. Carefully remove the soil or rock around your agave pup.

2. Then using a sharp shovel, cut it off from the main mother plant. Try to get close to the mother plant, and just pierce the shovel down where the two connect.

3. Remove your agave pup, then put the dirt or rocks back around the mother plant.

4. Now you have an agave pup! For the best success, what you want is an agave pup with roots already starting. (If your pup has no roots, you can still give it a try… they sometimes grow roots on their own when placed in cactus soil. Just water those pups without roots even more sparingly.)

5. Now you’ll want to transfer your pup to a well draining pot (like an old nursery pot) filled with cactus soil.

6. Water your new plant, and then place your pot in a warm location that gets plenty of sun.

7. Water pups once a week for the first month, and every 2 weeks after that (or once a month throughout the Winter), and watch your plant slowly grow into a beautiful mature agave!

8. Agave pups grow slowly at first, so if your pot is big enough, you can easily leave it in the pot for up to a few years before transplanting. Once it’s bigger, you can transplant it in your yard, or give it away as a gift!

Note: As always, when propagating, not every plant will make it, so I suggest propagating multiple agave at the same time for the best success.

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So have you tried any of these tips for How to Propagate Cactus or Agave yet?

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