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:

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:

1. Take a 2-4 inch cutting of a healthy stem with a pair of sharp pruning snips (available at Amazon)
2. Place the cutting somewhere warm and dry to callus over for a few days
3. Dip the base of the cutting in rooting hormone (you can get rooting hormone powder from Walmart)
4. Place the cutting into a pot filled with a succulent potting mix (like this at Amazon)
5. Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to maintain humidity
6. Place the container where it can get lots of bright, indirect light
7. Water lightly and don’t water again until the soil starts drying out
8. 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.

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