These holiday favorites are easy to propagate from cuttings to grow gifts for family and friends.
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TheChristmas cactusis a beautiful low-maintenance houseplant that blooms year after year just in time for the holidays.
These long-lived plants can survive for decades and are often passed from one generation to the next.
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They also make wonderful gifts.
Fortunately, the propagation method is the same regardless of which species or hybrid you own.
Collect cuttings one to two months after plants finish blooming.
Late winter to early spring is a great time to repot Christmas cacti, after they have finished blooming.
During the repotting process, some broken stems are inevitable, which provides material for propagating new plants.
Likewise, pruning provides an abundance of cuttings to propagate.
Prune Christmas cacti in late spring to early summer as plants resume active growth.
Pruning encourages branching and promote greater flower production come winter.
It also helps balance lopsided plants and prevents them from becoming top heavy or too leggy.
How To Propagate Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus and its relatives are easy to propagate from stem cuttings.
The flattened leaf-like foliage of the Christmas cacti are actually modified stems, not leaves.
Like other cacti, the Christmas cactus lacks true leaves.
The jointed stems, called cladodes, do the work of photosynthesis typically performed by leaves in other plants.
It is these stem segments that we willcollect for propagation.
Cuttings can be propagated in potting media or water.
Young, soft tissue roots best.
Do not collect older woody stems for propagating.
This allows the stem to callus where it was cut or broken, which helps prevent disease.
Root Cuttings in Pots.Root cuttings in flats or small containers with good drainage.
Use a well-draining rooting medium such as sand or perlite.
Wet the medium, allowing it to drain before planting the cuttings.
Place the container in a bright location out of direct sunlight and keep the soil moist but not saturated.
Cutting will root in four to eight weeks, depending on temperature.
Cuttings can be rooted directly in decorative pots for near-instant display.
Select a container with good drainage and use sandy potting soil or a cactus mix.
Plant three to five cuttings together in the pot, spacing them at least an inch apart.
Root Cutting in Water.An alternate method to propagate Christmascacti is to root cuttings in water.
Place the cut ends into one inch of water and place them in indirect light.
Keep an eye on the water level, refilling as water evaporates.
Roots will form after several weeks.
Give containers a fuller appearance by planting three cutting together in each pot.
Use a well-drained, lightweight soil such as a cacti potting mix.
Pinch off the end stem segment once plants start to put on new growth.
This will encourage the stems to branch.
