Did you also know that the Christmas Cactus really isn’t a cactus at all? It’s really a type of succulent. But, it’s not an ordinary succulent that you find growing in sandy soil in hot climates.Christmas Cactus is a relative native to the rainforest of Brazil. And it originally grew in the moss near the tops of the trees in the rainforests of Brazil. As you could imagine, it thrives in humid conditions.
What Is “Propagate”?
Propagating is simply a way to make new plants from an existing plant. There are many different methods for propagating plants. Fortunately, Christmas Cactus happen to be one of the easiest plants to propagate.
Easy steps to propagate your cacti:
Select Cuttings.
Take cuttings that are 2-6 leaf segments or leaves. These segments can be cut or twisted off. To twist off the segments, hold onto the plant segment and then twist the section you want to remove. Again, be sure to select a segment that is 2-6 leaves long. You’ll want one to four cuttings for each pot you plan to grow.
Let Heal.
Once you have cut or removed your cuttings by twisting them off the mother plant, you want to simply lay them some place out of sunlight to let the cutting heal over for a day or two.
Root In Water.
Fill an empty glass jar with about two inches of pebbles or stones. Add enough water that it covers the stones. Then place the cuttings in the jar, with just the very bottom of them touching the water. You’ll still have quite a bit of the cutting in the jar, but only the bottom portion should be in the water.
Place the jar with the cuttings in a window so that it gets indirect sunlight. You should see roots growing in about 1-3 weeks. In the meantime, keep an eye on the water level in the jar and add more water as needed. You want to be sure to keep the cutting watered.
Ready To Transplant.
I like to wait until the roots are maybe ¼ – ½” long before planting. Once you have roots, select a small flower pot (Christmas Cactus like to be crowded). Fill the bottom of the pot with pebbles for drainage and then fill with a potting soil mix for succulents. Plant each cutting about 1” deep in soil and water.And you’ll probably want to repot your Christmas Cactus every 2-3 years, just to give it a little more room to grow.
You can propagate your Christmas Cactus in early Spring, or if you have a large plant that you want to split and repot into two pots then you can do this any time.
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