My 30ish-yr-old Xmas cactus has grown one large stem
by
Louise
+5
I think it is due to its size, has broken at the arrow. It's not entirely broken off, but isn't really intact. Because this plant is very old and a favorite of mine, I want to preserve it. Can I break it off at this broken area and stick the broken-off part into a new container? If so, is there a special potting medium to use to try to assure it thrives?
6 answers
-
Christmas cactus is very easy to propagate, so you're in luck. Just snip off all the way down to about 1/2" above where the plant starts to branch out. Then with your long cutting snip it to about 2" down from where it begins to branch out at the bottom and discard the middle piece. Pot it up in a peat moss and sand mix that's reasonably damp but not actually wet, and only plant about an inch deep. If you want you can treat the cut end with a product like Root Tone or another commercial rooting medium but I've never bothered. Keep it in a bright window and keep the moisture level to a happy medium and soon you'll have plenty of roots and a second happy cactus. My mom has one that is creeping up on 40 years old and she has chopped it almost all the way back to the root several times to refresh it, and has propagated so many cuttings off it over the years that I can't even count them all. I think she has about 10 going at the moment. We've begun to call it the holiday cactus now because it blossoms just about every 45 days, not just around christmas time. On a kind of disgusting side note at one point she caught the cat using it's pot for a litter box (hey, it's dirt after all), and even that couldn't kill it! All she did was dump the soil and replace it with fresh, and then kitty proofed the pot by sticking bamboo skewers into the soil, pointy ends up!
Danielle
on Apr 30, 2015
- See 1 previous
-
I live in Florida so I don't know if this will help. But, I put special bromeliad fertilizer pellets in it and watered about once a week on my patio and the plant has really thrived. I think most of us do not fertilize enough. good luck
Lyn Marino
on Apr 30, 2015
-
When ever you are rooting a cactus you need to let the cutting harden off for around three days before you plant it in soil.Good luck.
Lora
on May 01, 2015
-
I've been propagating my favorite cactus for years. After cutting it off at a reasonable place, dip the cut end in rooting powder. Lay the cut piece on a paper towel and allow it to harden for 2 weeks. Now place that cut end into any potting soil for cactus. Keep soil damp until it begins to look healthy.
Judy Colavecchio
on May 01, 2015
-
I have two bottles of rooting helper but no powder. Do I use the liquid the same way? I nearly never use it and bought a second bottle, forgetting I have one that was nearly full.
Louise
on May 01, 2015
-
You could just cut that long stem off and the rest of the plant will grow and fill in beautifully. If you want to save what you cut off cut it to just below a leaf and place it in water or keep in slightly damp soil. It will root. I have done this many times.
Gil Rob
on May 02, 2015
Sign Up to Answer
