How to propagate Christmas cactus

Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera) is technically a succulent, rather than a cactus. The classification differs as the plant is less drought-tolerant than the species ‘cactus’ infers. However, they are well-suited to storing reasonable amounts of water in their leaves. Another term linked to Christmas cacti is ‘rainforest cacti’, as opposed to ‘desert cacti’, which provides a hint to the conditions they thrive in.

Hailing from southeastern Brazil, they are fond of tropical conditions, so warm, bright, and humid. Too much direct sun can scorch the leaves, so be aware of this when positioning.

Great houseplants to grow, they are low-maintenance and long-lived, making them reliable and colourful plants to enjoy in your home. Their bright flowers, typically red or pink, appear from November to January, hence their association with Christmas.

These house plants are notoriously easy to propagate. Then you can have many growing around your home, or even give them as Christmas gifts that year. Start this process in May, and you should have healthy plants growing in time to flower at Christmas. Find out how below:

Equipment

• Snips
• 50:50 mix of peat-free seed/cuttings compost, and sharp sand
• Small pots

1. Select your cuttings from the ends of your plant stems. The leaves are clearly segmented, so make each cutting consisting of one or two leaf sections. You can either do this by carefully snapping them off, or delicately separating them with some snips.
2. Now, let your cuttings dry out for a day or two. This helps the area you’ve cut to heal slightly before planting.
3. Fill your small pots with your mixture of 50:50 peat-free seed/cuttings compost and sharp sand.
4. Next, insert the cuttings into the compost about 1cm deep. You can insert them slightly deeper if needed to help them stay upright, but not too deep, as this could lead to rotting.
5. Depending on the size of your pots, you can either put one per container or several around the edges. Use your best judgement on how many cuttings are suitable per container without crowding them.
6. Water your cuttings lightly, and then leave your pots in a bright location, out of direct sunlight to avoid scorching. Make sure the spot you choose maintains a temperature between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius, as they will struggle anywhere cooler.
7. After this, water them very sparingly to avoid rotting, and mist them occasionally too to boost the humidity. They can take anything from 3 to 12 weeks to root. You can test this by giving them a very gentle tug. If they don’t move, they’ve successfully rooted.
8. Once they have rooted, you can pot them up individually to continue growing as individual houseplants. As they grow, increase their pot size to give them plenty of space. You’ve successfully propagated Christmas cactus!

Christmas cacti are the perfect house plant to grow and gift during the festive period. Share the joy of house plants by propagating Christmas cacti in May and gifting them to friends and family at Christmas.