Prune Your Christmas Cactus in 5 Steps

Pruning a plant is a bit like trimming your specific individual hair: Logically, you already know that it ought to all develop as soon as extra. Nonetheless the a part of you tentatively holding the scissors is feeling fairly apprehensive. Don’t panic! Pruning doesn’t ought to set off hundreds anxiousness; considerably on a species as forgiving because of the Christmas cactus.

Schlumbergera x buckleyi is a much-loved houseplant well-liked for its longevity and winter-flowering nature. Of their native Brazil, Christmas cacti anchor themselves to shady cliffs and tree nooks and accumulate dietary nutritional vitamins from wildlife droppings and decaying leaf litter. Potted up in a entrance room, they like well-drained, barely acidic soil. In stark distinction to their desert-dwelling cousins, these vegetation want delicate temperatures and quite a lot of water. 

Why Prune Your Christmas Cactus?

Youthful Christmas cacti have an upright progress form, nonetheless as they age, the basal stems thicken and develop to be woody. The branches will lengthen and begin to drape downward. This presents it a really elegant look, however over time, it can probably look leggy and a bit scraggly. Pruning can reshape and enhance the seems to be like of those beautiful long-lived beauties.

Pruning can even assist promote flowering. This species types flowers absolutely on the ends of the stems, considerably the place the segments of the flattened stems meet. Extra stems will lastly equal further flowers.

One different excuse to present your houseplant a haircut? To make further of them! This species can merely be propagated with stem cuttings. 

Step 1: Wait Till It’s Completed Blooming

Prune your Christmas cactus right after it has achieved blooming however ahead of it begins actively rising as quickly as further. That is usually spherical February or March. Pruning correct now will direct the upcoming power in course of producing new stems as an alternative of down current stems. The end result? A lush, bushy plant comparatively than longer stems.

Don’t prune earlier summer season season. The Christmas cactus begins to direct power in course of flower bud formation in early fall. As rapidly as buds start to form, it’s finest to go away them undisturbed. As short-day vegetation, Christmas cacti require various uninterrupted weeks of cool temperatures and extended (12+ hours per 24-hour day) stretches of darkness to set off flowering.

Step 2: Uncover the Applicable Pruning Diploma 

Fortunate for us, the pure kind of a Christmas cacti’s stem makes pruning fairly foolproof. The segmented stems are composed of many leaf-like buildings typically known as phylloclades. Botanically talking, these are usually not true leaves, however they do perform photosynthesis. Select a slender joint between division segments. It could naturally produce 1-2 new phylloclades the place it was lower.

Keep away from decreasing the hardened, woody progress down close to the crown. Woody stems are a pure a part of the rising older course of and an indication of a mature plant! Observe the softer, inexperienced progress close to the very best of the stem.

Step 3: Make the Reduce

The second you’ve been ready for: time to prune your Christmas cactus! Some gardeners merely twist the stem at one amongst many slender joints. I must make the most of a pair of pruners or a knife to avoid tearing. In case you select to make the most of pruners or a pair of snips, be sure that they’re clear ahead of utilizing them. In case you’re hoping to propagate your cuttings, be sure that every stem decreasing has on the very least 3-4 segments and is various inches extended. 

Step 4: Resolve on a Fast Snip or Exhausting Reduce

In case you merely ought to tidy up or take away a few stray stems, various fast snips must do it. Older vegetation which can be further large would possibly begin to drop branches that they are going to now not help. On this state of affairs, you could wish to lower significantly tougher.

In case you are trying to drastically reshape the plant or take away a few of its mass, you’ll be able to prune as quite a bit as one third of the foliage. Eradicating a couple of third of the leaves at any given time would possibly ship it into shock. The plant would possibly or could not flower all through the upcoming season.

Step 5: Make Extra Crops

Now, what to do with all these bits of stem? That is the right numerous to broaden your Christmas cactus assortment (or a terrific pal’s) and propagate various new vegetation! Chances are high excessive you could wish to begin various stem cuttings to up your odds of worthwhile propagation.

Let the stem decreasing dry for a day. This may permit the wound to callous over, which, in flip, will forestall rot. Then, place the decreasing upright in moistened potting combine. Christmas cacti require very sharply drained soil that’s comparatively nutrient poor. Use a potting combine considerably made for succulents and cacti, or make your specific individual potting combine out of potting soil, perlite, and coarse gravel or sand.

Put the planted stem decreasing in a shiny, heat (65-75°F or 18-24°C) location. Preserve the potting combine persistently moist however not waterlogged. Quite a few spritzes with a sprig bottle will assist amp up the humidity with out drowning the stem decreasing. You can too affix a plastic bag or dome all through the vegetation to keep up up humidity.

It might probably presumably take 2-3 weeks for roots to form. Be affected particular person! As rapidly as new progress begins rising on the tip, you’ll be able to re-pot the stem decreasing in a a lot greater container of your alternative. Chances are high excessive you could wish to try planting 2-3 stem cuttings collectively to assist fill out a a lot greater container. New cuttings could also be propagated at any time of 12 months, however you would possibly want the simplest ends in late spring.