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’ll all develop as soon as extra. However the a part of you tentatively holding the scissors is feeling fairly apprehensive. Don’t panic! Pruning doesn’t should set off tons anxiousness; notably 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 an excessive amount of water. 

Why Prune Your Christmas Cactus?

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

Pruning also can assist promote flowering. This species varieties flowers totally on the ends of the stems, notably the place the segments of the flattened stems meet. Further 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 Achieved Blooming

Prune your Christmas cactus right after it has completed blooming nonetheless prior to it begins actively rising as quickly as further. That is typically spherical February or March. Pruning correct now will direct the upcoming power in course of producing new stems instead of down current stems. The top outcome? 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 most fascinating to go away them undisturbed. As short-day vegetation, Christmas cacti require fairly just a few uninterrupted weeks of cool temperatures and extended (12+ hours per 24-hour day) stretches of darkness to set off flowering.

Step 2: Uncover the Proper Pruning Stage 

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

Avoid reducing the hardened, woody development 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! Adjust to the softer, inexperienced development 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 keep away from tearing. In case you select to make the most of pruners or a pair of snips, ensure they’re clear prior to utilizing them. In case you’re hoping to propagate your cuttings, ensure every stem reducing has on the very least 3-4 segments and is sort of just a few inches extended. 

Step 4: Determine on a Fast Snip or Exhausting Reduce

In case you merely should tidy up or take away a lot of stray stems, fairly just a few fast snips should do it. Older vegetation which is prone to be further huge may begin to drop branches that they’ll now not help. On this case, chances are you’ll need to lower significantly extra sturdy.

For individuals who’re attempting to drastically reshape the plant or take away a lot of of its mass, you may prune as lots as one third of the foliage. Eradicating just a few third of the leaves at any given time may ship it into shock. The plant may or could not flower all through the upcoming season.

Step 5: Make Further Crops

Now, what to do with all these bits of stem? That is the proper varied to broaden your Christmas cactus assortment (or pal’s) and propagate fairly just a few new vegetation! Chances are high excessive chances are you’ll need to begin fairly just a few stem cuttings to up your odds of worthwhile propagation.

Let the stem reducing dry for a day. This may occasionally permit the wound to callous over, which, in flip, will forestall rot. Then, place the reducing upright in moistened potting combine. Christmas cacti require very sharply drained soil that’s comparatively nutrient poor. Use a potting combine notably 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 reducing in a shiny, heat (65-75°F or 18-24°C) location. Keep the potting combine persistently moist nonetheless not waterlogged. Numerous spritzes with a sprig bottle will assist amp up the humidity with out drowning the stem reducing. You can too affix a plastic bag or dome all through the vegetation to take care of up humidity.

It ought to presumably take 2-3 weeks for roots to form. Be affected particular person! As rapidly as new development begins rising on the tip, you may re-pot the stem reducing in an excellent larger container of your alternative. Chances are high excessive chances are you’ll need to try planting 2-3 stem cuttings collectively to assist fill out an excellent larger container. New cuttings is prone to be propagated at any time of 12 months, nonetheless you may want among the many most interesting ends in late spring.