How to Propagate a Cactus for Success, 4 Ways

Cacti are popular houseplants because they don't need to be watered frequently and most will tolerate a bit of neglect. A member of the plant family Cactaceae, cactu are not only easy to care for, but they are also easy plants to propagate'meaning you can expand your cactus collection with ease (and for free).

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

There are more than 2,000 cactus varieties, and there are a number of different ways to successfully propagate them. Learn how to propagate cactus from cuttings, pads, offsets, or grafting.

How to Propagate From a Cactus Cutting

Propagating plants from cuttings involves trimming off a healthy portion of the plant and placing it in a growing medium until it develops its own root system. Most cacti can easily be propagated from cuttings, though there are some larger varieties that will not root from cuttings.

To propagate your cactus from a cutting, first choose a healthy stem a cut it off using clean, sharp scissors. (If working with a spiny cactus, be sure to wear protective garden gloves and/or use tongs when handling.)

Let the cactus cuttings sit in a dry place for several days, giving it time to callus. To promote root growth, dip the cutting in rooting hormone before planting it in a pot filled with peat-based potting mix.

Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best-growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more!

How to Propagate From a Cactus Pad

Growing a new cactus using pad propagation is one of the easiest and quickest methods you can use to expand your cactus collection, and is most commonly used to propagate prickly pear cactus. Removing a cactus pad, the plant's flat green leaves, and planting it in a growing medium will result in an entirely new plant.

To propagate from a cactus pad, select a pad that's at least six months old. Using tongs, grab the pad and break it off the plant. If this poses difficult, use a clean, sharp knife to get a clean break. Lay the cactus pad out for up to a week to callus, then place the pad with dry cactus potting mix. Soak the soil with water, then refrain from watering until you observe new growth.

How to Propagate From a Cactus Offset

Many cacti produce offsets, otherwise known as pups. These pups can be easily separated from the parent plant and propagated into a new plant very quickly. This is actually the natural way that cacti reproduce.

To propagate from a cactus offset, select a pup that is at least 1 to 2 inches long, as they are more likely to successfully root. Using your hand, gently twist the pup to remove it from the parent plant.

Let the offsets dry out for one to three days. Pot the offsets in a planter filled with dry cactus potting mix, making sure to cover at one-third of the base with soil. Wait about four to five days before watering to reduce the risk of rot.

How to Propagate a Cactus With Grafting

Grafting is a technique used to join two plants into one, commonly done with shrubs or trees'and cacti, too. Cactus grafting involves attaching a piece of one cactus (called the scion) onto a rooted cactus (the rootstock) to create a single plant.

Any cactus variety can be grafted onto any other cactus; the cactus plant that will grow from the grafted section will resemble the scion part, which will receive nutrients from the rootstock cactus plant.

To propagate a cactus with grafting, start by cutting the head off the rootstock plant using a clean, sharp knife. To create the scion, cut the head off a different cactus plant. You want them both to be the same size in diameter.

Place the scion on top of the cut part of the rootstock cactus, and secure the two parts with rubber bands or thread around the sides of the pot. You should notice the newly grafted scion start to grow after about two weeks. After two months, you can remove the rubber bands or thread.

Tips for Propagating Cactus

• It is always best to propagate cactus when it is actively growing, typically in late spring or summer, when its roots can establish more quickly.
• Do not propagate cacti during a heatwave, which can stress the developing plant.
• Before taking any cuttings, make sure the cactus is entirely dry.
• Be patient. Root development in cacti can be a slow process. It can take several weeks or up to a few months for a cactus seedling to develop a strong root system.
• While the process is simple, it can take anywhere between four to six weeks and several months for new growth to appear on a newly propagated cactus plant.

Safety Considerations When Propagating Cactus

• No matter the method you use, always wear protective gardening gloves while propagating cacti'especially when working with a variety with spines.
• If you're working with a large cactus or outside in your garden, wear long pants and sleeves for protection.
• When cutting a cactus, be sure to use a clean, sharp knife or pair of scissors.
• If you have a large scrap of carpet, it can be a useful tool when handling cacti. Carpet cushions the plants while protecting your hands.
• Other useful tools to utilize when handling cactus include newspaper, chopsticks, and tweezers.
  

Propagating Cactus vs. Propagating Succulents

Cacti and succulents have a lot in common. That's because all cacti are technically succulents, a name used for a broad group of plants that store water in their stems, roots, and leaves. But not all succulents are cacti, a botanical family of plants.

Because they are closely related, some of the methods used to propagated them are the same. Both cacti and succulents can easily be propagated from cuttings or offsets. Succulents are commonly propagated from leaves and stems by suspending the leaves above water to stimulate root growth, a method that doesn't work for cacti, which generally have few or no leaves and need a soil medium to grow roots.

FAQ

• Can you replant a broken-off piece of cactus?

  Xin Hai Product Page

  Yes, you can plant a broken-off piece of cactus, called an offset or pup. Before planting it, let the broken-off piece form a callus over the wound, then place it in a small pot filled with potting soil.

• Will a cactus regrow if you cut the top off?

  A damaged cactus will regrow if you cut the top off of it, but it will take time. You can also graft a piece from another cactus onto the cut off part of a cactus using a process called grafting.

• How do you trim a cactus without killing it?

  Most cacti don't need pruning or shaping, but if a cactus plant grows too tall or a limb is about to make the plant fall over, you can trim it without killing it. Wearing thick gardening gloves, trim away limbs using a clean, sharp knife. To keep the cactus alive, try to remove stems and pads at a growth point. You can then propagate the pieces you trimmed away to grow new cacti.

There are four main ways to propagate cacti and succulents which I have had experience with and will explain about them here.

SEED:

There is nothing more rewarding that growing your own cacti and succulents from seed, from the process of sowing the seed to watching them sprout, and grow into cute little miniatures of their adults is the most wonderful thing, and then to watch them grow into fully sized succulent over the following months and years is amazing, there is nothing more exciting for me than to become a cactus and succulent Mummy haha!

If you can provide additional heat and grow lights then seed can be sown at any time of the year, but if you haven't it is best to wait until the Spring until you sow your seeds when it is naturally warmer and the days are longer, as to get seeds to germinate you need a minimum temperature of about 70-80f.

There are many different ways to grow cacti and succulents from seed and every grower will have his or her own preferred method but out of all the methods I have tried over the years, by far the most successful and easiest has been growing them via the bagged method, its as easy as just sterilizing the soil and water and sowing the seeds and they then take care of themselves for a good few months anyway.

Check out this video below that I have made for my You Tube channel on How to grow cacti from seed:

Check out this video below I have made on How to grow Aloe from seed:

CUTTINGS

This is the most easiest and quickest way to get more plants from your own or other peoples plants,

When taking cuttings of cacti and succulents it is very different to taking cuttings of other non succulent plants where you just simply snip the cutting and place into soil or water to root.

With cacti and succulents when the cutting has been taken because they store water in their stems, leaves and roots, this makes them very prone to rotting by fungi and bacteria entering the cut surfaces if the cutting is placed directly into soil.

When a cutting of a Cactus or succulent has been taken it is paramount that the cut part has completely healed over and formed a scab called a 'callus' this can take anything from a couple of days or a few months depending on the size of the cut part of the cutting. I always prefer to dust over the cut part with Sulphur powder or rooting powder as this prevents fungal spores forming before the cutting has had a chance to heal over and form a callus, especially with large cuttings.

Cuttings are only recommended to be taken during Spring or Summer, and unless an emergency cutting has to be done to save a plant then it is not recommended to take cuttings during the Winter months.

Once the cutting has fully callused and is planted, keep the cutting in a warm and well bright spot and lightly mist the very surface of the soil every few days to encourage the cutting to send out roots, you will know when a cutting has taken root when the cutting fills out and or shows signs of new growth, where you can then water the cutting as normal.

Some growers like to provide bottom heat by the use of a heat pad or propagator to speed up rooting, this is a very good idea although I have had success without using this method.

There are many methods of taking cuttings for all the different types of cacti and succulents.

Here are a few videos below that I have made for my You Tube channel on taking cuttings of Cacti for propagation and you can watch them below:

How to take cuttings of Epiphyllum:

How to pot up and root cuttings of Epiphyllum:

How to save a cactus from rot and take cuttings:

How to pot up and root a tall Cactus cutting:

How to pot up Trichocereus / Cereus cactus cuttings :

LEAF PROPAGATION:

This has to be one of the most easiest and fun ways to propagate a lot of the succulents, all you need to do is pull off a leaf or segment and leave the leaf to 'callus' over for 2-7 days depending on the size of the leaf, and then place into a well drained potting mix, keeping the soil medium in the pot only just lightly moist, although this is not 100% necessary as many leaf segments will send out roots regardless if the soil medium is kept moist, but personally I find that keeping the top of the soil just lightly moist encourages rooting faster. Keep the leaf segment in a warm and bright spot, you will know when it has taken root when you see signs of new tiny growth from the bottom of the leaf or segment, over time the main leaf used for propagating will die back and the new plant 'baby' will continue.

Check out this video below that I have made on How to propagate succulents the easy way:

How to propagate Christmas/Thanksgiving Cactus Schlumbergera :

How to propagate Crassula ovata Money/ Jade plant :

OFFSHOOTS AND PLANTLETS:

Some Cacti and succulents readily produce offshoots and plantlets such as Echinopsis, Rebutias and Mammillaria varieties of cacti, and Aloe's Haworthia's, Agave's, and Gasteria' Succulents. The popular succulent house plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana more commonly known as 'Mother of Thousands' produce many tiny plantlets all along the edges of their leaves, these easily become detached and can be potted up.

Check out a video below that I have made for my You tube channel on How to propagate the Mother of Thousands plant :

Offshoots and plantlets can easily become detached from the parent plant and potted up into their own individual pots as most of these will quite often have roots already on them, however like with all cacti and succulent cuttings, I would still recommend waiting a few days before placing into soil to allow any damage to 'callus' over that may have occurred while removing the offshoot from the parent however gently it may have came away from the main plant.

For more Wholesale Artificial Cactusinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.