How to Graft Christmas Cactus onto Cactus
Whenever I hear "red flowers need green leaves to set them off," the first plant that comes to mind is always the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera). Its leaves are emerald green, opening out like crab claws, while the flowers grow horizontally at the tips of those "crab claws," in a vivid crimson that seems made for the holidays, since its blooming period falls between Christmas and the Spring Festival.
"The Christmas cactus is one of my favorite holiday flowers, very festive, and at the same time very easy to keep alive," a flower enthusiast from the Urban Farmer group told the reporter. "But the truly beautiful Christmas cactus is one that has been grafted onto a cactus." The Christmas cactus plant is fairly small on its own, but once grafted onto a cactus it can be shaped into a large plant, even forming an umbrella shape, making it far more ornamental.
Materials: potted cactus, Christmas cactus
Tools: blade
1. Choose a healthy, pest-free mother Christmas cactus with fresh green growth, and cut 2-4 segments of one-year-old stem from the tip as the scion (in plant grafting, the collective term for the bud, branch or other meristematic tissue used for grafting onto the rootstock). Then use the blade to shave off about a quarter from the base until the white woody part is exposed.
2. Then cut the scion into a wedge shape. When cutting, it is best to do it in a single slice rather than making repeated cuts.
3. Choose a sturdy cactus at least 10cm long as the rootstock (the plant that bears the scion during grafting propagation). Cut the top of the cactus flat, then use the blade to insert downward along the cut, slightly off-center, to a depth of about 2-3 cm. This forms a V-shaped notch, then immediately insert the prepared scion into the V-shaped notch of the rootstock.
4. When grafting, gently pinch the cut on the rootstock with your hand so it clamps the scion, pressing the two parts tightly together. To prevent the scion from slipping out of the join, you can use cactus spines to secure it.
5. Graft multiple layers according to the height of the cactus, using the same grafting method each time.
Tips：
1. Apart from the severe cold and extreme heat seasons, the Christmas cactus can be grafted at temperatures of 10-30°C. The best time for grafting is around Qingming to Guyu and around Hanlu to Lidong, on warm sunny days. If kept in an air-conditioned room, grafting is also possible in winter.
2. For the Christmas cactus rootstock, a variety of plants can be used, such as cactus, ball cactus, and Cereus.
3. Generally, if the scion has not wilted after half a month, it has already taken.