How to Propagate Christmas Cactus from Leaf Cuttings and Key Aftercare Points

Speaking of the Christmas cactus, many aunties are surely most familiar with it; it blooms beautifully every winter and spring, and with good care the flowering period can extend into summer, almost to the dog days. However, when its flowering period comes to an end, you can propagate the Christmas cactus seedlings by cuttings, and the well-rooted young plants can also be given as small gifts to relatives and friends.

Generally speaking, there are many ways to propagate the Christmas cactus by cuttings, and the one best suited to home propagation is none other than the "comb method." Specifically, it uses the disposable plastic comb given out at hotels when traveling, or you can also use an old comb of your own that has been retired from use for simple cuttings; this method is extremely efficient, and each time you can root at least 50 leaves or more. Then you also need to prepare a basin of clean water, a clean bowl or cup that can hold water, and of course a healthy Christmas cactus. Once everything is ready, first pick some healthy leaves from the potted Christmas cactus, giving priority to thick, fleshy, emerald-green and sturdy leaves, because thinner, pale leaves have a low rooting rate, and even if they do grow later their condition will be relatively poor.

Generally speaking, the leaves of the Christmas cactus are very easy to remove; just gently shake them left and right a few times and the leaves fall off naturally. The collected leaves only need to be inserted in order into the gaps between the comb teeth of the prepared comb, and that is all there is to it. The point to note here is that the bottom of the leaves must face the same side of the comb. Finally, fill the bowl or cup with clean water, place the comb over the rim of the bowl, and just let the bottom ends touch the clean water slightly.

The propagated Christmas cactus seedlings will naturally root in about 15 days. When the stems at the bottom of the leaves reach 3 or more, they can be taken off the comb and transplanted into a small flower pot to continue growing. Then, when transplanting, choose a flower pot with a diameter of about 10-15 cm, and bury them to a depth of about 1/2-1/3 of the leaf. One such small flower pot can hold at most about 9 seedlings. Finally, while the seedlings have not yet grown strong, avoid direct sunlight as much as possible and just place them in a ventilated spot with scattered light. After about another 15 days of care, they can return to normal Christmas cactus care.