While the sowing of seeds requires a long thread of patience, cuttings turn into magnificent cacti in no time. This guide explains step by step how to do it right. There are also practical tips on the right substrate and the best time.

Some cacti form leaf cuttings

When is the best time for propagation?

Your cuttings will find ideal starting conditions if you choose a date between April and July for propagation. Your spiny dwarfs have enough time for the formation of a stable root system until the beginning of the winter dormancy period.

Cutting cuttings - how to do it right

A scalpel or small, sharp knife is suitable for cutting leaf or head cuttings on small cacti. The strong epidermis of a majestic pillar cactus can be cut through as smoothly as possible with a hand saw or fretsaw. Please disinfect the blades meticulously with alcohol. With this cut you get the perfect cuttings:

  • Guide the cutting tool at a slight angle with a pulling, continuous movement
  • Separate leaf cuttings and children at their original size from their mother plant
  • Cut off top cuttings with a length of 10 to 15 cm
  • Spherical cuttings are taller than they are wide

Then cut a cutting at the base in a conical shape. This measure is important because the tough outer skin remains unchanged during the drying phase, while the soft, moist storage tissue retracts. The roots can later sprout unhindered from the cut cylinder. Please dust the cut on the mother plant with charcoal powder.

Planting and caring for cuttings - this is how it works

Depending on the size, the cuttings dry out between 1 to 3 weeks before planting. Ideally, stick the cuttings in a pot of dry clay pebbles, sand, or crumpled newspaper during this time. As a signal for a successful progress, the first root tips sprout from the soft tissue. Proceed as follows:

  • Fill plastic or clay pots with a mix of cactus soil and sand to 2 cm below the rim
  • Alternatively, use a purely mineral growth substrate made of lava granules or pumice gravel
  • Insert one cutting at a time to at least a third of its height
  • Press the substrate down, but do not wet it
  • After 6 to 8 days, water for the first time with soft water

Place the propagation pots (€16.68) in a semi-shady, warm location. Between the end of May and the end of August, this place can also be outside in the garden or on the balcony. The water supply requires a little finesse during rooting. The substrate must neither dry out completely nor be permanently wet. Cuttings are only fertilized after a dry, cool hibernation with the beginning of the new vegetation phase.

tips

You can only propagate cacti with flowers vegetatively with cuttings if you want the offspring to flower just as beautifully. If you take seeds for generative sowing from the ripe fruit, even experts are unable to predict the exact result. Whichever attributes of the parent and grandparent plants assert themselves in a seedling is always a floral surprise package.

Category:

Vegetable garden