How to Multiply Your Christmas Cactus for Gorgeous Blooms That Never End

Christmas cactus is a type of jungle cactus that grows naturally in the Brazilian rainforests. For gardeners, they are cultivated as a houseplant and manipulated to bloom during the holiday season. Beloved for its bright green arching stems and beautiful, colorful blooms, the Christmas cactus thrives indoors with adequate water and sunlight.

If you want to fill your home with more of these tropical stunners, you can with no additional cost to you through propagation. A simple technique that allows you to turn one plant into many, Christmas cactus can be propagated in soil and water or through division. Ahead, we're sharing exactly how to propagate a Christmas cactus, according to gardening experts.

When to Propagate Christmas Cactus

The best time to propagate a Christmas cactus is after it blooms in the spring. "Wait one to two months after flowering to take cuttings," says Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. "Cuttings should be taken when it is actively growing." Propagating at this time will also encourage additional blooming.

How to Propagate Christmas Cactus in Soil

One of the easiest ways to propagate Christmas cactus is by taking cuttings and planting them in a small container with potting mix. Make sure you use a mix made for cacti and other succulents, as Christmas cacti are epiphytes in their natural habitat and need moist, coarse, well-drained potting mix to thrive, notes Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, founder of The Houseplant Guru.

1. Using pruning shears or scissors, remove a healthy stem that is two to three segments long.
2. Set the cutting on a counter or windowsill for two days and allow the base to callus.
3. Fill a container with well-draining potting soil. Stick the bottom inch of the cutting in the growing medium.
4. Place the container in an area with indirect light or under grow lights. Keep the potting soil moist but not too wet, or you risk the cutting developing root rot.
   

How to Propagate Christmas Cactus in Water

Another way to propagate Christmas cactus is by taking cuttings and placing them in water. This technique allows you to see the roots as they grow, but it's not sustainable forever. At a certain point, the cuttings will need to be replanted in a container with potting mix to prevent rot.

1. Using pruning shears or scissors, remove a healthy stem that is two to three segments long.
2. Set the cutting on a counter or windowsill for two days and allow the base to callus.
3. Fill a small vase or jar with water and cover the top with plastic wrap.
4. Cut a slit in the top and slip the cutting into the slit so that its end is barely in the water. If the cutting is only a tiny bit above the water, it will send out roots into the water. 
   
5. Place the container in an area with indirect light or under grow lights. Refresh the water every few days.
6. Replant the cutting in a container filled with well-draining potting mix when the roots are about an inch long.
   

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How to Propagate Christmas Cactus Through Divisions

Large containers of Christmas cactus are typically started from multiple cuttings that can be divided. Here's how to do it the right way, according to Steinkopf.

1. Gently remove the plant from the container.
2. Look for natural separations, and carefully separate the plant into smaller sections.
3. Pot each division into a separate container filled with well-draining potting soil.
4. Place the container in a location with indirect light or under grow lights. Keep the potting soil moist but not too wet.

How to Care for Christmas Cactus After Propagating It

Newly potted cuttings or divisions of Christmas cactus will need adequate care to ensure they develop healthy roots. "I make sure they never dry out and give them good, bright light," says Steinkopf, adding that she lightly fertilizes her propagations from spring until fall.

Once the cuttings grow healthy roots, they should be repotted into 4-inch round or square containers filled with a well-draining potting mix. "Create a small hole with your finger big enough to accommodate the roots, then place the roots of the cutting in the hole and tamp the soil around the roots with your finger," says Bunting. "The top level of the soil should be even with the base of the leaves of the cutting."

In summer, Steinkopf notes that Christmas cactus can be moved outside as long as it is slowly acclimated to bright light. "By that, I mean place them on the north side of the house or under a tree for a week or two before moving them out into bright light," she says.