How to Do a Cactus Cutting

Select a cactus from which to take a cutting. Look for a healthy specimen without blemishes or dry areas. Use a sharp knife to cleanly cut a section from the cactus, preferably at a joint. Cutting at a 45-degree angle if the parent plant lacks joints, such as saguaro cactus, discourages water pooling on the parent. Clean your knife in a 10 percent bleach solution before moving to a second plant.

Dusting the cutting at its wound with sulfur dust helps prevent rot and bacterial invasion. Apply rooting hormone at this time. Allow the cutting to air dry until the callous is firm. It may take several months depending on the cutting size. Store the cactus cutting in a dry location with indirect life and check it frequently.

Mix the rooting medium while your cactus cutting is callusing. Combine one part pumice or perlite with one part peat. Fill the destination container with this soil mix. Water the container just enough that the soil sticks together, but not so much that you can wring water from a handful of soil.

Plant your calloused cactus cutting so that at least half of it is below the surface of the soil. Check the cutting for stability. If it moves easily, replant it deeper. Water the soil if it is not very slightly moist. Place the cactus cutting in a bright area, preferably in dappled shade.

Watch the cactus for signs of rooting, such as plumping of the cutting. Continue watering if the soil dries out, until rooting occurs four to six weeks after the transplant. Grow the cutting in its container for up to a year before transplanting to a larger container or the landscape.