How to Make Cactus Cuttings

Cacti propagate from seeds, division and cuttings. Take cuttings for rooting when the temperature begins to hold at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. You need a healthy mother plant to donate the sample tissue. Use a plant without bruises, blemishes and rots. Make the cut with a sharp, pathogen-free, serrated knife. After the cutting heals, plant the cactus piece in a propagation soil blend.

Serrated knife
Container
Bleach
Rooting hormone
Perlite
Compost
Pot with drainage holes

Instructions

- 1
  Soak the knife in a container filled with 9 parts bleach and 1 part water for 20 minutes to disinfect the blade.
- 2
  Cut a columnar cactus at a 45-degree angle anywhere along the stem. Place the cutting on a clean counter. Slice it again to square off the slanted tip. When propagating a pad-forming cactus, cut in the space between two pads.
- 3
  Dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Set the cutting aside to dry. Wait for a callus to develop before trying to root the cactus. The cactus piece is ready when the cut end is completely dry and hardened, which might take several months depending on the size of the cutting.
- 4
  Mix 1 part perlite with 1 part compost to make the propagation medium. Add it to a pot with drainage holes.
- 5
  Plant the cutting at least halfway into the soil. Insert it deeper if necessary to provide stability to the cactus piece. The cactus pad or columnar section should stand upright firmly. Press the soil around the base of the cutting to compact the soil around it.
- 6
  Irrigate the soil until excess water flows out of the drainage holes. Place the pot in indirect bright light. Roots appear in four to six weeks.

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