The Water Trick That Makes Propagating A Thanksgiving Cactus A Breeze

The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is a beautiful succulent that boasts spiky green "leaves" and showy orange, pink, purple, red, or white flowers that make their appearance around Thanksgiving. This perennial is best grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10a-12b, but indoors it will thrive with sandy or loamy, moist, well-drained soil and partial shade with high humidity. Bathrooms are a great place to keep this showstopper, where it can thrive and provide you with all the healthy stems you need to fill your house with even more beautiful cactus plants. A simple way to propagate Thanksgiving cactus in your home is by placing it in water. This is an easy method that allows you to observe the root growth.

A crucial first step in multiplying this easy-to-propagate flowering plant is knowing when to propagate it, so you can set yourself up for success right from the start. You can knock two things out at once by waiting until your cactus plants need to be pruned — this way, you don't waste precious cuttings. It's recommended to prune this plant right after the first bloom in late November to make it grow bigger and bushier, cutting two or three segments in length. Those pruned cuttings are now your propagation stems. Just ensure your shears are clean and sharp to prevent any damage to the pieces you've cut.

Once you've obtained your cuttings, let the cut ends sit for a few days so they can callous over. This will help prevent rot. Now, fill a vessel of some sort with one inch of water and add pebbles so they are just touching the water's surface. Then, place the calloused end of your Thanksgiving cactus in the water so it is sitting on the pebbles. From here, find a place for your propagated stems where they have access to indirect sunlight. You could also place them under a grow light. Be sure to replace the water every couple of days, and you'll see new roots forming in three to four weeks.

Once your Thanksgiving cactus has roots, it's ready to be transplanted. Using a cactus or succulent-specific potting mix, place your stems upright in the moist, well-draining mix and water only once the soil is completely dry. As the new plants take root and grow, you'll need to transplant again about every three years into a bigger pot. They enjoy being slightly pot-bound, so make sure the pots are not too large for the root systems.

Thanksgiving cactus is unlike many other cacti, as it does not do well in hot, arid conditions. It needs humidity, so keep it inside if you live in a dry, hot area. Otherwise, this stunning plant does well in outdoor rock gardens in the warm months. If you're providing humidity but not air flow, your Thanksgiving cactus could develop gray mold. So, let it breathe, but never in direct sunlight, which can scorch the stems.