Taking cuttings from cacti is easy! Although a little patience is
required, it pays off in the future when you have twice as many cacti
from all you favorite plants. Have a read and enjoy taking and rooting
your own cacti.You will need:
1. Cactus to cut2. Sharp (clean) knife
3. A place to plant it
4. Rooting hormone (optional)
This is a quick and easy guide on how to take a cactus cutting. I have made it as simple as possible as I know most guides are a hassle to follow and can cause mistakes.
Step 1: Choose where you want to make the cutting. Avoid rotten parts of the cactus as these can cause problems later on. Use the knife to cut through the cactus with a clean cut. It can be diagonal or straight cut.
Step 2: Allow the cutting to dry out. Cuttings from 2 inches wide+ should be left for a much longer time to dry. This can be for a long time (ex. 1 month). So don’t throw them out if you forgot! However, best left until the cut end is not sticky anymore. This can take patience!
Step 3: (optional) Powder: Wet the cactus cut end and dip in the powder. Tap off any excess powder. Liquid/Gel: Dip the cutting in the liquid/gel and tap off any excess liquid.
Step 4: Place the cutting in the soil about an inch deep. The larger the cutting, the deeper it will need to be planted. Another option is to use a stake to help with stability so it doesn’t fall over.
Step 5: Dampen the soil by either watering from bottom (preferred) or lightly watering from top.
The cutting should start to grow roots within 1-6 weeks. With my many cacti, I’ve grown hundreds from cuttings without rooting hormone without failure. However, this doesn’t mean that it wont work! A fast growing and easy to propagate cactus is the peanut cactus (also known as Echinopsis Chamaecereus). For this cactus, you only have to pull out the small stems and plant them in soil. Within a week or two, you have roots and rapid growth. These cacti are fun and great to give away to friends and family.
Good luck!