If you love exotic or Mediterranean atmospheres, cacti and succulents, sometimes also called fleshy plants, are among the plants to add to your garden or indoor space. Aloe, Agave, Sempervivum, Echinopsis, Opuntia, …, cacti and succulents come in a wide variety of shapes, sometimes amusingly resembling candles, balls, prickly pears, or little cabbages. And when they flower, these plants burst into vibrant, cheerful colours.
Accustomed to extreme living conditions, particularly the lack of water, cacti and succulents are easy to care for. They simply need sunlight, warmth, and well-draining soil to thrive. And to propagate them, the technique of propagation by cuttings works well. It’s also a great way to save a declining cactus. Another advantage of propagation by cuttings is that the young plant will be identical to the parent plant from which the cutting was taken. Discover our tips for taking cuttings of your favourite cacti and succulents!
Which plants can be propagated by cuttings?
Most cacti and succulents can be propagated by cuttings, but the most suitable for this technique are Opuntia, Cereus, and Mammillaria.
Opuntia microdasys (Photo Wikipedia)
When to take cuttings from cacti and succulents?
The best time to take cuttings from your cacti and succulents is from mid-spring to early summer, between April and July.
How to propagate cacti and succulents by cuttings?
Here are the key steps to follow for successful cuttings:
- Selection of the Cutting: Choose a healthy stem or leaf from the parent plant. Opt for parts showing no signs of disease or damage. The type of piece taken depends on the succulent or cactus in question. This piece can be a prickly pear for Opuntias, a fleshy leaf for succulents like Sedums, a bulblet for Kalanchoe daigremontiana, an offset for Aloes and Agaves, or a section of stem (10 to 15 cm long) as with Cereus or columnar cacti. If the plant has thorns, wear thick gloves for this operation or use folded newspaper to handle the plant.
- Cutting and Drying: Use a clean, sharp knife to make a clean cut when taking the cutting. Then let the cut part dry in the open air, in a dry and cool place, out of direct sunlight, until a callus forms over the cut surface, indicating healing.
You can dust the wound with charcoal powder to prevent disease. The drying phase can last from 1 week to several months, depending on the species.
Cutting an Aloe vera offset
- Preparation of the Medium: Use a specific potting mix for cacti and succulents, ensuring good drainage. Fill a pot with drainage holes with this medium.
- Planting: Insert the dried cutting into the prepared medium by pressing it in 1 cm deep, firming the soil, and, if needed, propping up the plant piece. For leaves, simply lay them on the medium.
- Watering: After planting, lightly water the medium to moisten it without saturating it. Subsequently, maintain slight moisture without overwatering.
- Placement and Observation: Place the cutting in a dry, well-lit spot but out of direct sunlight, at a temperature between 19 and 24°C.
Monitor the cutting in the following weeks and months, looking for signs of new root development or growth.
- Post-Rooting Care: Check that rooting has been successful before repotting. To test if the cutting is well-rooted, gently tug on it to feel resistance from the roots. This can take between 3 and 12 weeks.
Once the roots are well-established and the plant shows signs of growth, continue standard care for cacti and succulents, adjusting watering and sunlight exposure according to the specific needs of the species.
By following these steps, you’ll increase the success rate of your cacti and succulent cuttings, allowing you to easily add new varieties to your collection.
Cutting of a succulent (Photo Mariko) and a cactus (Photo Maria Keays)
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