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How should I take a cutting?
I was told to cut at a joint then let the bottom dry out then just push into soil. Is this right?

Kisal? Where are you????? This is your forte

Yes, that's right, cookiemistress. With holiday cacti, though, you don't need to let the end of the joint dry. You can plant it immediately. Just plant the end deeply enough so the cutting doesn't fall over in the pot. I usually put them into the soil about 3/4" to 1" deep.

Water the soil before you plant the cutting, then again afterward. Then just leave it alone. As the soil dries, it stimulates the cutting to send out roots. If the cutting starts to look a tiny bit withered or wilty, then it's time to give the soil a good soaking.

I water by submerging the pots in a tub of water and soaking them until you don't see anymore air bubbles breaking the surface of the water.

I actually just rooted two christmas and one spring in water I now have them in soil and they are all doing great so far

I'm supposed to be getting cuttings in the mail for various coloured christmas cactus, but.......We are having a mail strike! Now I'm really worried that they may die en-route. -- Kisal---Is there anything I can do to try and revive them when they do come, IF they aren't already dead?

Oh, razzlefratz! I was up in Canada with a friend one year when you guys had one of your famous mail strikes. My friend wanted to get there in a hurry to see her son, so I just grabbed all my bills and other mail and drove up there with her. I had just put all my credit card payments in the mail, and that night I saw on the TV news that they were burning the mail!

Holiday cacti are pretty tough critters. I got a start from a friend once, which she wrapped in a tissue (no moisture) and I put it in my purse, thinking I'd plant it when I got home. I forgot all about it. Just another crumpled tissue in my purse, you see. About a week later, I found it. It was badly withered, but I planted it and it revived. Maybe your starts will survive, too. We'll hope for the best! Let us know if you get them.

Oh wonderful, I didn't need to hear that. Yikes!!! Yes I will definately let you know "WHEN" I get them. That sure was bad timing on my behalf.

No possible way you could have known. Hugs to you! (((((Green Mantis)))))

We'll just hope that nobody gets the bright idea to burn the bags of mail this time around.

My guess is the starts are probably well packed in some kind of moisture-conserving wrap. As long as they aren't physically destroyed, they stand a good chance of surviving, even if they're withered when you receive them. [img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/agree.gif[/img]

My Christmas cactus cuttings came today!!!!! YAY!!!! I thought good old canada post killed them, but they are extremely well packaged!! So I will be planting them later today. I am Soooo excited! They better grow now! Nice healthy looking pieces of cactus too. Really thrilled!

Fill the pots with your nice, well-draining cactus mix, water it, plant the cuttings about, 1/2 to 1 inch deep. Larger cuttings need to be a bit deeper, to keep them from falling over and pulling out of the soil. Smaller cuttings don't need to be so deep. Then, water the soil around them to settle it in nicely around the end where the roots will form.

Just sit back then and wait for new growth to appear. Water them thoroughly any time the cuttings begin to look a bit withery, like the cells in the sections aren't nicely full of water. They'll root fine for you. I've never had one fail, no matter how badly I neglected it.

Dryness of the soil stimulates the plant to send out roots in search of water, but the cells need to stay nice and fat with moisture, too. So don't dote on them too much, but do check in on them every day and say hello.

When the plant is well rooted and needing to have it's first transfer to a larger pot, I combine some regular potting mix with some cactus mix, about half and half. When they're ready for the second transfer to a larger pot, I use all regular potting mix. I will say, though, that the potting mix I use is nice and light and fluffy, and drains only slightly slower than my cactus mix.