Callusing cactus? No, that's not a description of how your feet look after being in flip-flops all summer but a technique for sprouting cacti and succulents from plant pieces that have fallen or broken off, with minimal effort which we, novice gardeners that we are, had first heard about Sunday night from Ryann Davis of Succulent. She assures us that it's so easy that even the darkest of thumbs should be able to do it and, from one plant, create many offspring. It's one, inexpensive, way of sharing your plants with friends and starting your own succulent garden. One mantra? No water. Huh? Details after the jump...
How To: Callus Succulents and Cacti
1. Trim off any rotten bits from your cutting. In order to sprout, you need a healthy green stem. Use a sharp knife to make a clean cut.
2. Allow the cut end to dry (callus) for at least 4 or 5 days. Lay it on a paper towel. Avoid the sun. Turn long pieces frequently so that they don't develop roots along their side edges.
3. After the end calluses, plant the cactus in a pot filled with stones or volcanic rock on the bottom, and then well drained organic cactus mix that is no more than moist. Do not water until evidence of root growth appears. You can lift the cutting and check but it usually takes several days or weeks for any roots to appear.
4. Always allow cactus soil to dry out almost completely before watering, as most are prone to rot if kept moist.
Has anyone tried this technique? Can you give us any pointers?
Comments (7)
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I have jade plants that go back at least to my grandmother's huge jade--probably in my family 50-60 yeas. Anyway, with jades all you have to do is stick the stem end of fallen leaves into the soil. I seldom water my plants anyway, so they probably callous over; I just can't see it. My mom probably has a dozen or more pots full of jade. I have five. Every once in a while, a plant will get top heavy or rootbound, and we just take it out of the pot and stick it into fresh soil. If a branch breaks off, we just stick that into the soil, too.
view pvett's profile
Oh, I think my mom does 'hens & chickens' the same way.
view pvett's profile
i heart that cement planter/pot thingie.
view mfpants's profile
I've done this and it's worked well. It takes a fair amount of self-control to keep from watering (and, in my case, not gently tugging on it to see if it's rooted yet).
view vera in dc's profile
Yeah, I've done this too. Most plants actually don't mind being watered a little bit, but you definitely don't want to let them get soggy.
By the way, any ID on that crazy tall one on the back?
view whytephoenix's profile
Strange I always did it the opposite way and it worked out. I take the fallen or cut pieces and put them in a full glass of water with just the base touching the water and then in a week or less I have some strong roots and then I plant and treat it like normal.
view tornangel012's profile
how big should your cutting be? Is it considered stealing if a piece "falls" off a plant right in front of me at the garden center?
view elizabethy's profile