When my cholla cactus was in bloom a few of my friends said “Hey I’d like to get a piece of that how can I do it?”
And in fact rooting a cactus is simple. Of course one of the problems with rooting a cactus, especially one like a cholla is this is a plant that defends itself.
Arm yourself first with a pair of tongs. Don’t even try touching this. And then cut off a reasonably good size to root. If we try to root a cactus immediately after cutting it off. It rots.
What we need to do is allow callous tissue or a kind of a scar tissue to form at the cut surface. That means that we let it lay around for 3 -4 weeks before we root it.
Now here’s a piece of cholla that we cut off about a month ago. And if you look closely, you can see the difference in the fresh cut and the month old. And in fact this one has already started to form tiny little roots.
Again being careful and using your tongs simply place the cactus in to the potting soil and fill in around it with a good cactus mix.
A cactus mix is one that should drain very well and not hold moisture. Of course cacti like it kind of dry.
Just remember to propagate your cholla, follow these points and you’ll be successful too.
When Rooting A Cactus…
- Arm yourself with a pair of tongs
- Cut off a reasonably good size to root
- Allow scar tissue to form at the cut surface by letting it sit for 3-4 weeks
- Place the cactus in the potting soil with the tongs and fill it around with a good cactus mix