Grow Endless Thanksgiving Cactus Plants With One Effortless Propagation Tip

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Hosting a big Thanksgiving meal comes with a lot of work... but also some perks. You may receive a host gift, for example — and one of the more popular tokens of appreciation this time of year is the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata). With their segmented leaves and showy blooms of pink, white or yellow, these hardy tropical succulents bring some brightness to the season. Known for being easy to care for throughout the holiday season, these cacti are also the gifts that keep on giving due to their ability to propagate. In fact, you can regenerate a whole new plant using nothing more than some leaf segments and water. 

Like the Christmas cactus, a Thanksgiving cactus is easy to clone once it has finished blooming, which is usually by spring. Then, you can use cuttings to create entirely new plants. To do this, start by pinching and gently twisting off a length of a few leaf segments at the spot where they join the next segment. The key to preparing your segments for successful regrowth is to first allow these cuttings to heal by laying them in a shady spot to air dry for a couple of days. Once they form a hardened callus at the pinched-off point, they will be ready to be propagated in water.

After your leaf segments have callused over, move them to a glass or plastic container filled with a few inches of water. You'll need to keep your segments propped upright, which is easily done by poking them through some plastic wrap secured to the top of your container. This wrap also helps seal the water off from any bugs or fungus that you don't want interfering with your propagation. Adding small rocks to your container can help raise up the water level and stabilize the bottom of your leaf segments. Remember, you only want the very tip of each leaf segment immersed in the water. 

After a few weeks, you should see small roots sprouting from the end of the cactus leaf. During this time, keep checking for root growth and add small amounts of water as needed to make up for any evaporation. You may even see new tiny leaflets growing at the top of your segments. Then, once your cactus cuttings have sprouted new roots, they are ready to plant. Choose pots with drainage holes in the bottom and fill them with a coarse cactus potting mix. Place one or two cuttings into each pot, sticking them upright into the soil about ½ inch deep. Set them in a spot with plenty of bright, indirect light, and water them regularly to keep the soil moist. And of course, these will make great plant gifts of their own when the holidays come around again.