A Christmas cactus is a plant that grows bushier now and then when given the right caring that it needs. It can grow into a very robust plant and sometimes becomes a nuisance in your yard.
Some people would like it that way. And some would like to trim it to make it look more beautiful and give way to another batch of new growth. The more trimming that you do, the more new growth will be sprouting.
Now let’s take a look at the difference between trimming and pruning. They are actually the same process, but they are intended for different purposes.
How to Trim your Christmas Cactus
Imagine having a Christmas cactus for years now. It must have grown into a bush now. For a home with limited space, having such a grown plant is already a nuisance. It would help if you considered trimming it now.
For some, trimming is advisable to make way for new growth. When a segment of a Christmas cactus is cut, a new growth sprouts.
So here’s how you trim a Christmas cactus. You will only need a scissor or any cutting tool available in your garden for this. Christmas cactus cutting should be done at the joint.
This plant is very delicate, that twisting the joint can already break it. But for this process, a cutting tool is needed for you to put everything in order properly.
Trimming will make the Christmas cactus more beautiful. The new growth will be sprouting from the cut. This will make it look new and more adorable. The cuttings can be rooted and become a new plant. After the trimming, no other process should be done. Just leave it there and continue the regular pampering it requires.
Having a Christmas cactus in the yard is like having a baby to be nurtured. Its very delicate feature requires you to be more careful with the whole process of growing it.
The Proper Way of Pruning Your Christmas Cactus
Pruning is a process used to get several segments from the plant to be used for rooting. In this process, you should be more careful. Unlike trimming, pruning a Christmas cactus requires a healthy stem to be taken.
The cutting should be taken from a healthy stem to make sure that the cuttings of the Christmas cactus will survive the rooting process. Take three segments from the tip of the plant. Cut it in a Y-pattern using a scissor, or just twist the joint with your fingers. After the separation, leave the start cuttings of the Christmas cactus for few hours for drying. Now you already have a cutting to be used for rooting.
If you are going to look at the part where you took the cutting, it is now open and ready for new growth segments. You will notice in days that sprouts with reddish color will start popping up. This new growth will make the plant look new.
Making a new plant out of the Christmas cactus cutting is very easy. You have to familiarize yourself with the things that it needs.
This plant is perfect for the holiday season. It is made to bloom on Christmas.