It is also better to propagate ripsalidopsis immediately after flowering. Choose one of three ways.
- Cuttings. Take a section of the stem and separate it from the mother plant. Allow to air dry for 2 or 3 days. Place the cutting on well-moistened soil. Once the roots have emerged, place the cut in the ground.
- Seeds. The seeds must be planted in spring, and then waited for the sprouts. You can either buy the grains or harvest them from a houseplant. Two unrelated ripsalidopsis flowers must be pollinated using a brush. The seeds can be taken out after the berry appears to have dried and wrinkled.
- Inoculation. This is done in the summer. The second plant, the Easter cactus, must be prepared first. You will need to take the stem’s upper portion with leaves and remove it. Split the tip and place a pointed shoot from ripsalidopsis in two or three places. Tape or tape the ends of the ripsalidopsis with two to three segments. The regenerated cactus will start to grow two weeks later and will produce very lush blooms.
What material to use to propagate cacti
- Easter cacti
- tweezers or newspaper.
- knife or box cutter.
- leaf compost or peat.
- sand.
- pot.
- watering can.
- mini greenhouse.
Succeed in the Cuttings of the Easter Cactus
The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri) is a flowering, epiphytic plant that can be found in the hollows of trees in the warmer rain forests around the world.
It’s a very beautiful plant that blooms in spring and thrives when given proper care, but there are a few factors to consider when growing one indoors.
This is an extremely important point for any home grower: the ideal temperature for this plant is between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity level of at least 50% (the more the better).
The Easter cactus will not thrive in dry air or even near drafts, so it’s best to keep it away from windows and doors.
If grown outside during its natural rainy season, it will flower all year long. In an apartment, she appreciates the sun, not direct light. It can be cut very easily outside the flowering period or when a branch breaks.
- Take 2 leaf segments (non-flowering) to serve as a cutting.
- Leave on for at least 24 hours (in this case 2 to 3 days) so that the cut wound heals slightly.
- Use a special seedling-cutting compost mixed with sand.
- Pour into a biodegradable pot and place the cutting.
- At the bottom of a jar, pour a nest of clay balls.
- Add half a glass of non-calcareous water.
- Place the pot in the center of the jar: the humidity will rise in the pot.
- Close the jar for a smothered culture, in full light but not direct.
- After a week, start airing.
- When the roots of the Easter cactus protrude from the pot, you can then plant it in a larger pot.
How to Take Cuttings from Cacti?
Cutting cacti is a fun adventure that you won’t be able to do without your first success.
Many people who grow cacti have a love-hate relationship with them. On one hand, they’re spectacular and fascinating plants to have in your home or office. On the other, they’re often tricky to keep alive and looking good.
One of the main things you can do to help your cactus maintain its health is to cut off pieces of it to make new plants. This process is called propagation. Here are some tips on how to do it.
The first possibility, the easiest but perhaps the longest to achieve, is to wait for the formation of a shoot, to gently separate it from the mother plant with roots, and then replant it. But still it is necessary to have the possibility of taking some, you will say? Here is our trick to promote the appearance of rejections.
House Cutting recommends that you voluntarily keep the cactus mother in a small pot. Indeed, an imbalance occurs between the aerial and underground mass of the cactus and it develops releases to restore it.
How to Make an Easter Cactus Plant Cutting?
Propagation of the cactus: choose the right cutting
Cacti have a fairly long growing season, but some species are so slow-growing that they can take up to ten years to produce a flower.
In order to increase the number of plants grown from one, cuttings are taken from mature stems and rooted in soil.
Young cacti are not suitable for this purpose because their stems are difficult to root.
In addition, cacti that are allowed to grow too long before being cut may produce only a few leaves at their tip and eventually die out at the top.
To take cuttings, choose fairly tender stems, neither too old nor too young, with no trace of disease. Also, be careful not to make the mother plant unsightly.
Replant a cactus cutting
Rooting a cactus cutting can take between less than a month and almost a year depending on the species.
To find out if rooting has taken place, slightly lift the cutting until you feel a slight resistance. If there is resistance, then rooting has taken place.
Another way to tell whether rooting has taken place is by noting how brittle the stem feels.
If it feels pliable and soft like lettuce, then rooting has not taken place yet. Rooting will also take longer as you get closer to winter because this is when many species enter their rest period.
How do take a healthy and robust stem from the cactus?
Take, depending on the species, all or part of the stem. To avoid being pricked, grasp the cactus with cactus tweezers, or with a piece of newspaper folded in several thicknesses. Choose a healthy, sturdy stem that matches the appearance of the plant well.
Where to take the end of a cactus stem?
With a very sharp knife, select a piece of stem or leaf, at a joint. For some species, such as easter cactus, take the cutting by cutting the end of a stem over a length of about 10 cm.
How to transplant a cactus cutting: let the cutting dry out
Cactus plants can be propagated using cuttings. However, it is important to wait for a cutting to dry out before planting it.
The first step is to take a healthy cutting from the cactus plant, something with a minimum length of 5 cm and preferably 10 cm.
Allow the cut end of the cutting to dry out for several days in a warm place until it starts to show signs of decay.
Next, pot the cutting in a 14 cm terracotta pot. Drain the bottom with a layer of potsherd. Fill with a very light mixture of one-third leaf mold or peat and two-thirds sand.
How to plant a piece of cactus?
When the cut is dry and healed, stick the cutting into the mixture and tamp around with a stick. Respect the normal direction of the vegetation.
How to water cactus cuttings?
Water then place the pot in a mini-greenhouse, at a temperature of 15 to 18 ° C, in a well-lit place, maintaining heat and humidity.
Features of Care for Ripsalidopsis
New flower gardeners often ask themselves the question: how do I care for ripsalidopsis at home so that it blooms freely?
The answer is simple – you need to properly care for the plant, observing a number of simple requirements.
In this article, we will talk about what is necessary to give the plant proper care.
Lighting
Ripsalidopsis prefers bright, diffused light. Direct sunlight is not good for him. Windows that face east or north are best for the plant. The windows should be covered with curtains if they are to be used in the southern and western directions at noon.
Watering
The Easter cactus requires plenty of water during active growth. The plant needs to be watered less frequently in autumn as ripsalidopsis “plunges into” a state where it is not required to be watered. Low temperatures require that watering be reduced to a minimum. It is important that the earthen cloth dry completely.
Temperature
High temperature is not the best component of the maintenance of ripsalidopsis. It should not rise above 25⁰C. In the resting phase, the preferred temperature is in the region of 15-17⁰C. During the heat, the plant can be cleaned in a cool room, even in the bathroom. The plant can do without natural lighting for some time, and the heat is fatal for it.
Top dressing
Special “cactus” fertilizers can be applied to the plant substrate during active growth once every two weeks. Although it is possible, the recommended dose should be reduced by half. Ripsalidopsis doesn’t need fertilizer during the dormant stage. It is better to not use organic top dressing.
Humidity
It is important to spray your plant regularly during active growth. This will protect the flowers from water spots and moisture. A warm shower can be set up from time to time for ripsalidopsis. Spraying is not done from autumn through spring.
Transfer
After flowering, it needs a transplant. Plants older than four years old are transplanted as the roots grow, on average once every three years. Expanded clay is not suitable as drainage for ripsalidopsis – it contains lime. You can put fragments of ceramics or bricks on the bottom of the pot.
The soil
The soil for ripsalidopsis needs to be coarse and loose. The substrate is prepared from peat, leaf soil and river sand (perlite). You can prepare an earth mixture from equal parts of peat, turf, sand and leafy soil. An ingredient such as brick chips will not hurt either.
Important! If the roots have grown, when transplanting, you need to take a container 1.5 times larger than the previous one.
Pests
Dangerous pests can settle on an Easter cactus:
- mealybugs;
- shields and false shields;
- spider mites.
The spider mite manifests itself as small dots on the stems. Subsequently, a web is formed on its lower surface.
To destroy pests, ripsalidopsis is treated with alcohol. When a worm is damaged, a waxy coating appears on the roots and stem of the plant.
The flower must be transplanted into new soil, thoroughly washing the roots with a manganese solution. The stems are treated with alcohol, chemicals, or calendula tincture ( it sale here).
Fast-moving specks on the stems of the plant are scale insects. As a result of their activity, brown seals and a viscous liquid appear – ideal conditions for the development of soot fungus. In pest control, alcohol or insecticide (it sale here) is used.
Diseases
Ripsalidopsis is susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases, including:
- fusarium;
- phytophthora;
- gray rot;
- root rot.
Fungal diseases are a consequence of infections through damage to the stem. Phytophthora and phylum are carried with infected soil and usually affect the root system. The affected plant is treated with a fungicide.
With a bacterial disease, the rotting of the plant is observed. When the stem is infected, the lesion is eliminated, then ripsalidopsis is transplanted into a new substrate. The plant is treated with an acaricide (buy from here) twice a month. If the root system is damaged, the damaged roots are removed, and the healthy ones are washed in a fungicide or potassium permanganate solution.
Conclusion
With a little tender loving care and the right kind of potting soil, a cutting from your Easter Cactus will soon begin sprouting new buds and flowers.
The reason for this is so that you can take a cutting without disrupting the cactus’ energy and resources, which are going towards growing the plant’s roots and defending itself against harmful pests. This way, when you give it water after taking a cutting, it won’t rot in your hand!