One of my favorite cacti, is the Thanksgiving cactus! If you are looking for a low maintenance houseplant that is easy to propagate, this is a winner! It also offers beautiful long lasting blooms that come in a variety of colors such as red, white, peach, purple and orange. This cactus also also blooms during the fall typically late October-November!
Thanksgiving Cactus Vs Christmas Cactus
For the longest time my family and I assumed my grandmother was right when she said she had a Christmas cactus when in fact, it was actually a Thanksgiving cactus!
I recently discovered there are three types of holiday cacti that look very similar but are distinctly different if you look closely at their leaves.
- Thanksgiving cactus: broad, pointy (or toothed) leaves (as seen in this post), blooms late fall.
- Christmas cactus: scalloped and flat leaves, blooms early winter.
- Easter cactus: rounded scalloped leaves and blooms February-March.
How To Easily Propagate
Propagating a Thanksgiving cactus is an easy and fun way to share this plant with your friends or family. In fact, the cutting I have is from a long line of propagations of my grandmothers original Thanksgiving cactus from thirty something years ago! Needless to say this plant is very special to me.
Here’s how you can easily propagate a Thanksgiving cactus:
- Wait 1-2 months after it has finished blooming before obtaining a cutting (if possible).
- Identify a Y-shaped stem with at least 3 joined segments.
- Allow the cutting to heal and dry for at least 24-48 hours.
- Stick the cutting into cactus soil at least halfway down. You can place the new cutting under grow lights like I did to get the roots established, however this is not necessary.
- Water in and care as you would a mature Thanksgiving cactus.
- **It’s normal for your propagation to appear wilted or limp while it is trying to establish roots**
- In 2-3 weeks new roots should be developed!
How To Care for a Thanksgiving Cactus
If you’re wondering how to care for a Thanksgiving cactus, it really is quite simple.
- Pot in well draining soil, such as cactus soil. Their roots need to breathe and having proper drainage is important!
- Water once the top part of the soil feels dry to touch. *This is important to make sure the top layer feels dry, as you want to prevent root rot from developing. Usually watering every 1-3 weeks depending upon your climate.
- Place in indirect light. (Placing them in direct light could bleach and harm their leaves).
- Prune after blooming and use these new cuttings for more propagations!
- Keep in room temperature between 65-75 degrees.
- Once established, be sure to provide additional nutrients to the plant via plant food every few months.
- Repot every 2-3 years several months after their bloom cycle.
Have you tried to propagate a Thanksgiving cactus before?! If not, give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.
Happy gardening and good luck!
-Kate
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. This is at no extra cost to you and helps me to keep my garden going, so thank you!!
