My mom has an orchid cactus that I just gave a major 'haircut' to........... ( she was moving and tryin' to move a 6'+ hanging plant, well, she didn't wanna 'deal' with that...... ) I was thinkin' about trying to 'save' some for starts ( I realize this is probably the worst time of yr to do this) But, does anyone have suggestions on how to do this?.............. I have a LOT of cuttings, no way to save them all... If I remember correctly, it has a beautiful peach/pink flower ................... Thanks

Huh, Tracy.... I think you're talking about an Epiphyllum, but maybe one of the Christmas cactus? Do you have a picture of it?

I don't have a picture of her's ( and call it an orchid catus, because that's what the lady at the nursery called it when she gave us a cutting several years ago) BUT! I found a page that has one that looks very similar ( except for the bloom color) ......................... http://www.silive.com/homegard...

Mom's was bigger/longer than this one........

Oh good, well - you're in luck. These are very easy to start. Take the leaf cutting and either submerge the cut end about a half inch into a well-draining potting mix (cactus mix should work fine) or even just lay the leaf down on top of the soil. They root from the mid-rib on the underside of the leaf, and do so fairly quickly. I want to say mine took within a couple of weeks, maybe three.

Do not water the cuttings before they get roots; that will cause rot faster than anything. If the cuttings are starting to look a little shriveled, you can spritz them with a little water, but I'm guessing you live in a fairly humid environment. Keep the cuttings warm and don't put them in direct sun.

Hope this helps!

sheryl said:Oh good, well - you're in luck. These are very easy to start. Take the leaf cutting and either submerge the cut end about a half inch into a well-draining potting mix (cactus mix should work fine) or even just lay the leaf down on top of the soil. They root from the mid-rib on the underside of the leaf, and do so fairly quickly. I want to say mine took within a couple of weeks, maybe three.

Do not water the cuttings before they get roots; that will cause rot faster than anything. If the cuttings are starting to look a little shriveled, you can spritz them with a little water, but I'm guessing you live in a fairly humid environment. Keep the cuttings warm and don't put them in direct sun.

Hope this helps!

Thanks, that's what I've done, just makin' sure that was right ( thanks for the heads up on the water ) My climate is fairly humid, but our main source of heat is our woodstove, so not so much in the house ( I am incredibly 'tight fisted and hate payin' to run a furnace, plus where I live, power outages are a way of life )

I'm with you - part of the reason I live down here, lol.

If you have an older fridge that puts out heat, that's a great place to keep things warm. Or near (but not really near) the wood stove, assuming you keep it going 24/7. Keep in mind too that wood stoves are horribly drying, so if it's in the same room you might want to put a plastic cover (like a cut milk carton or something) to keep it humid; open it up for a little while each day to keep the air circulating.

If you do seed starting and have -or want to invest- in a heat mat, that's a perfect way to keep things going; I've found that almost *anything* roots better with bottom heat.