How to Prune Your Christmas Cactus in 5 Steps

Pruning a plant is a bit like trimming your own hair: Logically, you know that it will all grow back. But the part of you tentatively holding the scissors is feeling pretty apprehensive. Don’t panic! Pruning doesn’t need to cause so much anxiety; especially on a species as forgiving as the Christmas cactus.

Schlumbergera x buckleyi is a much-loved houseplant popular for its longevity and winter-flowering nature. In their native Brazil, Christmas cacti anchor themselves to shady cliffs and tree nooks and accumulate nutrients from wildlife droppings and decaying leaf litter. Potted up in a living room, they prefer well-drained, slightly acidic soil. In stark contrast to their desert-dwelling cousins, these plants prefer mild temperatures and plenty of water. 

Why Prune Your Christmas Cactus?

Young Christmas cacti have an upright growth form, however as they age, the basal stems thicken and become woody. The branches will lengthen and start to drape downward. This gives it a very elegant appearance, but over time, it can look leggy and a bit scraggly. Pruning can reshape and improve the appearance of these lovely long-lived beauties.

Pruning can also help promote flowering. This species forms flowers exclusively at the ends of the stems, specifically where the segments of the flattened stems meet. More stems will eventually equal more flowers.

Another reason to give your houseplant a haircut? To make more of them! This species can easily be propagated with stem cuttings. 

Step 1: Wait Until It’s Finished Blooming

Prune your Christmas cactus right after it has finished blooming but before it starts actively growing again. This is typically around February or March. Pruning at this time will direct the upcoming energy towards producing new stems instead of down existing stems. The result? A lush, bushy plant rather than longer stems.

Don’t prune beyond summer. The Christmas cactus starts to direct energy towards flower bud formation in early fall. Once buds begin to form, it’s best to leave them undisturbed. As short-day plants, Christmas cacti require several uninterrupted weeks of cool temperatures and long (12+ hours per 24-hour day) stretches of darkness to trigger flowering.

Step 2: Find the Proper Pruning Point 

Lucky for us, the natural shape of a Christmas cacti’s stem makes pruning pretty foolproof. The segmented stems are composed of many leaf-like structures called phylloclades. Botanically speaking, these are not true leaves, but they do carry out photosynthesis. Choose a narrow joint between branch segments. It will naturally produce 1-2 new phylloclades where it was cut.

Avoid cutting the hardened, woody growth down near the crown. Woody stems are a natural part of the aging process and a sign of a mature plant! Stick to the softer, green growth near the end of the stem.

Step 3: Make the Cut

The moment you’ve been waiting for: time to prune your Christmas cactus! Some gardeners simply twist the stem at one of the narrow joints. I prefer to use a pair of pruners or a knife to avoid tearing. If you choose to use pruners or a pair of snips, make sure they are clean before using them. If you’re hoping to propagate your cuttings, make sure each stem cutting has at least 3-4 segments and is a few inches long. 

Step 4: Decide on a Quick Snip or Hard Cut

If you just need to tidy up or remove a couple of stray stems, a few quick snips ought to do it. Older plants that are extra huge may start to drop branches that they can no longer support. In this situation, you may want to cut a little harder.

If you are looking to drastically reshape the plant or remove some of its mass, you can prune up to one third of the foliage. Removing more than one third of the leaves at any given time may send it into shock. The plant may or may not flower in the upcoming season.

Step 5: Make More Plants

Now, what to do with all these bits of stem? This is the perfect opportunity to expand your Christmas cactus collection (or a friend’s) and propagate a few new plants! You may want to start multiple stem cuttings to up your odds of successful propagation.

Let the stem cutting dry for a day. This will allow the wound to callous over, which, in turn, will prevent rot. Then, place the cutting upright in moistened potting mix. Christmas cacti require very sharply drained soil that is relatively nutrient poor. Use a potting mix specifically made for succulents and cacti, or make your own potting mix out of potting soil, perlite, and coarse gravel or sand.

Put the planted stem cutting in a bright, warm (65-75°F or 18-21°C) location. Keep the potting mix consistently moist but not waterlogged. A few spritzes with a spray bottle will help amp up the humidity without drowning the stem cutting. You can also affix a plastic bag or dome around the plants to maintain humidity.

It can take 2-3 weeks for roots to form. Be patient! Once new growth starts emerging at the tip, you can re-pot the stem cutting in a larger container of your choice. You may want to try planting 2-3 stem cuttings together to help fill out a larger container. New cuttings can be propagated at any time of year, but you may have the best results in late spring.