Due to the ease with which Christmas cactus plants grow, it is not uncommon for them to reach monster proportions. While this is a beautiful sight to behold, it might provide difficulties for a homeowner who has a restricted amount of room. An owner may be wondering whether or not it is possible to prune a Christmas cactus at this time, as well as how exactly to trim a Christmas cactus. Christmas cactus pruning is not just for huge plants, but also for smaller ones.
A Christmas cactus, no matter how huge or tiny, will benefit from pruning since it will grow fuller and more robust, which will result in more blooms in the future. To learn more about how to trim a Christmas cactus, whether you want to simply lower the size of your plant or want to make your plant even more gorgeous, continue reading this article.
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When to Prune Christmas Cactus Plants
After a Christmas cactus has blossomed, the optimum time to prune it is shortly after it has bloomed. The Christmas cactus will be undergoing a growth phase at this time and will begin to sprout new leaves. Pruning a Christmas cactus just after it blooms encourages it to branch out, resulting in more of the plant’s characteristic stalks.
If you are unable to prune your Christmas cactus immediately after it blooms, you can prune the plant at any point after it blooms until late spring without harming the Christmas cactus.
How to Trim a Christmas Cactus
Pruning a Christmas cactus is perhaps one of the easiest pruning operations there is because of the unusual stems. Giving the stems a brief twist between one of the segments is all it takes to trim a Christmas cactus. If this sounds too harsh for your plant, you can also remove the segments using a sharp knife or scissors. You can remove up to one-third of a Christmas cactus per year when pruning it to reduce its size.
Trim only the last one to two segments off the stems of Christmas cactus plants to encourage them to grow in more fully. Trimming a Christmas cactus is especially enjoyable because you can easily root the cuttings and give the new plants to friends and family.
