It will grow longer after rooting and then produce a side shoot after it roots well.
Kathryn

So would I be able to get a whole plant from one shoot or would I need quite a few?

I suggest you take several cuttings & pot up at least 3 or 4 together in a 3" pot, as they may not all take. You may have to try this several times. Good luck (make sure it's a good fast draining mix too)!

Should I buy the Miracle Gro Cactus Mix?

I mix my soil for my christmas and thanksgiving cactus out of 1:1:1 of all purpose plant soil, small orchid bark and perlite. Make sure the soil has no added ferilizer or sand. They like to have a fast draining mix. The roots of the plants are fine and can water log easy then the plants rot. The cactus mixes contain sand of which holds too much water. I have killed too many cactus with the cactus mixes so I just use all purpose soil mix. Hope that helps.
Kathryn

Thank you so much.

Wait until all flowers are dead on the plant, a good guess is that after a plant flowers, it is ready to take the cuttings and can put all that energy into thinking about roots, each leaf will root. Follow Karen's suggestions above about seveal starts in one pot, make sure that is the smallest pot that they can fit in and set in the shade/warm spring air. Let them root before you water, give a little llght tug on the leaf to see if it is rooted. Any questions ask Pirate Girl she has it down pat. Never water unless a plant has roots why? because it just may rot on you instead. Once they are rooted in water it is hard to transfer them into soil. Please do not use Peat Moss, it holds too much water for young plants, then it dries out hard as rocks, and shrinks away from the pot, and all the water runs, down the sides, and never wets the root ball. Great for shipping however and attracting little black knat like flies that lay eggs that turn into worms and eats your plants. Norma

So do I just stick the cuttings in dry soil without adding water?

Your soil should be moist as if you just opened up a bag of new potting soil if that makes sense and no wetter.
Kathryn

What is a good soil for Christmas Cactus.

msalex28a-
Right now I am using Sun Gro by Sunshine Proffesional mix SB 40 for all my plants. It seems to work well. For my christmas, thanksgiving cactus, and hoyas I mix it with the perlite and orchid bark as mentioned in my earlier post. 1:1:1. For my desert cactus I mix a 2:1 dirt to perlite. I am finding this is working for the type of climate and growing conditions I have. Altho this has a bit of peat in it-my plants do well. They are not water logged as they have been in the past. This mix as is drains well and does not compact. Here a link. The smaller bags are the same as what I am getting. No extra fertilizer.
http://www.sungro.com/products_displayRetailProduct.php?product_id=11&brand_id=8

I grow orchid cactus as well and they require conditions like the christmas cactus. This mix works well for those too. I started adding the extra perlite to the soil based on a gentlemens advice who has been growing cactus for many years.
Kathryn

For me, the key was remembering that tho' these are cacti, they are jungle cacti from tropical forests, not desert cacti from dry heat.

I originally tried to grow these in C&S mix. Learned after a time this wasn't great for them. I now grow 'em in AV mix & w/ abt 1/3 to 1/2 perlite or pumice. It stays fast draining, but light & fluffy.

It happens I grew up where these are native to (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Very hot & humid, can be quite sticky; at different seasons the rains come heavily but they're over quickly. 30 minutes later, if you hadn't seen the rain for yourself, you wouldn't even know it had rained. So fast drying, fast draining.

My plants improved w/ the change of mix.

What is abt?

"about" ;)

Thx (thanks) Greenman (Josh?)

(PG) Karen, who sometimes shortens words where possible.