Post a pic, if you can.
I'm not clear on what you mean by 'cut a piece from the last strand.' A new plant can be grown from a single leaf-segment (phylloclade), if that's what you mean.

Josh

If you have only 1 strand left and want to know how to root it. It is very easy. Just place the segment 1/2 way into well draining potting soil. Do NOT water. I do mist mine lightly. It will root successfully and begin to grow. Hth!

This post was edited by teisa on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 7:24

Funny that you should post this question about transplanting or rooting a Christmas or Holiday Cactus. In 2012, I planted about a half dozen 3 in. pots with a special mixture supposed to be for cactus and succulents. I have not been pleased with the performance of the Christmas or Holiday cactus. While they have not died completely, they look poorly. Only one has produced blooms and it only had 2 or 3. I just went to Home Depot looking for cactus and succulent soil and all they had was a product called Miracle Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus soil. The front of the bag shows various types of cactus and succulents in bloom. Tomorrow, I plan to transplant all my Holiday Cactus and hope that will do the trick and they will look healthy. I only water them once a week.

Any other suggestions from experienced Holiday Cactus growers?

Yes, the best type of mix that I have found for jungle cacti is a bark-based mix - fine-grade Orchid Bark, Perlite, and a pinch of potting soil to "bind" the ingredients. Excellent drainage is what these plants love. Imagine how they grow in nature, in the crooks of trees with rain washing over their roots but not pooling for very long. Provide a fast-draining bark mix, water and fertilize regularly, and these plants become much easier to tend, root, et cetera.

Josh

JulieLu,

I have Christmas & Easter Cactus and propagate them in very well drained cactus soil to start, with just misting and droplets of water applied to the soil. See photo as an example. The idea is not to let the cuttings get dry, but at the same time not over-water them and risk rotting the leaf before it roots.

** NOTE: They will shrivel up a little bit in distress because they have no roots, but don't get discouraged. Once they root, they will be firm and thriving again. Please don't toss out the shriveling ones! Let the process take its course.

After they root and begin to grow new leaves (that don't fall off), the plantlets are strong enough to move to a larger pot. Try not to disturb the delicate new roots. You can just scoop out those "plugs" as they are and gently place them in the soil, fill them in with your new soil mix, give them a good early morning watering, and place in filtered sunlight.

Follow greenman28's growing medium recommendation above and you'll have a beautiful flowering plant in no time.

All the best.

This post was edited by LatinLady on Wed, Aug 14, 13 at 16:47

About how long do you all think it takes them to root. I need to have some rooted by Sept 26.

Mine rooted in appx. 3-5 weeks. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the temps/humidity. It should definitely be rooted by Sept.26 barring any issues like rot...which has happened to me :o(...Good luck!