When to Prune Christmas Cactus If you’ve decided to prune your Christmas cactus, don’t grab your pruners just yet. Timing is everything when it comes to pruning these plants.

It’s also easy to propagate the Christmas cactus by rooting the sections that have been pruned off. If propagating the plant is one of the reasons for pruning, prune off pieces containing two to ...

— Ned You can prune your Christmas cactus plants anytime from the time they finish blooming up until about May. Prune the plants as much as you need to keep them the size you prefer.

QUESTION: I have a white Christmas cactus. It bloomed the first year at Thanksgiving, but hasn’t bloomed since. How do I get it to bloom again?

Between May and June you might need to prune back any of the leggier stems of the cactus. To do so, gently sever the plant along one of the clear segmentations to minimize damage to the plant.

To promote blooming, prune your Christmas Cactus after it has finished flowering. This encourages the plant to develop new segments, which will produce blooms in the next cycle.

Your Christmas cactus grows best in bright light and should be kept in a pot or container and placed within 6 feet of a window or closer. Once new growth begins, prune plants to force more branching.

Other Tips to Keep Your Christmas Cactus Thriving Though it's a desert plant, bright, indirect sunlight and a warm environment (70–80°F) is best for Christmas cacti for most of the year.

Dan Gill says to prune Christmas cactuses now, but wait to decide whether schefflera survived cold Answers to readers' gardening questions. BY DAN GILL | Contributing writer Jan 14, 2025 3 min to read ...