How to get a high survival rate of cuttings of leaf fairy and when can the cuttings take root and survive?

Leaf fairy is also called tiger thorn vine and leaf qilin. It is an ornamental plant of the Cactaceae family. Leaf fairy has good uprightness, is easy to branch, and is also resistant to pruning. Propagation is generally based on cuttings.

Cutting time of Yexian

The leaf fairy is suitable for cuttings in spring, summer and autumn, among which May to September is the most suitable. The temperature can be guaranteed to be 20-35 degrees, and the survival rate can reach 100% . The temperature is relatively low in winter, and it is easy to get frostbite if cuttings are taken at this time, which will lead to the death of the leaf fairy.

Cutting method of leaf fairy

1. Cut the cuttings

Select healthy and strong leaf fairy branches and cut them into several small sections, because there are hard thorns on the stems of leaf fairy. So be sure to wear gloves when pruning the cuttings. After pruning the leaf fairy cuttings, remove the leaves at the bottom of the branches and only keep 1-2 pairs of leaves at the top of the branches.

2. Prepare the soil

Prepare loose and fertile nutrient soil. You can buy ready-made soil directly, or mix it with peat soil, leaf humus and coarse sand. After disinfection, water the soil in advance, level the soil surface and compact it lightly.

3. Insert the seeds into the soil

The trimmed leaf fairy cuttings can be placed in a cool and ventilated place to dry for half an hour. After the cuts on the branches are slightly dried, insert the leaf fairy branches into moist soil. Gently compact the soil around the branches with your hands to make it closely combined with the soil, which is conducive to the rooting of the plant in the later stage.

Rooting of leaf fairy cuttings

After the cuttings of Yexian are completed, place them in a cool and ventilated place for maintenance, keep the soil in the pot slightly moist, and in an ambient temperature of about 15-25℃, it will generally take root in about 2 weeks . After it survives, it only needs careful maintenance for 1-2 months before it can be used as a grafting rootstock.