It is quite similar to spreading other succulent-like stems and leaves to propagate ric rac cactus. Cuttings can be used to propagate this plant in either soil or water. First, let’s discuss the soil approach.
- Remove a portion of the stem. It should be a couple inches long.
- Allow the cut end of the cutting to harden over the course of a day or two.
- Plant in a succulent soil that has been amended with coco coir or fine moss, or in a well-draining soil.
- When the soil becomes dry, water it roughly once every week and provide strong indirect light or medium light.
- A new plant will grow from the cutting’s roots.
Let’s now discuss the water approach. I almost always prefer to propagate in water since I enjoy to see the development of new roots.
- Place it in a water-filled jar or vial, ensuring sure that only the very bottom is submerged. if possible, avoid submerging a significant portion of the cutting.
- Check the cutting every few days to ensure that you are replacing any evaporating water.
- The cutting will form roots; when they are about an inch long, put them in a succulent soil mixture or well-draining mix and treat them as if they were a brand-new plant!
How are fishbone cacti propagated in water?
A fishbone cactus is actually rather simple to grow! Your cactus can be multiplied in water or potting soil using a variety of techniques.
Fishbone Cactus Propagation in Water
Take a pair of tidy, well-kept scissors, and trim one of the stems just above the base. Give the wound a few days to heal and develop a callus.
Insert the slice into a jar filled with lukewarm water. The jar only needs to cover the bottom of the cutting; it needn’t be completely full. Place the jar in direct light that is bright and change the water when it becomes murky.
You can transplant the cutting into potting soil once the roots are several inches long (I prefer to wait until they are two to three inches long). Give the plant a healthy watering and take routine care of it.
Fishbone Cactus Propagation in Potting MixWhole Stem
In a pot with potting soil, plant the clipping. As the roots grow, keep the potting soil moist but not soggy. Put the pot in a spot with strong, filtered light.
If your cutting is tiny enough, you can seal in beneficial humidity by covering it with a clear plastic bag. Remove it approximately every few days to allow in fresh air. Don’t worry if your cutting is too large for this.
You can try gently tugging on your cutting after a few weeks to check for resistance. If you encounter some resistance, this indicates that a root system has formed, and you can begin caring for your cutting as you would a regular plant.
Fishbone Cactus Propagation in Potting MixStem Cuttings
Cut off one of the stems with a clean, sharp pair of scissors. Then, separate the entire stem into a few-inch-long portions. Keep track of which portion of each segment is at the top and which is at the bottom. Allow the areas to heal and develop calluses for a few days.
Now, proceed in the same manner as you would while growing a full stem in potting soil: Making sure to place the bottom half down and the top part up, plant the parts in a pot with potting soil.
As the roots grow, keep the potting soil moist but not soggy. Put the pot in a spot with strong, filtered light. To seal in the beneficial humidity, cover the surface with a clear plastic bag. Remove it approximately every few days to allow in fresh air.
Give the roots of the portions a tug to feel for resistance a few weeks later to check on their health. Any resistance indicates the development of a root system. Now you may separate your small portions into pots so they can develop into full-sized plants and take care of them as you would usually with this plant.
Note: You may also propagate the sections in water by following my water propagation instructions, but it’s difficult to prevent the parts from dropping into the water, so this method isn’t frequently used.
Fishbone Cactus Propagation in Potting MixDivision
Division is possibly the simplest and quickest way to propagate fishbone cactus. Usually, this technique is used while repotting the plant.
Simply detach one or more of the cactus’s root-dependent parts from the main plant. Keep as many of the roots intact as you can by carefully separating them one at a time. If you need to separate any of the roots from one another, use a clean, sharp knife.
After that, plant each one into a distinct container and look after it as you normally would.
This method may require you to handle the cactus stems more, so proceed with caution as it contains little spines.
Do ric rac cacti grow quickly?
Just when I thought I was familiar with every outrageously gorgeous and simple houseplant, I discovered a brand-new one at my neighborhood garden center. This plant’s unusual leaf form initially drew my attention since it immediately made me think of the ric rac trim on the Raggedy Ann doll clothing I used to have as a child. I had no idea that the plant goes by the nickname Ric Rac. (Although Fishbone cactus is another name for this plant, it is not quite as endearing.)
The Ric Rac cactus is a plant that is native to the tropical jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. In its natural environment, it develops as an epiphyte (a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic) in tightly packed clusters that dramatically cascade down tree branches. In rainforests, a variety of ferns, air plants, bromeliads, and orchids also grow on tree trunks. The unusual serrated and lobed leaves of this quickly expanding plant, as well as its thick, leathery texture and rich, dark green color, are what set it apart from others.
Your Ric Ric cactus may provide you with pleasantly scented pink to yellow to white orchid-like flowers in March or April provided it receives enough strong light in the early spring and its roots are not too crowded in the pot. The hitch is that this plant belongs to the night-blooming cactus family, and its blooms only open at night and endure for one day, so unless you’re a nocturnal pollinator (which I suppose you aren’t), you probably won’t see this blooming phenomenon. But don’t worry, the bold (and nostalgic) leaf shape of the Ric Ric cactus ensures that it still looks good without blooms.
HOW TO PROPAGATE
I started my own plant from cuttings that a buddy supplied me. I’ll give a brief explanation of the process I used to propagate my plant before discussing Fishbone Cactus maintenance.
A single leaf can be divided into numerous cuttings, each of which can be rooted (technically, a leaf is a modified stem).
Just be careful not to flip the cuttings over upside down or they won’t root. The cutting’s end that roots will be the portion that was closest to the pot.
Make each slice approximately 3–4 inches long. There’s no need to lengthen them. Your finished plant will be fuller the more cuttings you have!
Like any succulent or cactus, after you’ve made your cuttings, you must wait for them to callus over and dry out before propagating them. This will prevent your cuttings from becoming bad.
After a few days, you may either directly plant them into a pot of soil or put them in a vase with water to root. I submerged mine as depicted below.
Plant your roots into your potting mix (I’ll explain what that is in a moment) once they are about an inch long or so.
You could have placed the cuttings directly into the soil after callousing over and they would have rooted that way as well. Keep the soil just moist enough to promote roots.
Remember that during the growing season, in the spring or summer, it is always preferable to propagate. Try to avoid propagating plants throughout the winter, when they are often not growing very much.
LIGHT and TEMPERATURE
In front of a window with an eastern exposure, I have my own plant. With a few hours of sunlight, these plants thrive indoors, but don’t overdo it. Your fishbone cactus should be placed directly in front of an Eastern or Western window.
Maintain appropriate indoor conditions because these plants require warmth to grow. You should never let the temperature drop below 50°F (10°C), so bear that in mind if you decide to summer your houseplant outside.
Searching for a Fishbone Cactus to buy? Etsy is one of my favorite and most useful one-stop sites for purchasing almost any plant. Today, have a look at the Fishbone Cactus collection (link to Etsy).
WATERING
Always water completely and let any extra water run out of the drainage hole. Since these plants are epiphytes, they should never be submerged in water.
Before watering again throughout the growing season, let the top inch of the potting soil dry out.
You can wait a little longer (or even altogether) before watering your soil again in the winter when it may be cooler inside and there is less light.
POTTING MIX
As long as your potting mix is exceptionally well drained, you can use a variety of potting mixtures.
I used a succulent mix for my own plant, to which I added approximately 1/4 pumice to improve the drainage.
This will work well if you combine two to three parts succulent mix with one part of either pumice or perlite. Instead of using perlite or pumice, you could also use 1 part orchid bark. Or a mixture of any or all of them.
There is no one magic potting mix; the objective is to have a potting mix that drains extremely quickly. It can be of many kinds!
FERTILIZER
I apply Dyna-Gro Grow, my go-to all-purpose fertilizer. It is an AMAZING, high-quality fertilizer that is complete with both the micro and macronutrients required for plant development.
AERIAL ROOTS
For a variety of causes, plants develop aerial roots, and epiphytes are no exception.
Epiphytes are plants that use the support of other plants, such as trees, to flourish. They adhere to their host tree with the help of their aerial roots, which they also use to collect water and nutrients from nearby sources as well as from any organic waste that may be lying around.
Therefore, it is very natural to find aerial roots on your fishbone cactus. The worst-case scenario is that it can be a warning indication that your plant needs watering because it is dry. If the soil is really dry, make sure to check the potting media and give it a good watering.
Also keep in mind that fertilization should be a regular component of your maintenance regimen. I heartily endorse Dyna-Gro Grow!
Are Fishbone Cactus and Ric Rac the same thing?
The fishbone cactus has several interesting names. These descriptive names include Ric Rac, Zigzag, and Fishbone orchid cactus, to name just a few. The nickname alludes to the alternate leaf arrangement along a central spine that mimics the skeleton of a fish. This magnificent plant is an epiphytic specimen that may flourish in conditions with little soil and the presence of other organic media. Even the so-called “black thumb gardener” can grow fishbone cactus. Bring a fishbone cactus indoors to admire its crazy zigzagging succulent foliage.
Are ric rac cacti comfortable being root bound?
Although I haven’t had my plant long enough to tell for sure, I’ve read that they grow quickly. Up to a foot long, its flat, zigzag stems spill over the rims of containers. Although it grows quickly, the plant like to be rootbound and thrives when it is tightly enclosed in its pot (kind of like snake plants).
This implies that depending on how swiftly it is growing, you may only need to repot it occasionally, perhaps once every several years. When you do repot, pick a pot that is just one or two inches larger. And add fresh soil to the plant.
In relation to rootbound
When they are rootbound, ric rac cactuses have the best chance of blooming. Although ric rac plants rarely blossom inside. This plant can benefit from a liquid cactus or orchid fertilizer that has been diluted, but it should only be applied occasionally. In the spring, feed the plant. Avoid overfertilizing.
After I had the plant for a few months, I updated these pictures. It is sprouting a ton of new growth! Next spring, I’m hoping to be able to chop and prop some sections.
The full sun is ric rac cactus tolerant.
Ric rac cactus should be grown in a bright area that is shielded from excessive sunlight. Put up a sheer curtain to soften the light and more closely mimic the circumstances found in a rain forest if you plan to grow this plant in a sunny south window.
Although the ric rac cactus may survive for extended periods without water, it thrives when watered as soon as the top inch or two of the soil dries out. They do not tolerate drought as well as their relatives who live in the desert. The ric rac cactus may decay if the soil is left damp or too moist for an extended period of time, so be careful not to overwater it.
The ric rac cactus prefers higher humidity levels than the typical cactus because it is native to tropical rain forests. It thrives under conditions of typical household humidity.
Since the ric rac cactus grows and flowers best when somewhat rootbound, you don’t need to worry about repotting it. Replant just once every four to five years.
Add these types to your Ric Rac Cactus to complete the look:
Cactus of Christmas Christmas cactus and ric rac cactus are related and prefer similar environments. If you can raise one, the other ought to flourish beside it.
Ostrich Cactus Combine ric rac cacti with the striking, dramatic orchid cactus for an incredible look!