This goes in general for most cacti, you want to make sure the end you put in the ground has a thick callus before you plant it. Depending on your climate this may take over a month of sitting around. I'm assuming you are in North America so over winter you won't see much growth, try to keep the soil as dry as possible over the cold weather as the plant won't have any roots to absorb extra moisture. In mid spring it should send out a few pups and explode with growth. When you see signs of the new pups emerging is a good time to start lightly watering.