How to care for a Christmas cactus
What is a Christmas Cactus?
The Christmas cactus - otherwise known as the Schlumbergera - is an epiphytic cactus, growing naturally in tropical rainforest conditions. They come in a variety of different colours, but the most common colour is the pink or red shade.
During the festive season, you should be able to find Christmas cactus plants available in your local garden centre, nursery, or supermarket, as well as florists who offer these.
While Christmas cacti usually bloom between November and January and are known for their festive colours, if the right care is provided, a Christmas cactus should be able to bloom again in spring, so it’s important to take proper care of it.
However, a Christmas cactus is notoriously tricky to take care of - especially when comparing it to their drought-resistant cacti cousins residing in the desert.
As such, our team at Euroflorist have shared 5 biggest mistakes that people make when caring for their Christmas cactus, and what to do instead to ensure it stays alive throughout the festive period.
5 Christmas Cactus Mistakes To Avoid
Mistake #1 - Overwatering
It’s important to ensure you’re on top of Christmas cactus watering, as these plants need moist soil to thrive, so it’s recommended to water them at least once a week once the top inch or two of soil is dry - meaning you can sometimes wait up to 2 weeks to water it again!
Make sure the soil is dry before watering each time as the roots and bottom of the Christmas cactus can start to rot with an excess of water, which can also lead to fungus gnat infestations. Check out our guide on getting rid of fungus gnats for more advice.
However, a Christmas cactus is a succulent, and often grows better when bottom-watered. To do this, simply place your Christmas cactus in a container that can hold enough water to cover half of the pot.
Leave it there for around 5-15 minutes or whenever you can see that the top layer of soil is moist, and ensure that you allow the Christmas cactus to sit for a couple of minutes to allow it to drain any excess water out before putting it back in its outer pot to avoid root rot.
Mistake #2 - Choosing the incorrect soil
Using the correct soil is also important for the growth of your Christmas cactus, and using the incorrect mixture can affect growth, as well as causing other problems such as rotting the roots and stems quicker.
Use some decomposed compost or peat, as well as some gravel, sand, or coarse perlite, to help with airflow and water drainage.
Mistake #3 - Incorrectly potting and repotting
Picking the right pot for the Christmas cactus is important, and you must make sure to repot it over the years to ensure it has enough room to grow, and avoid becoming root-bound.
If it does look like it’s drooping, or falling to the side, then it’s telling you it’s too big for the current pot, and needs to be changed to a larger one.
When it comes to Christmas cactus repotting, this should be done after it has stopped blooming and the flowers have wilted - typically in late winter or early spring.
Remove the plant from its pot, along with the surrounding soil ball, and gently loosen the roots. If the potting mix is compacted, gently wash it away from the roots with a little water.
Put the Christmas cactus in a new, larger pot so the top of the root ball is about an inch below the rim of the pot. Then, fill around the roots with fresh soil and pat gently to remove any air pockets inside. Continue to water as usual.
Mistake #4 - Not giving it enough light
A Christmas cactus will be far more likely to bloom when it’s kept in the optimal conditions, and despite its festive, wintery name, it will need lots of bright indirect sunlight, relatively humid conditions, and warm temperatures.
The cactus will need around 4-8 hours of bright, indirect sunlight, followed by a period of continuous darkness - ideally around 13 hours.
The best place to locate your Christmas cactus is in a place with indirect sunlight, such as an east-facing window or even a bright bathroom. However, if you’re keeping your Christmas cactus in the bathroom, ensure to move it to a darker place at night. Alternatively, you can place it in a room that doesn’t see the sun in the evening.
When following this process, flower buds will usually begin to show in around 6 weeks, at which point you can put the Christmas cactus back on display - still avoiding direct sunlight however, as this could scald the leaves.
Mistake #5 - Not using fertiliser
It’s equally as important to feed your Christmas cactus with a premium fertiliser, or a 20-20-20, or 10-10-10 plant food diluted with water, to ensure it receives all the necessary nutrients it needs to grow.
A balanced fertiliser will have an equal ratio of the main three nutrients for plants on their packaging - nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium, or N:P:K.
A Christmas cactus requires more magnesium than other plants, so you can also use magnesium sulphate, such as Epsom salt, mixed with water, to add more nutrients to your cacti.
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