Summary Potting soil: choose a sandy soil that drains well, is airy, and yet retains moisture; place about 2cm of small stones at the bottom of the pot and apply base fertilizer. Watering: the soil needs to be kept moist, water every other day. Fertilizing: apply a dilute liquid fertilizer about once every 15 days, and stop fertilizing during the high-temperature period in summer.
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<p class="cintro"><span>Summary</span>Potting soil: choose a sandy soil that drains well, is airy, and yet retains moisture; place about 2cm of small stones at the bottom of the pot and apply base fertilizer. Watering: the soil needs to be kept moist, water every other day. Fertilizing: apply a dilute liquid fertilizer about once every 15 days, and stop fertilizing during the high-temperature period in summer. Light and temperature: the suitable temperature is 20-25°C, place it in a well-ventilated shaded spot. Pest and disease control: actively prevent and control red spider mite damage.</p>
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<p>Christmas cactus is a beloved plant; it can effectively absorb carbon dioxide from the air and purify the air. The flower colors of Christmas cactus are divided into red, yellow, purple, orange, pink, etc., but red flowers are the most common.</p><p></p><p><strong>1. Potting soil</strong></p><p>Choose a sandy soil that drains well, retains moisture, and is airy. You can mix sandy soil, leaf mold, compost soil, and sand in a 3:4:2:1 ratio to make a soil suitable for Christmas cactus growth. When planting in a pot, you can place about 2cm of small stones at the bottom of the pot, then spread a layer of thin soil, then sprinkle some decomposed chicken manure, bone meal, and hoof and horn shavings on the thin soil as base fertilizer, then add another thin layer of potting soil over the base fertilizer. Then place the Christmas cactus in the center of the pot, add the previously prepared soil to maintain the original depth, then press the soil firmly. After watering thoroughly, place it in a semi-shaded spot.</p><p></p><p><strong>2. Watering</strong></p><p>Christmas cactus likes to grow in a semi-shaded, moist environment, and during its growing period the soil should be kept moist. You can water once a day or every other day, and you can spray from top to bottom to wet the plant. About every 4 days you can water the soil thoroughly. This kind of watering can maintain the moisture level of the soil without becoming too dry or too wet. Christmas cactus has two periods when growth stops: after flowering and during the high temperatures of summer. At these times, water appropriately, and water thoroughly only after the soil has dried out. During high temperatures, you can spray water, which can lower the temperature, but be careful not to water at noon, when moisture evaporates relatively quickly.</p><p></p><p><strong>3. Fertilizing</strong></p><p>During the growing period of Christmas cactus, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer about once every 15 days. You can mix 30 grams of potassium fertilizer, 15 grams of nitrogen fertilizer, and 20 grams of phosphorus fertilizer. During the high-temperature period in summer, fertilizing can be stopped. In autumn, you can fertilize Christmas cactus every week, which can provide sufficient nutrients and help flower bud formation, while in winter you can spray a 1000-fold potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer on the leaf surface once a week.</p><p></p><p><strong>4. Light and temperature</strong></p><p>During the growing period, Christmas cactus should be placed in a well-ventilated shaded spot. By mid-October, Christmas cactus has already produced flower buds, and it can be moved indoors or placed in a spot with ample sunlight to avoid frost. The suitable growing temperature for Christmas cactus is 20°C-25°C. If the temperature is above 22°C, place Christmas cactus in a ventilated shaded spot. In winter, the indoor temperature for Christmas cactus needs to be maintained above 10°C, because when the temperature is above 35°C or below 2°C, the plant will stop growing.</p><p></p><p><strong>5. Pest and disease control</strong></p><p>In hot weather, red spider mites are most likely to occur and spread. Small yellow-brown spots will appear on the stems, and in severe cases the stem color will turn yellow and cause wilting. Red spider mites are most likely to appear when there is no ventilation. If only a few are found, they can be washed off with clean water. In severe cases, you can spray a 0.2-degree lime sulfur mixture or a 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate 2000-fold solution.</p>
SummaryPotting soil: Choose a sandy soil that drains and aerates well while retaining moisture, place about 2cm of small stones at the bottom of the pot, and apply a base fertilizer. Watering: Keep the soil moist, watering every other day. Fertilizing: Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer about every 15 days, and stop fertilizing during the high-temperature period in summer. Light and temperature: The suitable temperature is 20-25°C, place it in a well-ventilated shaded spot. Pest and disease control: Actively prevent and control red spider mite damage.
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is a beloved plant that can effectively absorb carbon dioxide from the air and purify it. The flowers of the Christmas cactus come in red, yellow, purple, orange, pink and other colors, but red flowers are the most common.
1. Potting soil
Choose a sandy soil that drains well while retaining moisture and aerates well. You can mix sandy soil, leaf mold, compost soil and sand in a 3:4:2:1 ratio to make a soil suitable for Christmas cactus growth. When planting in a pot, place about 2cm of small stones at the bottom of the pot, then spread a thin layer of soil, and sprinkle some decomposed chicken manure, bone meal and hoof and horn shavings on the thin soil as a base fertilizer, then add another thin layer of potting soil on top of the base fertilizer, then place the Christmas cactus in the center of the pot, add the previously prepared soil to maintain the original depth, then press the soil firm, water thoroughly, and place it in a semi-shaded spot.
2. Watering
Christmas cactus likes to grow in a semi-shaded, moist environment, and during its growing period the soil should be kept moist. You can water once a day or every other day, spraying from top to bottom to moisten the plant, and about every 4 days you can water the soil thoroughly. This watering method keeps the soil moist without becoming too dry or too wet. The Christmas cactus has two periods when it stops growing: after flowering and during the high temperatures of summer. At these times, water appropriately, watering thoroughly only after the soil has dried out. During high temperatures, you can spray water to lower the temperature, but be careful not to water at noon, when the water evaporates quickly.
3. Fertilizing
During the growing period of the Christmas cactus, apply a dilute liquid fertilizer about every 15 days. You can mix 30 grams of potassium fertilizer, 15 grams of nitrogen fertilizer and 20 grams of phosphorus fertilizer. During the high-temperature period in summer, you can stop fertilizing. In autumn, you can fertilize the Christmas cactus every week to provide sufficient nutrients and promote flower bud formation, while in winter you can spray a 1000-fold dilution of potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer on the leaves once a week.
4. Light and temperature
During the growing period, the Christmas cactus should be placed in a well-ventilated shaded spot. By mid-October, the Christmas cactus has already produced flower buds, so it can be moved indoors or placed in a spot with plenty of sunlight to avoid frost. The suitable growing temperature for the Christmas cactus is 20°C-25°C. If the temperature is above 22°C, place the Christmas cactus in a ventilated, shaded spot. In winter, the indoor temperature for the Christmas cactus needs to be maintained above 10°C, because when the temperature is above 35°C or below 2°C, the plant will stop growing.
5. Pest and disease control
In hot weather, red spider mites are most likely to occur and spread. Small yellowish-brown spots appear on the stems, and in severe cases the stems turn yellow and wilt. Red spider mites are most likely to appear in poorly ventilated conditions. If you find a few, you can wash them off with clean water. In severe cases, you can spray a 0.2-degree lime sulfur mixture or a 40% dicofol emulsion at a 2000-fold dilution.