How to Grow a Christmas Cactus? Mastering These Cultivation Techniques Is Key
The Christmas cactus is an epiphytic succulent in the cactus family, often grafted onto dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) or other rootstocks, so what are the cultivation techniques for Christmas cactus?
1. What Is a Christmas Cactus
The Christmas cactus is an epiphytic succulent of the cactus family and the genus Schlumbergera, often shrub-like, with flowers borne singly at the tips of the branches, rose-red, 6-9 cm long, bilaterally symmetrical, and berries pear-shaped, red, about 1 cm in diameter.
Common hybrids of the Christmas cactus include the white Christmas White, Doset, Gina, and Snowflake; the yellow Gold Charm, Christmas Flame, Gold Fantasy, and Cambridge; the orange Ante and Frido; the purple Madoga; and the pink Camilla, Disto, and Eva.
The Christmas cactus is native to Brazil in South America, and has been introduced to China, where it is cultivated in all regions. It is commonly cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
2. Cultivation Techniques for Christmas Cactus
1. Temperature
The suitable growing temperature for the Christmas cactus is 25-30°C. In summer, take care to protect it from the sun, and in winter, take care to keep it warm.
In winter, keep the room temperature at around 15°C; below 10°C, sudden temperature changes and excessive temperature differences can cause flowers and buds to drop. During the flowering period, a temperature of 10-15°C is best, and the plant should be moved to a spot with scattered light for care, to prolong the viewing period.
2. Watering
Watering should mainly be done by misting, with little watering, and the plant must not be exposed to rain, to avoid root rot.
You can spray water on the plant and on the ground near it to increase air humidity and lower the temperature. During the growing season, keep the potting soil moist, avoiding both excessive dryness and excessive wetness. When the air is dry, spray water on the leaf surface; especially during the bud-setting period, spraying water on the leaf surface helps produce more buds.
3. Fertilizing
Chemical fertilizers should not be used; if fertilizing is needed, homemade compost fertilizer can be used.
4. Pruning
During the growing process, a support frame should also be built for the Christmas cactus, and the plant should also be pruned to a certain extent, so that the Christmas cactus can grow better.
When planting a Christmas cactus, the support frame should be reasonably prepared according to the size of the plant; especially for plants that are five or six years old or older, as the branch crown increases, the pressure increases, and the support frame should be replaced in time to prevent the plant from falling over due to the support frame rotting.
After the flowers fade in spring, promptly cut back to 3-4 stem segments below the spent flowers, and at the same time thin out some old stems and overly dense stem segments, to facilitate ventilation and home care; in the cultivation of Christmas cactus, sometimes 4-5 new branches will grow from the tip of a single segment, and 1-2 of them should be removed in time.