How to Grow a Christmas Cactus? Master These Care Tips
The Christmas cactus, also known as Jinshang Tianhua, crab claw lotus, crab orchid and so on, is a common indoor green plant that is very beautiful when in bloom. So, how do you grow a Christmas cactus? Let's take a look!
1. Growing environment
The Christmas cactus is suited to surviving in a warm and humid environment and needs a certain amount of light, but the light must not be too strong, so the growing site is generally in a semi-shaded, semi-sunny area. The Christmas cactus is extremely intolerant of cold, and its minimum growing temperature must not be lower than ten degrees; the temperature suitable for its growth is generally between twenty and twenty-five degrees. The soil at the growing site should be rich in fertility, rich in organic matter, and have strong drainage and aeration. Note that careful cultivation is required: an appropriate amount of peat, coarse sand and sufficient fully decomposed organic fertilizer should be spread into the soil and stirred evenly.
2. Propagation methods
There are mainly two methods of propagating the Christmas cactus, namely cuttings and grafting. Grafting is best done from the end of March to mid-June each year, or from mid-September to mid-October; the grafting time is generally chosen in the morning, and the grafting medium is best cactus, as the survival rate this way is as high as about ninety-five percent. Cutting propagation is generally chosen in spring each year, so that the survival rate can be well guaranteed.
3. Care and management
The care and management of the Christmas cactus mainly includes watering, fertilizing, weeding, light and temperature. Chemical fertilizers must not be used on the Christmas cactus, so later topdressing can only use organic fertilizer or farmyard manure. The amount of fertilizer applied should not be too large, as too much will cause the plant to die. After planting, do not water immediately; water only after the graft joint has bonded. Keep the field humidity between fifty and sixty percent. Do not use too much water, otherwise it will cause root rot. Generally, water demand is greatest only during the flowering period, when the water supply can be appropriately increased. Fertilizing needs to be decided according to the growth of the Christmas cactus: if the Christmas cactus is rather thin and weak and malnourished, then topdressing fertilizer is needed.
4. Building a support frame
When the Christmas cactus grows to a certain height, a support frame needs to be built to support its growth, because its stem cannot bear such a heavy weight. Without the support of a frame, it will break or fall over, affecting its economic value and ornamental value. Building a support frame can also enhance the air permeability of the field, which is beneficial for bud formation and flowering. So we generally wait until the Christmas cactus has grown to about thirty centimeters before starting to build the support frame.
5. Pruning and shaping
When flower farmers grow the Christmas cactus, they prune it at the appropriate time, so that it can be pruned into a shape they find beautiful. Pruning is done to benefit the growth of the Christmas cactus; without pruning, nutrients cannot be supplied, causing malnutrition, failure to bloom, and even a gradual withering.
The above are the cultivation methods for the Christmas cactus. We hope they can help you!