What causes Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) bud drop?
The biggest worry when growing flowering plants in pots is a large number of bud drops and bud blast during the budding period, which means that the effort usually put in may be wasted and the result comes to nothing. For gardening friends who spend time and energy on growing flowers, this inevitably comes as a heavy blow.
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is a very beautiful evergreen succulent plant, good both for enjoying its flowers and for its foliage. But if we do not care for it well during the flowering period, it is also very easy to make it drop buds or blast buds before the flower buds have even opened. This is mainly shown in the following aspects:
1. Moving the pot around
Because during the bud formation period of the Christmas cactus, the joints of its leaves are very fragile and very sensitive to changes in the environment. So we should not frequently turn the pot, nor move it around at will, otherwise moving the pot around may cause bud drop and bud blast.
2. Too much water
During the bud formation and budding period, the Christmas cactus needs a relatively dry growing environment, which is more conducive to forming flower buds and growing buds. If watering is too generous at this time or the potting soil is too wet, it often easily inhibits root respiration, thereby causing bud drop and premature bud blast.
3. Lack of nutrients
During the bud formation and budding period, the Christmas cactus needs sufficient nutrients to promote growth and development. If nutrients are lacking during this period, the plant will not have enough ability to support the growth of the buds, resulting in bud blast and bud drop. Therefore, from the time the Christmas cactus begins to form buds, you should supplement it with some phosphorus and potassium elements.
It is recommended to use monopotassium phosphate solution, with the concentration controlled at 0.1%, sprayed once a week. But we can also bury a little decomposed chicken manure, bone meal, plant ash, etc. in the pot. After the plant obtains phosphorus and potassium elements, it can play a role in promoting bud growth and stabilizing buds.
4. Freezing from low temperatures
The flowering period of the Christmas cactus is usually in autumn and winter, and the peak flowering period is generally concentrated in winter. But winter temperatures are often relatively low, and the cold tolerance of the Christmas cactus is relatively poor, so if the ambient temperature is too low and the plant freezes during the bud formation and budding period, it will likewise cause bud drop and bud blast. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the ambient temperature at around 15°C to ensure the plant does not freeze, which is also more conducive to the plant forming buds.