How to Grow Christmas Cactus? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
Christmas cactus, also known as Christmas cactus, crab claw lotus and fairy finger flower, is a plant of the genus Schlumbergera in the cactus family. It is tender green, with new stem segments tinged red, the main stem is round and easily becomes woody, with many branches in a jointed form, areoles bearing bristles, and flowers borne on the areoles at the tips of the stem segments. Common cultivated varieties include bright red, pink, apricot yellow and pure white. It gets its name because the joints where the segments connect resemble a crab's pincers. The leaf-like stems are flat and multi-jointed, thick and fleshy, ovate, bright green, with a truncate tip and coarsely serrated edges. Flowers are borne at the tips of the stems, with the perianth opening and recurring, and flower colors include light purple, yellow, red, pure white, pink, orange and bicolor, among others.
Morphological Characteristics
The leaves of the Christmas cactus are tender green, with new stem segments tinged red, the main stem is round and easily becomes woody, with many branches in a jointed form, areoles bearing bristles, and flowers borne on the areoles at the tips of the stem segments. Common cultivated varieties include bright red, pink, apricot yellow and pure white. Because the joints where the segments connect resemble a crab's pincers, it is named Christmas cactus. In Western countries that follow Christianity, because it blooms around “Christmas”, it is also called the “Christmas cactus”. The jointed stems of the Christmas cactus often become pendulous because they grow too long, so it is also often made into a hanging plant for decoration. The Christmas cactus blooms right at Christmas and New Year's Day, with a trailing plant shape and bright, lovely flower colors, making it suitable for decorating windowsills, entranceways and exhibition halls, creating a lively atmosphere and instantly brightening the whole room. However, due to cultivation methods, some Christmas cacti are regulated to bloom in October. The flowers are delicate and graceful, radiant and charming, bright and moving, and are especially loved and praised by people. In countries such as Japan, Germany and the United States, the Christmas cactus has already been produced on a large scale and has become one of the main indoor potted flowers in winter. China began introducing the Christmas cactus in the 1980s.
The Christmas cactus is an epiphytic small shrub. The leaf-like stems are flat and multi-jointed, thick and fleshy, ovate, bright green, with a truncate tip and coarsely serrated edges. Flowers are borne at the tips of the stems, with the perianth opening and recurring, and flower colors include light purple, yellow, red, pure white, pink, orange and bicolor, among others. Flower breeders have all conducted extensive hybrid breeding research.
Growth Habits
The Christmas cactus is a short-day plant that likes scattered light and avoids harsh sun; it likes moisture but fears waterlogging. In its natural environment, it often grows epiphytically on trees or in moist valleys, so the cultivation environment requires semi-shade and humidity. In summer, avoid harsh sun exposure and rain; in winter, it requires warmth and sufficient light. The soil needs to be a fertile mix of leaf mold, peat and coarse sand, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. The optimum temperature for the Christmas cactus during its growing period is 18 to 23°C, and the suitable flowering temperature is 10 to 15°C, not exceeding 25°C, with 15°C being best to maintain, and the winter temperature should not be lower than 10°C. The Christmas cactus is a short-day plant, so it can only form buds and bloom under short-day conditions. In its place of origin, the Christmas cactus is pollinated by birds; when cultivated indoors, it requires artificial pollination to set seed normally.
Cuttage Propagation
1. Cutting medium: Use nutrient soil, river sand, peat soil or similar materials for cuttings. For home cuttings, it is difficult to obtain an ideal cutting medium due to limited conditions, so it is recommended to use a ready-mixed and sterilized cutting medium; medium-coarse river sand can also be used, but it should be rinsed several times with clean water before use. Do not use sea sand or river sand from saline-alkali areas, as they are not suitable for the growth of flowers and plants. In early spring or late autumn (when the highest midday temperature does not exceed 28°C and the lowest nighttime temperature is not below 15°C), during the peak growing season, cut off leaves or stems (with 3 to 4 leaf joints), let the wounds dry, then insert them into the medium, and lightly spray the cuttings and medium with water. As long as the medium is not overly dry or waterlogged, roots and new shoots can grow quickly. From late spring to early autumn, when temperatures are higher, cuttings rot very easily, so it is best not to take cuttings then.
2. Potting: When potting small seedlings, first place a 2 to 2 cm thick layer of coarse-grained medium or ceramsite at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, sprinkle a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer on top as a base fertilizer, about 1 to 2 cm thick, then cover with a layer of medium about 1 to 2 cm thick, and then place the plant in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. For the potting medium, one of the following can be chosen. Vegetable garden soil: furnace slag 3:1; or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (mushroom residue) 4:1:2; or one of paddy soil, pond mud or leaf mold. Or peat + perlite + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; vegetable garden soil + furnace slag = 3 parts + 1 part; peat + furnace slag + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; sawdust + vermiculite + medium-coarse river sand = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part. After potting, water once thoroughly and place in a slightly shaded environment for a week of care.
3. Humidity management: It likes a relatively dry air environment. If rainy weather lasts too long, it is susceptible to infection by pathogens. It fears rain, and the leaves should be kept dry at night. The optimum relative air humidity is 40 to 60%.
4. Temperature management: The optimum growth temperature is 15 to 32°C. It fears high temperatures and stuffiness, and enters dormancy when the summer heat exceeds 33°C. It is averse to cold and frost, and the overwintering temperature needs to be kept above 10°C. It also enters dormancy when the winter temperature drops below 7°C, and if the ambient temperature approaches 4°C, it will die from frostbite.
5. Summer management
① Strengthen air convection so that the internal temperature can be released;
② Place it in semi-shade, or provide it with 50% shading;
③ Give it appropriate misting, 2 to 3 times a day.
6. Winter management
① Move it indoors to a place with bright light for care;
② Outdoors, it can be wrapped in plastic film to overwinter, but the film must be opened every two days at the warmer midday temperature to let it breathe;
7. Light management: In summer, keeping it in semi-shade, or providing it with 50% shading, will make the leaf color more beautiful. In spring and autumn, since the temperature is not very high, it should be given direct sunlight to help it carry out photosynthesis and accumulate nutrients. In winter, keep it indoors in a place with bright light. If it is usually kept indoors, it should be placed near southeast-facing doors and windows so it can receive light, and every one month or one and a half months, it should be moved outdoors for two months of care; otherwise the leaves will grow thin and yellow, and new branches or petioles will be slender with elongated internodes, in a state of leggy growth.
8. Fertilizer and water management: It has a strong drought tolerance and can grow even under dry environmental conditions, but this does not mean it should not be watered or fertilized; its root system fears waterlogging, and if water accumulates in the flower pot, or if it is watered and fertilized too frequently, it is prone to root rot. The principle for fertilizing and watering it is “alternate dry and wet, dry means thoroughly dry, do not water if not dry, and water thoroughly when watering”. When fertilizing and watering, avoid getting the plant wet:
① Spring and autumn: These two seasons are its peak growing seasons. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”——clear water——“Hua Bao”——clear water, with an interval period of about: 2 to 4 days for outdoor care, and 3 to 6 days for indoor care.
② Summer: During the high-temperature period in summer, it often enters dormancy and has little demand for fertilizer and water, and may even need controlled fertilizer and water. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water——“Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water, with an interval period of about: 3 to 5 days for outdoor care; 4 to 7 days for indoor care. The interval is shorter on sunny days or during high temperatures, and longer on rainy days or during low temperatures, or no watering at all. Watering should be done as much as possible in the morning or evening when the temperature is lower. The plant should also be misted frequently.
③ Winter: During the winter dormant period, the main task is to do a good job of controlling fertilizer and water. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”—>clear water—>clear water—>“Hua Bao”—>clear water—>clear water, with an interval period of about 7 to 10 days, and watering should be done as much as possible at midday on sunny days when the temperature is higher.