Growing Succulents and Christmas Cactus: Master the Three Likes and Three Fears for Easy Full Blooms

Succulents and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) have become among everyone's favorite flowers, but many gardeners find their succulents grow slowly, become leggy and unattractive, while Christmas cactus leaves are thin and soft and refuse to bloom. To grow succulents and Christmas cactus with thick, plump leaves and strong growth, you need to follow their habits and master their three likes and three fears, making a full pot of blooms effortless.

1. Likes dry, fears wet. Succulents and Christmas cactus are drought-tolerant plants that like dryness and fear waterlogging. When watering during care, stick to the rule of not watering until dry, and water thoroughly when you do. Keep the potting soil slightly moist without water accumulating. Watering too frequently or too much will not only cause leaves to turn yellow and drop, but in severe cases will rot the roots and kill the plant. So controlling watering well is an important part of growing succulents and Christmas cactus successfully.

2. Likes sand, fears stickiness. Succulents and Christmas cactus like to grow in loose, breathable, fertile sandy soil, and fear sticky soil and soil with poor drainage, otherwise it easily causes the potting soil to compact, leading to stunted development, thin and weak leaves, and root rot. For the soil, you can mix three parts leaf mold, three parts garden soil, three parts coarse sand, and one part organic fertilizer. You can also mix your own according to the local soil, but it must be a loose, breathable neutral soil. It should be neither too alkaline nor too acidic.

3. Likes light, fears shade. Succulents and Christmas cactus are light-loving flowers, and during growth they need enough light to ensure good growth. If kept too shaded for a long time, they easily become leggy, grow poorly, and flowering is also affected. But in summer they also fear scorching sun, so at midday during hot summer weather they need appropriate shading to avoid the leaves being burned by strong sunlight.