Why does the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) easily drop flowers and buds? Pay attention to these points and blooming profusely won't be difficult

The Christmas cactus is an epiphytic small shrub. Its flattened, multi-jointed leaf-like stems are thick and fleshy, ovate, bright green, with truncate tips and coarsely toothed edges. The flowers grow at the tips of the stems, with the perianth opening and reflexing; flower colors include light purple, yellow, red, pure white, pink, orange, and bicolors. The main reasons the Christmas cactus easily drops flowers and buds are as follows:

1. Failure to protect it from the cold in time. In northern regions, the rootstock stops growing when exposed to cold in winter, and at this time most of the buds on the whole plant will drop; Christmas cacti using Acanthocereus triangularis (three-angled cactus) as rootstock suffer more severe bud drop. Acanthocereus triangularis grows slowly at around 20 degrees and stops growing at around 15 degrees; once the rootstock stops growing, nutrients and water** will be restricted, thus causing bud drop. Because cactus is more cold-tolerant than Acanthocereus triangularis, Christmas cacti using cactus as rootstock drop slightly fewer buds. For Christmas cacti using Acanthocereus triangularis as rootstock, attention must be paid to cold protection after late autumn, and it is best to move them indoors early and place them in a sunny spot for cultivation.

2. Sudden temperature drop or too great a difference between day and night temperatures. The Christmas cactus likes warmth; if the temperature suddenly drops below 10 degrees, bud drop will occur. When temperatures suddenly drop, do a good job of keeping the room warm in time.

3. Improper watering. After the Christmas cactus buds, watering must wait until the potting soil has dried before watering again; do not keep watering heavily, otherwise bud drop is likely. But watering should not be too little either; overly dry potting soil also easily causes bud drop.

4. Insufficient fertilization. If the Christmas cactus is not fertilized in time before and after budding, nutrition will be insufficient, and bud drop is also likely.

5. Moving the flowerpot casually during the flowering period, causing broken stems, also easily leads to dropped flowers and buds.

6. When temperature and nutrients are suitable, light is the decisive factor determining bud formation and development. During bud formation and the early stage of development, a continuous dark environment of 12-14 hours per day is required. If there is light at night, it will cause the buds to stop developing and drop.