Christmas cactus half-dead in summer? Remember these 5 points, new shoots keep coming, and it blooms more and more every year

This is day 924 of Blue Demon's daily original articles

The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is one of the main ornamental potted flowers indoors in autumn and winter. The Christmas cactus blooms in huge quantities. After grafting, a Christmas cactus can produce dozens or even hundreds of flowers at once, which can be called truly stunning.

However, many people who grow Christmas cacti have one worry, and that is that the Christmas cactus always looks half-dead in summer, which makes people very anxious to see.

Actually, growing Christmas cacti is still very simple. Below, Blue Demon will teach you 5 little bits of knowledge about growing Christmas cacti. Once you learn them, your Christmas cactus will definitely surprise you in autumn and winter!Christmas Cactus Growing Tips1. Potting soil

The Christmas cactus likes a relatively dry environment. When potting up small seedlings you bought, we can choose a soil mix with a higher soil content. You can use peat + leaf mold + perlite at 1:1:1. You can also use garden soil + leaf mold + coal cinders at a 1:1:1 ratio. This way the soil content is higher, and relatively speaking, the ability to hold fertilizer is also stronger. Leaf mold is also very fertile, so during the growing process, you can avoid the trouble of frequently applying additional fertilizer. (Blue Demon is rather lazy and does not like applying additional fertilizer)2. Watering

The Christmas cactus likes a relatively dry environment, so when watering, you must wait until the potting soil is dry before watering. Remember not to water too much, as waterlogging will rot the roots. Many people's Christmas cacti are in a slightly shriveled state in summer. At this time, remember that you must not water too much, as it very easily causes the Christmas cactus to rot.

In summer, the Christmas cactus enters dormancy, so water must be strictly controlled. Too much water makes it very easy to rot. If you cannot get the watering amount right, Blue Demon will teach you a little trick:

Place a saucer under the bottom of the flower pot. When you see the potting soil is very dry, fill the saucer with water and let the potting soil absorb it on its own. This way, the Christmas cactus will not rot because of overwatering.3. LightThe Christmas cactus is relatively shade-tolerant, but it also needs sufficient light. With sufficient light, the Christmas cactus can grow more robustly. Basically, before summer arrives, you can give the Christmas cactus sunlight. In summer, it needs shading, or it can be kept near a bright windowsill. If the summer light is too strong, it will cause the Christmas cactus leaves to turn yellow and not be very green.4. Temperature

The Christmas cactus relatively likes a cool environment. A temperature of around 20 degrees is most favorable for the growth and flowering of the Christmas cactus. So in summer, when temperatures are high, the Christmas cactus enters a dormant period.5. PruningMany flower lovers do not prune their Christmas cacti when growing them, or they do not know how to prune them.

Actually, the Christmas cactus needs pruning after it finishes flowering. If it is not pruned, it is not very easy for it to send out new shoots. After flowering, prune off the topmost leaves of the Christmas cactus, which can prompt the Christmas cactus to send out new shoots, and next year it will bloom even more!

Here Blue Demon did not make fertilizing a key point, because the Christmas cactus really does not need that much fertilizer. No fertilizing is needed during the summer dormant period. During the vigorous growth periods in spring and autumn, you can apply additional fertilizer once every half month. Because the potting soil is already very fertile, we can make the interval between additional fertilizing longer.

After buds appear, it is enough to increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

Blue Demon's past essential articles, recommended for you to study

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