Give Christmas cactus this and it will bloom 100 flowers in autumn, with thick, glossy leaves

After several heavy rains, the weather has gradually turned cool, and the dormant Christmas cactus has begun to resume growth. Today, Huahua will teach everyone what to do in early autumn so the Christmas cactus can burst into bloom!

Grow it like this in early autumn, and the Christmas cactus will burst into a pot full of blooms!

Most gardeners' Christmas cacti are grafted, and in summer they are generally kept with little water and no fertilizer to get through the summer, so what needs to be done in early autumn is to let them slowly recover from dormancy.

1. Apply a dilute fertilizer solution

In summer the Christmas cactus gets almost no external nutrients, so its stems and leaves become rather thin. To lay a good foundation for flowering, you can first give the Christmas cactus a dilute slow-release fertilizer, preferably one fermented from fruit plants, applied about once every half month.

2. Spray less phosphorus and potassium fertilizer

The Christmas cactus is now in its recovery period; spraying a large amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flowering is not good for it to recover a healthy growth state.

3. Control the amount of watering

Although autumn has already arrived, you still cannot be careless when watering. The Christmas cactus's root system is still rather delicate now, and watering heavily can easily cause root rot, so it is best to water only after the potting soil has dried out completely.

4. Gradually provide light

In summer, gardeners usually keep Christmas cacti in a cool, ventilated place to avoid direct sunlight. Now you can first place the Christmas cactus by a bright window or on a balcony, letting it receive morning and evening light, and later gradually increase the light duration.

Take advantage of the cool weather and propagate quickly, turning 1 Christmas cactus into 10 pots!

Once the temperature drops, it is again a good time for cuttings, and the Christmas cactus is no exception. Friends who want more Christmas cacti can start taking cuttings!

1. Cut a few relatively firm, robust leaves from the mother Christmas cactus plant; the leaves used for cuttings should preferably have more than two segments, as such leaves have a high survival rate and also grow relatively fast.

2. Insert the leaves to be propagated into a comb, then soak the end that needs to go into the soil in rooting water. After soaking for about 30 minutes, put them in a ventilated place to dry.

3. The soil used for cuttings must be loose and breathable. You can mix coconut coir and charcoal, add some sawdust, water thoroughly, and mix evenly; the soil just needs to be slightly moist.

4. Insert the dried Christmas cactus leaves into the soil; the depth of insertion just needs to be enough to keep the leaves from falling over.

5. After taking the cuttings, keep them in a cool, ventilated place. Do not water frequently; just spray a little water when the soil is dry. Christmas cacti propagated this way have a survival rate close to 100%!

Cut the Christmas cactus and graft it onto a cactus!

1. For the scion to be grafted, it is best to choose a relatively robust one with a darker color, and cut the lower end of the Christmas cactus scion into a duck-bill shape.

2. If you choose to use a cactus as the rootstock, be sure to choose one with relatively thick leaves, and give priority to varieties that can survive the winter. Then cut off about 1 cm from the top of the cactus leaf.

3. Prepare a sharp small knife, and after disinfecting it, make a horizontal cut on the cut surface of the cactus, with a depth of 0.5-1 cm.

4. Insert the cut scion with the duck-bill end facing down into the cut in the cactus. Then keep it in a cool, ventilated place for half a month, and afterward place it in a sunny spot.

5. To be safe, after inserting it you can use a toothpick or a small clip to secure the scion and rootstock together.

6. After a period of careful care, the grafted Christmas cactus will bloom!

Huahua's tips:

Because temperatures vary from place to place, friends in areas with higher temperatures can, according to actual conditions, delay the above operations by about another half month.

That is all for early autumn care of the Christmas cactus.

If you think the article is not bad,

you are welcome to share it with friends!

The images come from the internet, and the copyright belongs to the original authors.

Unauthorized reproduction is not allowed; if you need to reproduce, please contact us in the background for authorization.

Reply:

Plant name (such as money tree)

: to view cultivation methods

To consult about gardening problems, please add the personal WeChat:

139555167

(long press to copy)