Home › Flowers & Gardening › Article

How to grow Christmas cactus so its leaves become thick

Flowers & Gardening 0 views
To make a Christmas cactus's leaves thicken, give it plenty of light and keep that light even, with a suitable temperature, ideally between 15 and 22 degrees. Make sure water and fertilizer are appropriate: water less in summer, increase the amount in autumn, and prune in time, cutting off weak small flower buds so the plant's shape looks good.

1. Light

It is a short-day plant, so if the light period is too long, it will affect its blooming. Therefore, if the daytime light is strong and the indoor light at night is strong, you should shade it appropriately, and turn the pot's direction every half month to keep the light even. After autumn arrives, it will begin to form flower buds, and at this point you should move it to a sunny place, but do not let the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures get too large.

2. Temperature

The temperature most suitable for its growth is 15 to 22 degrees. So when the autumn temperature suddenly changes, you should put it outside to get more sun, which can promote the formation of flower buds and also make the leaves thick and plump; at night you should move it indoors to keep it warm and reduce the day-night temperature difference.

3. Water and fertilizer

It enters a dormant period in summer, so at this time you must not give it much water or fertilizer, otherwise it will affect the leaves. After autumn arrives, you can increase the amount of water and fertilizer, but do not apply too much nitrogen fertilizer, to prevent the plant from growing leggy.

4. Pruning

It is very tolerant of pruning. During the bud-forming period, you should cut off its overly long branches, overlapping branches, and so on, otherwise the leaves will gradually become thin. In addition, during its bud-forming period, in order to make it bloom more, you can also cut off some weak small flower buds. Then when the flowering period ends in February to March, it will enter a dormant state, and at this time you should cut off the spent flowers and tidy up the flower shape. In spring, control water and fertilizer, let the potting soil be slightly dry, and simply spray water on it often; this way the leaves will stay thick and plump.

Related Articles