What to do when Christmas cactus leaves go soft? Do these 2 checks and the leaves will be emerald green and stand upright like steel needles

Christmas cactus leaves gone limp? Do these "2 checks" and the leaves will be emerald green and stand up "like steel needles"

Growing flowers is a very atmospheric thing to do. Many flower lovers grow many different varieties of plants at home, and 7 out of 10 households will keep a pot of Christmas cactus. The ornamental value of the Christmas cactus is indeed very high, and it is also a relatively easy variety to grow, but many flower lovers still find that their Christmas cactus develops quite a few problems, and the most common one is drooping and yellowing leaves! Christmas cactus leaves gone limp? Do these "3 checks" and the leaves will be emerald green and stand up "like steel needles".

The Christmas cactus gets its name because its leaves look like crab claws, and when it blooms it is very brightly colored with a large number of flowers, making it very beautiful. But if the leaves of the Christmas cactus go limp and also turn yellow, it will affect the Christmas cactus's appearance, and the quality of the blooms will not be high either. If you find that your Christmas cactus leaves have gone limp, what should you do? Let's take a look!

1. Check the roots

If the leaves of the Christmas cactus have gone limp, it is very likely that the roots have rotted. This is a problem that flowers and plants often have, mainly because of overwatering, and because the soil's drainage and aeration are not good, so the roots rot easily. Flower lovers can first check whether the Christmas cactus's soil stays constantly wet and never dries out. If that is indeed the case, dig out part of the soil and check the condition of the roots.

If you find that the roots have indeed rotted, then take the Christmas cactus out of the pot and gently separate it from the soil. If the root rot is not too serious, remove the rotted roots of the Christmas cactus completely, then soak the roots in a carbendazim solution to sterilize them, soaking for about half an hour, then soak them in rooting water for half an hour. A Christmas cactus treated this way and put back into soil will basically come back from the dead. When mixing new soil, be sure to make it loose and breathable. You can add some sand and coal cinders; do not pursue fine soil for its own sake, because the finer the soil, the more easily it compacts.

If the root rot of the Christmas cactus is very serious and there are basically no good roots left, then you might as well cut a section from the remaining Christmas cactus leaves, choosing the most robust one, for cuttings. Take a piece about 15 cm long and immerse a quarter of it in water; it will root in about a week. During the process, change the water every day to keep it clean. Once roots have grown, flower lovers can transplant it into soil.

2. Check the season

Because the Christmas cactus produces a large number of flowers, it needs fertilizing during the flowering period, so that the quality of its blooms can be high enough. But in summer the Christmas cactus enters a dormant period, and during dormancy it needs relatively few nutrients. If flower lovers still fertilize during this period, it easily burns the roots, and the Christmas cactus leaves will go limp. So flower lovers only need to fertilize when the Christmas cactus has just been planted, fertilize when it grows new shoots to promote rooting and sprouting, and fertilize during the flowering period to promote blooming.

Christmas cactus leaves gone limp? Do these "2 checks" and the leaves will be emerald green and stand up "like steel needles". Have you all learned it?

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