Want your Christmas cactus covered in blooms in winter and spring? Don't forget these few things in autumn
Christmas cactus blooms in winter and spring, goes dormant in summer, and forms buds in autumn. Every winter, there are always growers envious of other people's Christmas cacti covered in blooms. In fact, whether it can bloom in winter and spring depends especially on care and management in autumn! Doing these few things for it in time is the key to whether the Christmas cactus can bloom in winter and spring.
1. Repotting, changing the soil, and pruning.The weather has gradually turned cooler, and the Christmas cactus, which entered dormancy or semi-dormancy in summer, is gradually waking up and stepping into its vigorous growth period. If you find that the plant has grown larger and the growing space in the pot and the nutrients in the potting soil are limited, it is necessary to give it a slightly larger pot at this time and repot it with fresh soil. For the pot, it is recommended to choose a clay pot or a plastic pot with good water permeability. For the soil mix, use humus soil as the main component, add a small amount of garden soil to stabilize the roots, then add a small portion of river sand or perlite to increase water and air permeability. After planting, promptly prune off weak leaves so that the healthy branches and leaves can store nutrients. At the same time, place the plant in a cool, ventilated spot; after one week of repotting, it can be cared for normally.
2. Fertilizing.If your Christmas cactus does not need repotting or a soil change, apply 2~3 rounds of a compound fertilizer with a complete balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or your own fully decomposed organic fertilizer, in time. This replenishes the energy it needs for autumn growth, with about 10 days between each application. With a sufficient fertilizer supply, the Christmas cactus will gradually grow new leaves and prepare to form buds and bloom. After the new leaves emerge, reduce nitrogen input and switch to fertilizers mainly based on phosphorus and potassium; every 7~10 days you can water the plant at the roots with monopotassium phosphate, combined with foliar spraying. On one hand, this can promote flower bud differentiation; on the other hand, it can also strengthen the plant's resistance to disease and cold.
3. Sufficient light.Whether the Christmas cactus can be placed in the sun has always been debated. Growers all know that flowering plants love light very much. The Christmas cactus is the same; although it is a winter-and-spring-blooming plant, it very much likes warm sunlight. Of course, during the summer dormancy period it must be shaded, and cooling measures must be taken. Now that the temperature has dropped below 30°C, and this is also the Christmas cactus's most critical growth and bud-forming period, scattered light can no longer meet its flowering needs, so giving it a few hours of direct light every day is very necessary. If the midday sun is too strong, you can shade it appropriately and let it get morning and afternoon sun. Sufficient light is the prerequisite for the Christmas cactus to form buds and bloom.
4. Normal watering and a ventilated environment.In autumn, whether the Christmas cactus is in the vigorous growth period of branches and leaves or in the bud-forming and flowering period, it needs a sufficient water supply. If you water it sparingly again during this period as in summer, it will inevitably affect growth and flowering. Keep the potting soil slightly moist, and at the same time provide a well-ventilated growing environment, so that the plant can grow vigorously.