Christmas cactus blooms in three colors in October, and it cannot do without this flowering water applied once every 5 days
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is a potted plant that many gardening enthusiasts especially love, growing in a shrub-like form with pendulous stems, thick green or dark green, much-branched and spineless, with flowers borne at the tips of the branches in rich colors, and a flowering period from October to February of the following year.
September is the peak season for the Christmas cactus to differentiate flower buds, form buds and grow. Today, Hua'er will tell you about caring for the Christmas cactus: with "flowering water" once every 5 days, it will produce "three-colored flowers" in October, super beautiful!
The Christmas cactus does not particularly like fertilizer, but insufficient fertilizer will affect its growth and flowering, while too much will cause the plant to die, so applying organic fertilizer is generally most suitable. The "flowering water" mentioned here is actually rice-washing water, which has mild fertility and balanced nutrients, making it very suitable for growing Christmas cactus.
The rice-washing water used must be fermented in advance; using it directly is not effective and can also cause the potting soil to become compacted. Prepare a few large plastic bottles, put the collected rice-washing water into them, filling them to eight-tenths full, then add a little orange peel and insecticide, which can remove the odor and speed up fermentation. After sealing, place them under the sun to bake, and in about a month the "flowering water" will be fully fermented.
When using it, take the supernatant liquid, add water to dilute it 10 times, then pour it directly into the potting soil until it is completely soaked through, watering once every 5 days. After the Christmas cactus absorbs it, it promotes the differentiation of flower buds and the growth of flower buds, and it will vigorously produce "three-colored flowers"!
The Christmas cactus is a short-day plant. After entering the flowering period, control the light to 9-10 hours per day, and give it dark treatment the rest of the time. You can use a black plastic bag or box, etc., to keep it in a completely dark environment until it blooms.
That is all for the care of the Christmas cactus. If gardening friends have other additions, you can share them with everyone in the comment section below. If you want to learn more about plant care, you can follow Huajianke!