Grow Christmas cactus this way: thick, plump leaves and so many flowers they break the branches
As summer fades, autumn temperatures drop lower day by day, and many gardening friends have recently noticed signs of wilting in their Christmas cactus. Why do these problems appear? Today Hua'er Gu is here to introduce the common causes of wilting and softening in Christmas cactus, along with the solutions!
1. Lighting problems
Christmas cactus is a plant that likes short-day conditions. Around three hours of light a day is enough to meet its normal growth needs. If it stays under strong light for a long time or gets a long daily photoperiod, its growth will suffer, and it will soften or even rot. The best spot for growing Christmas cactus is somewhere with about one hour of weak light in the morning and evening. If there is direct sunlight at noon, that growing environment is very unfavorable for its growth.
2. Watering problems
Christmas cactus is a very drought-tolerant plant; conversely, overly moist soil is very unfavorable for its growth. Because the root system of Christmas cactus is poorly developed, soggy potting soil easily causes problems like root rot. If one day after watering we find that the soil stays wet for a long time and the Christmas cactus also looks listless, there may be waterlogged roots. So when watering, pay attention to the principle of moderation and the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. In short, watering less will not go wrong, but once water accumulates, trouble arrives!
3. Nutrient problems
Some people have no awareness of fertilizing from the very start, so the flowers and green plants they grow eventually die because they become thinner and weaker the more they grow, or they grow so poorly that they have to be thrown away. The same goes for growing Christmas cactus. A Christmas cactus that goes without fertilizer for a long time will eventually show all kinds of poor growth problems. At that point we need to replenish nutrients in time to help it recover. Conversely, Christmas cactus does not need much fertilizer or water; once fertilizer is applied excessively, it will suffer fertilizer burn. So how should we fertilize properly? First, the choice of fertilizer: during the growth period of Christmas cactus we can use nitrogen fertilizer; when small flower buds appear we can spray a potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution; during the flowering period we can water with phosphorus fertilizer; and before flowering we can use some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Second, the amount: once Christmas cactus gets too much fertilizer it easily suffers fertilizer burn, so fertilizing according to the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently is the most suitable approach!
4. Pruning problems
Some gardening friends feel very happy when they see their Christmas cactus growing luxuriantly, but little do they know that this luxuriance may itself be a growth problem. Once it grows too densely, it easily leads to problems such as poor ventilation and loss of nutrients. So sometimes we need to prune in time, to avoid excessive nutrient loss and also to enhance ventilation, so that it can grow under better conditions.
The above are some of the problems in growing Christmas cactus and the handling tips introduced to you by Hua'er Gu. If we can put more thought into dealing with some of the care issues of Christmas cactus, our Christmas cactus will grow more robustly and produce more flowers. How is your Christmas cactus doing? Leave a comment and share your growing tips with us!