Grow Christmas cactus in autumn: be willing to pick the leaves once; new leaves in 2 weeks and flower buds in 3 weeks
Grow Christmas cactus in autumn, and be willing to "pick the leaves": pick once and new leaves appear in 2 weeks, flower buds in 3 weeks
Growing flowers at home has become a lifestyle habit for many people. Growing all kinds of green potted plants can not only purify the air, but also beautify the environment. Plants like clivia, Christmas cactus, kalanchoe, spider plant, pothos, and money tree are all very common household potted plants. Placing a few pots at home gives a warm, natural feeling.
Take the Christmas cactus, for example; it is a plant that many flower lovers like. It is now autumn, which is also the time when the Christmas cactus grows quickly. A few days ago, a flower lover left a message saying that after summer dormancy, their Christmas cactus still had drooping, yellowing leaves, let alone any growth! In fact, for this situation, the first thing to do is check the plant's root system and observe whether the roots have rotted. If rot has occurred, prune the roots and repot with fresh soil. If the roots have not rotted, then in the later care process you should pick the leaves, then fertilize, control watering, and increase light exposure. Only in this way can it quickly enter the growing period and grow new leaves and flower buds.
1. "Pick the leaves" of the Christmas cactus
After checking that the Christmas cactus roots have not rotted, prune it: remove all the soft and yellowing leaves, and also directly remove the longer leaves, because removing the Christmas cactus leaves can both reduce the plant's nutrient consumption and tidy up its shape, promoting the plant to grow new leaves later. During this process, it is best to remove the Christmas cactus leaves directly with your fingers. Do not use metal tools such as scissors or blades, as they may cause rust spot disease on the Christmas cactus leaves. You can gently twist the leaf to be removed with your fingers and the leaf will come off.
2. Let it recover in a cool place, then fertilize
Place the Christmas cactus pot whose leaves have been picked in a cool indoor place, control watering, and just keep the soil moist, then add fertilizer to the pot. When fertilizing, be sure to apply only a small amount to prevent overfertilization. Generally, in a pot with a diameter of 20 cm, adding 10 grams of compound fertilizer can meet the plant's growth needs. After 1 week of recovery, the pot can be placed on a balcony with good light to receive scattered light. In this way, the plant begins to grow new leaves. From 3 weeks after the new leaves appear, supplement the Christmas cactus with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Spray the plant leaves with a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution once a week, which can effectively promote flower bud development. In this way, the Christmas cactus can quickly develop flower buds in winter and bloom beautiful flowers.
Below, I will also share 9 common Christmas cactus varieties to help everyone as a reference when buying Christmas cactus in daily life:
1. Alice
2. Jessica
3. Cecil
4. Nadja
5. Freya
6. Mira
7. Chiba
8. Red Milan
9. Seaside
The Christmas cactus is a very beautiful household flower. Every winter it blooms beautiful flowers, especially when it blooms during the New Year, which is very lively and auspicious.
That is all for today's sharing. If you find it useful, please like, follow, and forward it to more friends below!
I am [Stone Gardener], and I share little flower-growing tips every day. Remember to follow me.