Why does the Christmas cactus enter a dormant period after blooming?
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants, much like an orchid. So for soil-grown Christmas cacti, because their root system is weak and cannot tolerate waterlogging, after blooming - since a massive flush of flowers rapidly drains nutrients and their own roots cannot support the nutrients consumed by heavy blooming - as a form of self-protection, the Christmas cactus enters a brief dormancy after flowering, with leaves turning soft and drooping. At this point, you just need to take care not to let the roots rot, and it will get through the dormant period.
Besides the dormant period after blooming, the Christmas cactus also goes dormant in the hot summer due to high temperatures. So when caring for a Christmas cactus in summer, you generally need to provide shade, ventilation, and keep the air moist and cool, so it can make it through the summer - otherwise it can easily be scorched to death by the sun. That is why many flower lovers find the Christmas cactus difficult to care for: not only must the potting mix be absolutely loose and airy, but the growing environment must also be adjusted according to the season and temperature. It is even advised not to move it back and forth while it is blooming, because the change in distance and environment will cause the Christmas cactus to drop a large number of flowers. Sometimes a Christmas cactus bought with buds all over will drop them all after arrival - this is the influence of environment on the Christmas cactus.
Therefore, to grow a Christmas cactus well, you can use plants from the cactus family as rootstock to graft the Christmas cactus onto. Common ones like dragon fruit, cactus, Pereskia, and Ceylon spinach, among others, can all serve as rootstock for grafting Christmas cacti, because these rootstocks often do not go dormant in the high summer heat. Pereskia, for example, is actually in its peak growing season during the hot summer. So when such rootstock is used to graft a Christmas cactus, because the roots provide plenty of nutrients and the rootstock does not go dormant, the plant is also less likely to go dormant during the hot summer and after blooming. That is why many flower lovers are especially keen on grafting Christmas cacti - not only is it easier to care for, but the shape is also beautiful, and you can even graft multi-layered, multi-colored Christmas cacti, which is very lovely.