How to care for a Christmas cactus during its blooming period? A detailed guide to practical care methods
Fertilizing tips for Christmas cactus. When it comes to fertilizing Christmas cactus, many flower lovers are unsure - first, they do not know what fertilizer to use, and second, they do not know when to fertilize. Compared with other flowers and plants, fertilizing Christmas cactus requires a bit more caution. Today we will introduce the timing and methods for fertilizing Christmas cactus. What fertilizer to use for Christmas cactus: generally, during the growing period of Christmas cactus, we can apply a light...
Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera x buckleyi and many others - many flower lovers enjoy grafting them. To improve the survival rate of grafting, today we will introduce how to improve the survival rate of grafted Christmas cactus. How to improve the survival rate of grafted Christmas cactus: 1. Grafting time should be timely: grafting should be carried out when both the scion and the rootstock are growing vigorously and have abundant internal fluids. Generally, the survival rate of grafting is best when the temperature is 20-25°C. In northern regions, this is roughly from April to June or from September to October. Grafting from spring to early summer gives the best results.
The blooming period of Christmas cactus is from November to January of the following year. Management during the blooming period is key. The quality of care during the blooming period of Christmas cactus directly affects the quality of the flowers. Today we will specifically introduce the care methods for Christmas cactus during its blooming period:
1. Control water and stop fertilizing
During the blooming period, Christmas cactus is especially sensitive to water. Too much water easily causes bud drop, and in severe cases can cause root rot of the rootstock, leading to plant death; lack of water easily causes the flower segments to wilt and the buds to fail to develop and mature. The correct method is: keep the potting soil in a slightly moist state, ideally so that it does not crumble when pinched by hand. You can spray with clean water at the same temperature as the room every day at noon, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort. If the potting soil is too dry, do not water it thoroughly all at once; water gradually. Watering too much at once will cause the plant to drop buds and stem segments.
Christmas cactus likes fertilizer. During its growing period, fertilizer can be applied according to the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently, but generally speaking, fertilizing should stop once the buds have basically formed. Fertilizing during this period can very easily cause the plant to drop buds.
2. Keep warm and increase light
Christmas cactus likes a warm environment. In winter, the indoor temperature should be kept between 14-20°C. If the temperature is too low, the buds cannot develop normally. If it is below 5°C for a long time, the plant is prone to cold damage and death. Too high a temperature is also not good, as it easily shortens the blooming period.
Although Christmas cactus is a short-day plant, enhancing light during the blooming period is very necessary. Indoors, it should be placed as much as possible on a south-facing windowsill with ample light. To make the plant bloom evenly, the pot should also be turned once every seven days. If indoor light is seriously insufficient or there are consecutive cloudy days, supplemental lighting with fluorescent lamps can be used. The method is to turn on the lights every evening for 3-4 hours, which allows the flowers to open normally.
3. Ventilation and pest prevention
Keeping Christmas cactus warm indoors in winter is of course important, but ventilation should not be neglected either. Poor ventilation very easily causes pests and diseases, so doors and windows should be opened appropriately for ventilation at noon on clear days. The main pests of Christmas cactus during the blooming period are aphids and scale insects. In addition to paying attention to ventilation, if they occur, they can be removed by hand when there are few; when there are many, they can be sprayed and killed with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
That is all for the introduction. In blooming period care, pay attention to ventilation and air flow. Note that preventing pests and diseases is also one of the keys. I hope the information in this article is helpful to everyone.