What kind of environment is suitable for Christmas cactus to grow in (where does Christmas cactus like to grow)

What kind of growing environment does Christmas cactus need?

Christmas cactus originally grows in tropical rain forests. It likes a warm, ventilated environment with high air humidity and more scattered light.

Christmas cactus is suitable for indoor growth with sufficient light. It likes weak light, and the outdoor light is too strong and the temperature difference is large, which is not suitable for its growth.

Moreover, Christmas cactus likes to grow in a warm, humid, semi-shady environment. It is not cold-resistant and likes loose soil with good drainage and air permeability.

When breeding, you need to control the temperature, ensure sufficient light time, water appropriately, and also apply fertilizer reasonably.

First, soil environment:

Christmas cactus is usually grafted onto plants such as cactus, Schlumbergera, and Tripterygium wilfordii, so when planting it, the main thing to consider is the soil requirements of the rootstock.

General planting material requirements: loose and breathable, not compacted or waterlogged, lightly fertile and slightly acidic. However, one thing to note is that the soil cannot be too fine to fit the root system.

When mixing the planting material for Christmas cactus, mix honeycomb coal powder + humus soil + small particles of volcanic rock in a ratio of one third each. Honeycomb coal powder needs to be soaked in clean water several times to remove alkali before use.

Second, the natural environment:

Christmas cactus is not cold-resistant, afraid of high temperature and humid air. In summer, when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, it is easy to sunburn the leaves, so pay attention to shade in summer.

In winter, if the temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius, it will stop growing, and if the temperature is below 5 degrees Celsius for a long time, it is easy to get frostbite. It needs to be kept indoors in winter.

Christmas cactus likes light and is slightly shade-tolerant. Although Christmas cactus can be well maintained indoors, it will not bloom if it is maintained all year round.

If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom more, you must take care of the light problem. It is generally recommended that when the temperature is not higher than 28 degrees Celsius, you need to give your Christmas cactus at least 5 hours of light every day. It is best to avoid the sun at noon.

How to care for Christmas cactus in daily life

1. Before the flowering period, the Christmas cactus should be properly supplemented with organic fertilizer. Before the flowering period, you can use 1500 times "potassium dihydrogen phosphate" to spray the rootstock and leaves, which can promote the formation of flower buds and prolong the flowering period.

2. In the two months before the flowering period, it needs to be exposed to at least 5 hours of light per day to ensure more flowering. At the same time, it needs to be completely dark at night to ensure more flowering.

3. When the Christmas cactus is budding, pay attention to maintaining a relatively high temperature difference. The temperature should be between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius during the day and between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius at night.

4. After the Christmas cactus buds appear, pay attention to keeping the temperature between 15 and 25. A high temperature will cause the buds to fall slightly and shorten the flowering period. A low temperature will cause the buds to fall.

5. Before the flowering period of Christmas cactus, limit the water supply to the buds appropriately and extend the watering time appropriately. After the buds appear, start the daily watering time.

Note : When spraying Christmas cactus during flowering period, be careful not to spray the mist onto the flower buds, just wet the rootstock and leaves.