Does Christmas cactus need pruning? In which month should pruning be done without affecting flowering?

Pruning Christmas cactus is essential. If it is allowed to grow naturally, it is easy to cause some stems and leaves to grow too many and messy, and the leaves are very thin and not growing vigorously, which will affect the next flowering of the plant. After the flowers bloom, it is necessary to immediately trim the messy stems and leaves, and then strengthen the maintenance of water and fertilizer, so that the Christmas cactus will bloom prosperously.

Christmas cactus pruning time

In March, the flowering period of Christmas cactus ends. You can see that many flowers begin to wither. In fact, this is a good time to prune Christmas cactus.

How to prune Christmas cactus

When pruning during the dormant period, pinch off some of the long branches and leaves, retaining the broad and thick leaves to reduce nutrient consumption and gradually grow flower buds and bloom during the flowering period.

At this time, flower buds will differentiate, so we need to trim the leaves neatly before it blooms, so that all the leaves are of similar length, and then pinch off all the tender leaves that have just grown, leaving no leaves behind.

Its flowering period can last until spring. If all the leaves wilt after flowering, we need to cut off one or two severely wilted leaves. The nutrients of the remaining leaves will be reduced. We need to quickly replenish the nutrients to restore the thickness of the leaves so that they can continue to bloom.