The all-purpose Christmas cactus maintenance manual, all the problems you encounter are here

1. Daily maintenance

illumination

Christmas cactus does not require much light, and the most suitable environment is semi-shaded, not suitable for direct sunlight. It is winter now. The light in winter is relatively mild, so you can directly let the Christmas cactus in full sun. But in summer, you need to shade it.

temperature

Christmas cactus is not frost-resistant. It will be frozen if the temperature is below 0℃. Therefore, in winter, Christmas cactus should be placed in a place with a temperature not lower than 5℃. If you want Christmas cactus to bloom, keep the temperature around 15℃.

soil

Loose and fertile, basically it is enough for your soil to meet these two requirements. Huahua recommends that you choose leaf mold, which contains a lot of humus. If you mix some river sand into the leaf mold, the looseness of the soil can be guaranteed!

Watering

Watering is the most important thing for Christmas cactus. The principle of watering Christmas cactus is not to water unless it is dry, and to water thoroughly when you do. In winter, the watering of Christmas cactus should be relatively reduced, and the pot soil should be kept dry at ordinary times. Huahua once waited until the Christmas cactus was almost dry and the pot soil was about to separate before watering, and there was no problem at all ~

Fertilization

If you want the Christmas cactus to grow well and bloom beautifully, you must fertilize it. During the growth period of the Christmas cactus, you can fertilize it every half a month, with a little less fertilizer each time. Especially for the Christmas cactus after cutting, the root system is fragile, and too much fertilizer can easily burn the roots. The grafted Christmas cactus is more resistant to fertilizer. In autumn, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers once a month.

Huahua would like to emphasize that when applying fertilizer, you must not get it on the Christmas cactus plant, or it will burn you.

2. Breeding Methods

grafting

Preparing tools

Alcohol (75%), cotton wool, paper cutter

Rootstock: It is advisable to choose cold-resistant and strong cacti, or Euphorbia obesa or Tiger thorn. Among them, the Christmas cactus grafted with 1-2 year old, tall and thick black thorn cactus grows more vigorously.

Scion: Choose two sections of strong, thick and deformed stems, and cut the lower end into a duckbill shape.

disinfect

Use cotton wool soaked in alcohol to disinfect the paper cutter, grafted seedlings, and cactus. This step is very important and indispensable, otherwise the wound will rot.

Peeling

After the alcohol dries, we can start to remove the epidermis of the grafted seedlings. Generally, 0.8 to 1 cm of epidermis should be removed, and both sides should be peeled.

Note: When removing the epidermis, do not cut too long, otherwise there will be wounds left outside and the grafted seedlings will rot. At the same time, do not cut too thick and do not damage the stem in the middle of the grafted seedlings, otherwise it will become soft and difficult to graft, and it will also affect the growth and aesthetic effect.

Stock treatment

Make an opening for the disinfected part of the cactus and cut downwards with the tip of a paper cutter. The cut should be an inverted triangle that is small inside and wide outside. The depth is generally about 2 to 3 cm and the width on the outside is generally 2 to 3 cm (the specific width depends on the width of the grafted seedling).

grafting

Insert the grafted seedling into the incision, being careful not to use too much force, otherwise the grafted seedling will break. I usually use a paper cutter to make a wide incision, and then quickly insert the grafted seedling (you can try it).

Note: Make sure the cut of the grafted seedling is completely inserted into the cut of the cactus, and no wound should be exposed outside. After insertion, you can gently pull the grafted seedling with your hand. If it feels tight but not shaking, it means the fit is very good. Then press the incision hard with your hand for 3 seconds and observe whether the grafted seedling is squeezed out. If not, it means success. If it is squeezed out, it means the fit is not good and you can pull it out and reinsert it.

Cuttings

Prepare

Sharp blades, soil (pine needle soil, compost, perlite, vermiculite, etc.), rooting powder, and branches for cuttings (preferably one-year-old strong branches.)

Soil Preparation

Mix the prepared soil together, making sure the soil is semi-wet, that is, slightly moist.

Apply rooting powder

Apply rooting powder to each branch that needs to be grafted, which can reduce the rooting time of Christmas cactus. This is more suitable for those flower lovers who can't stand loneliness~

Cuttings

Use tweezers to bury the prepared branches in the soil. Remember to be careful when using tweezers so as not to break the skin of the Christmas cactus. When cutting the remaining branches, keep a good distance so that you don't need to transplant them later.

Wait until rooting

Cover the plant with a plastic bag and check it every 3 to 4 days. If the substrate is dry, you can spray it wet and no watering is needed. You can remove the plastic bag after a week and the plant will basically take root. You can manage it normally after new sprouts appear.

3. Frequently Asked Questions

How to thin out the buds of Christmas cactus?

There are often 2 to 3 flower buds at the same time at the top of the stem node of Christmas cactus. There will be competition for nutrients among the flower buds. At this time, the buds need to be thinned out to concentrate supply to the remaining buds, so that the flower buds can grow stronger, the flowers can be uniform in size and bright in color, and at the same time, the flower buds at each end of the node can develop normally and uniformly.

The method of bud thinning is to keep the strongest bud among the leaves at each terminal node and remove all the others.

The Christmas cactus that has bloomed looks like it is dying. Is this normal?

It is normal for the stems of Christmas cactus plants to become soft and wrinkled after the flowering period. This is because the Christmas cactus plant has entered a dormant period. There is no need to worry that it will die.

This dormant period lasts about one month. You can take this opportunity to prune the stems of the plant, cutting off 1 to 2 nodes to keep the plant shape neat. In addition, the amount of watering should be controlled during the dormant period, and the plant should be placed in a well-lit and ventilated place. Spray the plant frequently, and the plant nodes and stems can be transferred to normal management after the dormant period ends.

How to make Christmas cactus bloom early?

Christmas cactus is a short-day plant and can only bud and bloom under short-day conditions in autumn and winter.

If you want Christmas cactus to bloom earlier, you can use short-day light treatment. 8 hours of short-day light shading per day can make it bloom one month earlier.

What should I do if my Christmas cactus turns yellow?

The main reasons for the yellowing of Christmas cactus are: high temperature, direct sunlight, dry air, poor ventilation, alkaline soil in the pot and damage by red spider mites. These factors will cause the nodes of Christmas cactus to turn yellow or even fall off from the base.

In winter, be sure to spray water around the Christmas cactus from time to time. Pay attention to shade during high temperature seasons, and keep it in a ventilated place for maintenance. When spider mites are found, spray 80% dichlorvos 1500-2000 times

What to do if the flowers and buds of Christmas cactus fall off

There are many reasons why Christmas cactus suddenly drops its flowers and buds. The reasons that we often encounter include: sudden drop in temperature or large temperature difference between day and night, improper watering, insufficient fertilization, and moving the flower pots at random.

Do not move the Christmas cactus frequently, such as moving it from the balcony into a heated room. Moving it randomly will hurt the Christmas cactus, and sudden changes in the environment will directly cause the Christmas cactus to drop its buds.

When it comes to fertilizing, apply small amounts of fertilizer frequently to increase nutrition. After the beginning of autumn, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote plant growth.

Place the plant in a sunny place, and often use a special pot to ensure that the plant receives light evenly, but do not use light at night! Christmas cactus is a short-day plant. Long-term light exposure will affect the formation of flower buds, and in severe cases will cause flowers and buds to fall off.

Keep the pot soil moist and spray the plant frequently during the bud stage, but be careful not to accumulate water.

Remove excessive and dense flower buds in time to concentrate nutrients on the plants.

Attention, friends who have Christmas cactus at home~

Take good care of your Christmas cactus

Remember all the things you need to pay attention to above!