What causes Christmas cactus leaves to turn red?

Christmas cactus, with its bright and colorful flowers and unique and charming shape like crab claws, has become a favorite of many flower lovers. However, during the maintenance process, the phenomenon of Christmas cactus leaves turning red often makes flower lovers feel worried and confused. So what is the reason why the Christmas cactus leaves turn red? Let’s take a look below.

1. Large temperature difference

Christmas cactus grows well in an environment of 15℃-25℃. When the temperature difference is too large or the temperature is too low in winter, it is prone to frostbite, causing its leaves to turn red. In order to protect Christmas cactus from the cold, we should keep the wintering temperature at no less than 10℃ and give it enough warmth in winter. We can take appropriate warming measures or place it in a warm place indoors.

2. Exposure

As a plant that prefers partial shade, Christmas cactus cannot withstand long-term direct sunlight. Strong sunlight in summer can damage it, causing the leaves to turn red or even wilt. At this time, we need to control the sunshine time to about 8 hours a day, provide an appropriate shade environment for Christmas cactus, use gauze or shade net to block the sunlight, and the light intensity should not be too strong, and give it caring care.

3. Lack of water

Although Christmas cactus belongs to the cactus family, it is not very drought-tolerant. When the soil is too dry, Christmas cactus will absorb too much phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, stop growing, and cause the leaves to turn red. When there is severe water shortage, the leaves will become wrinkled and wilted, and may even induce the Christmas cactus to produce a stress response to bloom. Therefore, it is crucial to keep the soil moist and water it in time, but you must also follow the principle of watering thoroughly when the soil is dry. Be careful to avoid root rot caused by excessive watering. Water thoroughly at the right time, test the dryness of the soil with your fingers, and let the Christmas cactus feel adequate moisture.

4. Lack of fertilizer

As a flowering plant, Christmas cactus consumes a lot of nutrients during the flowering period. When the soil lacks nutrients, especially phosphorus, the leaves will turn red. At the same time, nitrogen deficiency can easily cause yellowing of leaves. Therefore, it is necessary to fertilize at the right time to supplement nutrients for Christmas cactus. Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and compound fertilizers before and after the plant blooms. You can choose commercially available flower fertilizers or homemade organic fertilizers , such as chicken manure, bean dregs, etc., to provide it with sufficient nutritional support.

5. The soil is alkaline

Christmas cactus prefers acidic soil , and the suitable pH value is between 5.5-6.5. When the soil is too alkaline, it will affect its absorption of nutrients and cause malnutrition. This can easily happen if the soil has been used for too long or if inappropriate fertilizers have been applied. At this time, you need to change the pot for the Christmas cactus and replace it with fresh acidic soil, or add acidic substances such as leaf mold and vinegar to the soil to adjust the pH of the soil.

6. Normal phenomenon

New leaves may also appear red when they are very small because the chlorophyll has not yet fully formed. This is a normal growth phenomenon and there is no need to worry too much. It will gradually turn green as new leaves grow.

In short, understanding the reasons why the leaves of Christmas cactus turn red and taking appropriate measures are the keys to growing Christmas cactus well. During the maintenance process, we must pay close attention to environmental changes and the growth conditions of the plants, and provide the Christmas cactus with suitable light, temperature, water, fertilizer and soil conditions, so that it can thrive under our careful care.