The time and method of pruning Christmas cactus (when is the best time to top the Christmas cactus)

Christmas cactus is an epiphytic succulent plant of the cactus family. It blooms with passion. The Christmas cactus blooming at Christmas brings people a festive joy.

Moreover, the flower language of Christmas cactus is good luck and expectation of a better life. Christmas cactus has a dormant period after flowering. Because a lot of nutrients are consumed during flowering, it is necessary to rest for a period of time to recuperate.

When to prune Christmas cactus

Pruning Christmas cactus can be done in spring or autumn every year , and when pruning, you need to cut off the branches and leaves that are not growing well.

Specifically, the pruning time is when the entire flowering period is over. If you want to use the pruned branches for cuttings, you can wait until the weather is warm before pruning.

When pruning, shorten 2-3 sections at the connection between the stems, and you can also remove the excess branches. The pruning length should be no more than half of the stem , not more, nor less than one-third of the stem.

Places where the stems grow luxuriantly can be pruned more often, but places where the stems grow weakly should be pruned less often. The pruned Christmas cactus should not be exposed to the sun or rain . The pruned Christmas cactus can be repotted.

Because the root system of Christmas cactus is underdeveloped, in order to reduce damage, you can retain the original soil at the roots, cut off the old and rotten roots, and add some organic fertilizer to the new soil.

How to care for Christmas cactus after pruning

After pruning, Christmas cactus needs to be provided with appropriate amount of water to maintain the moisture of the soil, and it also needs to be provided with appropriate amount of nutrients so that it can grow better.

Normally, after repotting, the Christmas cactus should be kept away from direct sunlight or rain. The soil should be slightly moist and placed in a diffuse light environment to allow it to acclimate. A Christmas cactus that has been cultivated for 3-5 years can generally grow to 20-30 cm.

At this time, you can use thick iron wire as a support, wrap it around the pot, and place a circular support on the thick iron wire. You can tie the overly long branches to the ring to avoid causing the stems to become scattered and difficult to manage.

Christmas cactus is a plant belonging to the cactus family, but it will stop growing and enter a dormant period under high temperatures in summer. Generally, when the minimum temperature continues to be above 30 degrees, Christmas cactus will completely dormant.

So we have to observe the temperature. If the temperature gradually rises and you see that the Christmas cactus stops growing, you should prune it.