How to grow Christmas cactus (home method) and how to water it

1. Watering

The root system of the self-rooted Christmas cactus is weak and underdeveloped, so do not water it too much, otherwise it will easily accumulate water and cause root rot. However, we cannot let the soil in the pot be too dry, otherwise the leaves of the Christmas cactus will wilt and fall off.

Normally, you can observe that the soil surface turns white and feels dry. You can weigh the weight of the soil in the pot with your hand. When it feels obviously lighter, slowly water the soil thoroughly with a sprinkler, or soak the pot for 15 minutes. After watering, make sure there is no water left in the tray.

2. Lighting

Christmas cactus is a short-day plant. It needs eight hours of sunlight a day, which is neither too long nor too short, which is conducive to the flowering of the plant. That is to say, except for the scorching sun in summer and the western sun in autumn, which need to be properly blocked from the light, it can get more sunlight in other seasons.

3. Temperature

For domestic Christmas cactus, the temperature is high in summer, so appropriate shade and cooling are needed. In autumn and winter, it can be grown outdoors when the temperature is stable above 15℃. If the temperature is below 10℃, it should be moved indoors as soon as possible. If the temperature is low, the leaves of Christmas cactus will turn red or even be frostbitten.

4. Fertilization

During the growing season in spring and autumn, Christmas cactus can be watered with liquid fertilizer with a balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium every half a month to promote plant growth. Before flowering, use phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote flowering. Stop fertilizing after flowering to prevent Christmas cactus from falling buds and flowers.

5. Pruning

After each Christmas cactus blooms, pull off the remaining flowers and stems and leaves at the top, apply a balanced fertilizer, and then switch to phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and the Christmas cactus will soon bloom again.