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Q: Does anyone know anything about Christmas Cactus? I inherited my Grandmother's in June after she passed away and it is not doing so well. It seems some of the stems have rotted but I am not keeping it overmoist. Any help would be appreciated.
Tip #1: Hi. I have Christmas cactus that bloom three weeks before Christmas and Easter. They are beautiful, regardless of when they bloom. They also are low maintenance. They are cactus and don't require having moist soil. And they bloom well when they are root bound. Watering once a week is plenty for them. I keep mine in a west window. They seem to like that window and do well there. Occasionally I find a piece of it that withers as you have said yours is doing. Can it be that it's time to repot it into something bigger? Hope this helps.
Tip #2: I do not yet have a Christmas cactus, but my mother has had one for years. She keeps it on the west side of the house in front of the glass doors that sit there. She doesn't water it a whole lot. She has also told me that if you break off the pieces when they get too long and push them down in a different spot in the soil you will grow more shoots of the plant and it will become really big. (My mother's is.) I am pretty sure replanting some of the pieces will keep it from rotting at the tips too. Hope it helps!
Tip #3: I have had a Christmas cactus that was given to me by the plant people that service my office. They told me that it likes a cramped space-do not repot except to a pot that is the same size. And I neglect this plant. It is inside the house with only medium light. I let it dry completely out and when I water with slightly warm water. Then I empty any water that drained out. No standing water. That is all. I haven't fertilized or anything and I get beautiful flowers twice a year.
Tip #4: I have had my Christmas cactus for at least 15 years. Funny thing is that it has always been happiest when I have kept it in the bathroom. When we moved to a new home I put it in the sunny window of the kitchen, but it went downhill until I moved it to the bathroom. Since then it has nearly doubled in size. Personally, I think it likes the steam from the shower. I water it only about once a week when it is not in bloom (and sometimes less than that when I forget), but when it is in bloom (mine blooms from early December to April!!) it needs water almost daily, or the blossoms seem to die back and the leaves pop off. The bathroom has been the magic ingredient for mine.
Tip #5: My grandmother has a huge one of these and the best thing to do is put it in a sunny spot with afternoon sun and forget about it. Make sure the pot is big enough and I believe the plant shouldn't touch the pot. But remember it is a cactus....it needs little water. Good Luck.
Tip #6: In order to get tons of buds on the plant, place it in a cool dimly lit area for about 6 weeks before Christmas. This will resemble the hibernation period it needs to set the buds. I live in Maine and have put it in some almost cold rooms without any harm to the plant. Once the buds are out, it can then be moved to the area where you wish to display and enjoy it.
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