Donate SIGN UP

Christmas Cactus

Avatar Image
237SJ | 14:56 Wed 10th Jun 2015 | Home & Garden
6 Answers
I was going to give away my Mum`s christmas cactus but I think I might keep it as it is something she nurtured. She had it in a north facing window and it seemed to do quite well (although the leaves look a little washed out). I was going to put it on a table at the far end of a south facing room. Would this be OK? I know I can google but would prefer personal tips.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 6 of 6rss feed

Avatar Image
Mine flowers once a year, it will pick up, give it some daylight and water just a little. When you see buds dont move the plant but start giving a little Baby Bio in the water or other indoor fertiliser. Mine has lasted over thirty years, it can look a little washed out at times. If you repot, do it when there are no buds.
16:27 Wed 10th Jun 2015
About half a century ago (in my teens) I was a keen member of the East Anglian Cactus Society, learning how to how cacti from seed and to nurture them into flowering. My distant memory tells me that a Christmas Cactus (like many other cacti) needs maximum sunlight, as long as it's not actually scorching. It also tells me that, like all cacti and succulents, it needs a period of rest (with minimal or no watering) for several months. (That's where most people go wrong with cacti; they carry on watering them all year round. Some shouldn't be watered at all for periods of 4 months, or even longer)

However, after that, I'm happy to let the RHS fill in the gaps ;-)
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=840
Sorry,...can't offer any advice,..just wanted to say I'm loving that there was an East Anglian Cactus Society, and that Chris was a member :) Is there no end to your talents Chris? ;)

Baths
x x
Mine flowers once a year, it will pick up, give it some daylight and water just a little. When you see buds dont move the plant but start giving a little Baby Bio in the water or other indoor fertiliser. Mine has lasted over thirty years, it can look a little washed out at times. If you repot, do it when there are no buds.
Mine flowers on an east facing window and is glorious every year.
When I asked an elderly friend how she had managed to keep her Christmas Cactus going and flowering for so many years she said. "Studied neglect"!!
Question Author
Thanks for the replies. When I googled, there was a lot of info about refraining from watering at certain times of the year, putting it in shadier light at certain times of the year, repotting every 2 years etc. I don`t think my Mum did any of that and last christmas it had the best display I have ever seen and I`m not a cactus person. I might just give it a bash and see what happens and I can`t be bothered to faff around with it too much.

1 to 6 of 6rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Christmas Cactus

Answer Question >>