El Christmas cactus it is a cactus plant that becomes beautiful during the winter. In the coldest months of the year, many beautiful colored flowers sprout from it, ranging from pink to white, through red, lilac and yellow.
In addition to being relatively easy to care for, can be played quickly and fairly easily. How? By cuttings. Find out how to get new copies at zero cost.
What are the care of the Christmas cactus?
Image - Flickr / Maja Dumat
El Christmas cactus, known by the scientific name Schlumbergera truncata o Zygocactus truncatus, is a cactus plant native to Brazil, where it lives in the humid and warm jungles on the trunks of trees. It is, therefore, an epiphytic plant that grows in places where sunlight does not reach directly. For these reasons, it requires more water than most succulents (remember to let the soil dry before watering), and it does better than they do in indoor conditions.
But to have it beautiful throughout the year, we also recommend taking the following into account:
Location
- Body exterior:: it must be placed in semi-shade, in an area where it does not get direct sunlight.
- Interior: the room must be bright, but the plant must be away from drafts.
Earth
- Flower pot: it is preferable to use mineral substrate, such as volcanic sand (pumice, for example). But if it cannot be obtained, the universal substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts will also work.
- Garden: the soil must have good drainage, otherwise the roots will rot.
Irrigation
Irrigation will be moderate, but always ensure that the soil or substrate dries completely before watering again. For this reason, in general it will be watered an average of 1 time a week in winter, and about two or three every seven days the rest of the year. Of course, if you have it in a pot, it is important that you do not put a plate under it; This will prevent it from rotting.
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As it blooms in winter, it is interesting to pay it throughout the year, especially from summer. To do this, you must use a specific liquid fertilizer for cactus, following the indications specified on the product packaging since there may be a risk of overdose.
Pruning
If your Christmas cactus is growing too large, you can always prune it in the spring. Use scissors previously disinfected with alcohol or another disinfectant, and reduce the length of the stems as much as you consider necessary. Do not worry if you prune more, since it is a plant that will sprout well.
Plagues and diseases
It's very sturdy, but snails and slugs seriously harm you by eating their stems. To avoid this, you can keep your plant protected with molluscicides, or, if you prefer to use natural products, with the remedies that we tell you in this article, such as luring them to a glass of beer.
On the other hand, if we talk about diseases, you have to control the watering and DO NOT spray / spray its leaves. Excess humidity can weaken it, to the point that any virus, fungus or bacteria could kill the cactus. In fact, during the rainy season, or if it is suspected that it has been watered excessively, it is highly advisable to treat it with a fungicide, such as copper or powdered sulfur applied to the surface of the substrate.
Rusticity of the Christmas cactus
It is a plant that does not resist cold or frost. Due to its tropical origin, the minimum annual temperature must be 15ºC or higher. Now, if it is sheltered, it can hold up to 0 degrees, but not without damage.
How to multiply the Christmas cactus?
Image - Wikimedia / Peter coxhead
Now that we know the care that this beautiful plant requires, let's see how to multiply it in a simple way.
- The first thing to do is cut segments of the leaves that we like the most. They must be healthy and strong, otherwise they will have more difficulties to get ahead.
- Afterwards, we let them dry for 24 hours by placing them in a dry place without direct light.
- The next day, we plant them in pots nailing them in an upright position with vermiculite or pumice for example, and a little damp.
- Ready! In a couple of weeks they will start to root.
If you want, before planting it in the pot you can impregnate the base with powdered rooting hormones, or with some homemade rooting. In this way, you will have a better chance of producing your own roots.
When can cuttings be made?
The ideal time to multiply our Christmas Cactus is en spring, but it can be done during the summer. If we live in an area with a mild climate, without frosts or very weak, we can also do it in autumn.
We hope that what you have learned here has been useful to you. Enjoy your new copies 🙂.
Good morning, I'm interested in getting the yellow Christmas cactus
Hi carlos.
Surely you will find it in a nursery or online store.
A greeting.
I have put some cuttings in water to multiply them, two segments of each cuttings are submerged in water and with a bottle on top creating a microclimate. He asks how many weeks does it take for a cutting under these conditions to take root? Thanks
Hello, Gloria.
I recommend you plant them in pots with peat, since in water they are likely to rot.
It will take about 2 weeks to get roots out more or less.
A greeting.
My little plant has been planted in a pot for one year, it does not multiply or grow. It has indirect light and I do not water it much; I do not fertilize it or water it much, what else can I do to make it reproduce so beautifully.
Thank you
Hello Bella Rico.
My advice is that when you water, once or twice a week, pour water until it comes out of the holes in the pot.
In addition, in spring and summer it would be good to fertilize it with a cactus fertilizer, following the instructions on the container.
You have more information in your plug.
Greetings.