Christmas cacti frequently suffer from a magnesium deficit, which manifests as drooping and foliage that is stained red or purple. It mainly happens in the wintertime when feeding and watering are restricted and nutrient uptake by the plant is slowed down by the chilly weather. Wintertime temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for the cactus. With Epsom salts, a magnesium deficit can be treated. 8 heaping tablespoons of Epsom salts should be dissolved in 2 1/2 liters of water together with 1–2 drops of dishwashing liquid. Spray the tops and undersides of the foliage with the mixture after pouring it into a spray bottle. Every two weeks, reapply the mixture to the foliage until it takes on its natural hue.
A Christmas cactus with a woody stem may not experience any problems at all; as these plants become older, the stems become more resembling wood.
How are red leaves on a Christmas cactus fixed?
In USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12, Schlumbergera bridgesii, widely known as the Christmas Cactus, performs best indoors but also flourishes in sheltered outdoor situations. A mature Christmas cactus normally experiences few issues, while some could experience reddened leaves as a result of poor growing circumstances, diseases, or poor maintenance.
Cultural Stress
Christmas cactus frequently produces red foliage due to cultural stress, especially if it is exposed to direct sunlight in the summer or does not get enough water. This cactus thrives in light shade throughout the hotter months because it is a plant native to tropical forests. It does, however, like full sunlight in the winter and needs a little bit more water than most other cacti do. So once the soil feels dry 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the surface, it needs to be watered. Examine the light exposure of an established Christmas Cactus if its foliage turns reddish but otherwise seems healthy. If required, relocate it. Similarly, alter the soil’s moisture content and avoid letting it go too long without watering.
Root Infections
By restricting the amount of oxygen that roots can absorb and by weakening their tissue, overwatering harms them. Overwatering frequently results in root rot. Mushy tissue, wilting, and pink or reddish discolorations on the leaves are the hallmarks of Christmas Cactus. An unpleasant odor in the soil is another indicator of root rot. An injured plant needs to be replanted in new, unused potting soil and allowed to dry out for two to three weeks. Trim away the severely harmed leaves and gradually bring the plant back to a regular watering schedule by allowing the top inch (2.5 cm) of soil to become dry in between waterings. Pruning blades should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol before and after use to disinfect them.
Pathogen Infestations
If Christmas Cacti are propagated from sick plants or are potted in polluted soil, they may become infested with Cactus Cyst (Cactodera cacti). Cactus Cyst is a nematode that predominantly affects the roots but can also manifest as a wide range of symptoms in the foliage. Common signs include stunted growth, wilting, and reddish discolorations; however, the most telltale symptom is observed on the roots as tiny, pearl-like lumps. Cactus Cyst treatment is challenging and rarely effective, thus prevention is essential. To prevent contact with contaminated soil, first put the plant in fresh, sterilized soil in an unused pot and raise it off the ground. If a plant becomes infested, get rid of it to prevent the infection from spreading.
Nutrient Deficiency
Weeding and reddened or purple-tinged leaves are two typical signs of magnesium insufficiency, a common disease in Christmas Cacti. It mainly happens in the wintertime when feeding and watering are restricted and nutrient uptake by the plant is slowed down by the chilly weather. The cactus thrives in winter at temperatures between 55 and 65 F. (13 to 18 C). With Epsom salts, a magnesium deficit can be treated. A supplement feeding of 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts dissolved in 1 gallon (3.8 l) of water is typically helpful. Spray the tops and undersides of the foliage with the mixture after pouring it into a spray bottle. Every two weeks, reapply the mixture to the foliage until it takes on its natural hue.
What causes the pinking of my Christmas cactus?
Here are a few additional Christmas cactus issues that are not diseases. Usually, these issues can be resolved quickly by making a few environmental changes or taking better care of your Christmas cacti.
LIMP OR WILTING CHRISTMAS CACTUS
One of three problems could be the cause of your Christmas cactus’ withering or seeming limpness. If you leave the issue unattended, it can develop into root or stem rot, so you’ll want to recognize it and fix it right once.
The soil can be too dry, too moist, or too root-bound. Use the process of elimination to identify the issue after probing the soil with your finger to a depth of about one inch.
Solution: Let the soil dry if it is only slightly damp before watering it once again. In order to avoid root or stem rot, it is best to promptly remove the plant from wet soil and repot it in dry soil.
If after watering there is no change, the cactus may be highly root-bound. Holiday cacti do enjoy having their roots bound, but eventually this becomes too restrictive for them to remain healthy. Try repotting your plant into a new pot with a drainage hole that is one size larger and filled with cactus soil if it begins to grow but then wilts back within a few days or if it doesn’t grow after watering.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS LEAVES TURNING RED OR PINK
Your Christmas cactus may be receiving too much sun or not enough water if its leaves are turning red or pink.
Move your Christmas cactus back if it is right near to a window that receives direct sunlight during the day. Although they can tolerate some sun, they prefer indirect light. Additionally, check the soil; if it is dry to one inch below the surface, water it more frequently. Water the Christmas cactus when the soil feels dry to the touch.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS WON’T BLOOM
There could be a number of reasons why your Christmas cactus doesn’t bloom. The Christmas cactus like to be somewhat rootbound, prefers stable temperatures, wants to be left alone, and requires extended periods of darkness in the fall to begin its flowering cycle. If you’ve just brought a little plant home, be patient. The older a Christmas cactus gets, the more probable and lavishly it will bloom.
The following actions can help your Christmas cactus blossom in time for the holiday.
Midway through October, reduce watering and only water when the soil is dry to about an inch deep.
For 6-8 weeks, give it 12-14 hours of darkness at night and indirect light during the day.
Close the blinds at night if the room has windows. You can gently cover the plant with a dark cloth or bag if there is still a lot of ambient light present even with the blinds and curtains drawn. If you’re going to cover the plant with a blanket or sheet, make a frame around it or even set it between two kitchen chairs to prevent breaking.
Return to watering after the buds begin to open and the soil seems dry.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS DROPPING FLOWER BUDS
If the flower buds on your Christmas cactus develop but all fall off before the plant blooms, what will happen? In that circumstances, it might be brought on by abrupt changes in temperature, humidity, light, or overwatering or by being moved.
You’ll just need to be patient if you recently moved your Christmas cactus to a new location, home, or room. Because they dislike abrupt environmental changes and prefer solitude, it will ultimately produce fresh buds and blossoms once more.
Your cactus may lose its buds if it has received too much water. Before watering, let the soil dry if it’s wet. Repot it into barely moist cactus soil right away if the soil is waterlogged to prevent root rot. It might still lose its buds, but ultimately it should grow new ones.
Your Christmas cactus may have lost its buds if the humidity in your home changed unexpectedly (for example, if you just turned on the heating). This is because it needs higher humidity. You can either set your Christmas cactus on a pebble tray or run a humidifier in the space.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS PESTS
The same common houseplant pests that affect other houseplants can infest Christmas cacti. Isolate your plant and treat the infestation with your selected solution if you notice any signs of an infestation.
How can you tell if you’ve overwatered a Christmas cactus?
Any cactus that has been left to sit in a saucer of water is probably less healthy. The Christmas cactus plant will manifest clear signs of suffering if it is overwatered. To avoid moisture gnats and preserve the roots from decaying, you should always dump the extra water from the saucer if it hasn’t dried in a day.
One of the first signs of overwatering on a Christmas cactus are limp leaves that begin to fall off, just in case you forgot to do this. The stems and branches will thereafter become mushy and spongy. In severe situations, the stem can entirely rot off and the symptoms will include a bad smell.
Prevention is easy to do. To avoid overwatering Christmas cactus, use a soil moisture meter.
Why is the color of my Christmas cactus changing?
Did you know that Christmas Cactus make hardy houseplants? Christmas Cactus are frequently sold throughout the holiday season. Both indoors and outdoors, I find them to be incredibly simple to grow, and mine always bloom once a year, typically twice.
They are absolutely fantastic, but like any plants, they can have faults and problems. I decided to write this piece because the leaves on my client’s Christmas cactus had turned orange. It seemed like too fantastic of a chance to miss.
Let’s get a little more technical for those of you who are plant nerds like me. Thanksgiving (or crab) cactus is what you are seeing here and in the video instead of Christmas cactus. It was marked as a CC when I purchased it, and that is how it is frequently offered for sale in the trade.
These days, they might be identified as Holiday Cactus. Any of them could experience this, no matter which one you have.
This plant is turning a deep bronze from its too orange state. The leaves are scraggly and sagging.
When under stress from the environment or culture, plants change hue. This one changed to a deep orange/brown/bronze color—the exact shade is up for debate! mostly as a result of water shortage. It has occasionally gotten a little too much sun. Dehydration is evident in the leaves’ thinness and wrinkles, which can be seen if you look closely at them.
At least six years ago, I purchased this Holiday Cactus at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market. It was a piece of the Christmas dish garden I created for my client’s front porch table. She resides on the coast approximately a quarter mile from the Pacific, one and a half hours south of San Francisco. This plant has managed to live despite the other plants having long since moved to the compost pail. Oh, and did I mention how tough Christmas cacti are? This is evidence!
Unlike the desert cactus that Tucson is covered in, these succulents are epiphytic cacti. Christmas Cacti grow on other plants and rocks, not in the soil, in their native rainforest habitats. They are shielded from full, direct sunlight by the canopies of trees and plants, and they flourish in this environment.
Changing Color
Christmas Cactus can become orange, brown, or golden when exposed to much sunlight because they prefer shade from it. Yellow leaves may also be an indication of excessive sunlight or moisture. In Santa Barbara, my Thanksgiving Cactus was an outside plant that turned burgundy or purple in the winter as a response to the chilly weather.
Early in December, the Thanksgiving Cactus was lying on its side on the opposite end of the front porch when I first went to my client’s house. She is close to the Pacific, so at least some moisture is provided by the fog where she resides. That, in my opinion, is what has kept it going.
How frequently do I need to water my Christmas cactus?
Christmas cacti are highly common indoor plants, and for good reason too! They produce vibrant, tubular flowers that are pink or purple in hue when they bloom. They are a superb plant because of their lovely blossoms, lengthy bloom period, and simple maintenance needs. Someone in your family most likely owns a Christmas cactus!
About Christmas Cacti
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) and its cousins don’t exist in hot, arid conditions like deserts or plains, in contrast to other cacti. These epiphytic succulents, which grow on tree branches and take in the high humidity, dappled sunlight, and moderate temperatures, are actually endemic to the tropical rainforests of southern Brazil.
Bottom line: Don’t handle a Christmas cactus like a typical succulent or cactus. They are unable to withstand the same kind of hot, dry weather that other cactus can. These cacti require more frequent watering than most succulents, but you also need to be careful not to overwater them. (See the care guidelines in more detail below.)
Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas Cactus?
The Easter cactus (S. gaertneri), Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata), and Christmas cactus are the three main varieties of “holiday cacti” that are available (S. x buckleyi). The holiday that each cactus is named after often sees the most blooming. Thanksgiving cacti, which often bloom from November to February and hence go unrecognized as Christmas cacti, make up the majority of “Christmas cacti” sold nowadays. See our post on the several Christmas cacti species and how to distinguish them for more information.
Note: Because it’s the most widely used term and it applies to all three of these species, we’ll refer to all three of them on this page as “Christmas cactus” for simplicity’s sake.
Potting Christmas Cacti
- Choose a pot with a drainage hole on the bottom if you’re choosing one for a Christmas cactus. This prevents the soil from getting overly saturated.
- Most succulent-specific potting mixtures work well for Christmas cacti growth. It’s crucial that your potting soil drains properly.
Where to Put a Christmas Cactus
- Plants should be kept in indirect light that is bright. The best location has an east-facing window or a well-lit bathroom. The delicate leaves might be bleached by too much direct sunshine.
- It is preferable to have a daytime temperature of 70F (21C) and an evening temperature of 60–65F (15–18C).
- Christmas cacti do well in a more humid climate, so keeping them in a well-lit bathroom or kitchen is a smart idea.
- Christmas cacti can be kept in a shady area of the garden or on an unheated porch during the summer until the temperature drops below 50F. (10C). Keep them away from the sun’s rays outside.
How to Care for Christmas Cacti
- Water your plants every two to three weeks, but only when the top third of the soil feels dry to the touch. If the plant is in 6 inches of soil, for instance, water when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry. (Check with your finger!)
- When the soil is completely dry, wet it until water seeps through the drainage holes in the pot. To collect the water, put a tray underneath the pot. To prevent the pot from sitting in water, remove any extra water on the tray after 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the plant is in bloom, it’s very crucial to water thoroughly.
- Feed your indoor plants with a balanced houseplant fertilizer every two weeks from spring through early fall. Feed the cactus once a month in the fall and winter to promote fruitful blooming.
- To promote branching and more flowers, prune plants in the late spring. Simply cut a portion of each stem off; the plant will grow new branches from the incision.
- If desired, plant the cut pieces in potting soil that is only gently damp; they will easily root after a few weeks and make wonderful Christmas gifts!
How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom
The longer evenings and chilly weather of fall are what cause Christmas cacti and its relatives to bloom. The three major varieties of holiday cacti typically bloom on the following schedule:
- Thanksgiving cactus typically produce flowers from late October through mid-winter, making them the earliest and longest bloomers.
- Christmas cacti often bloom in the early to midwinter months.
- Easter cacti flower around the middle of spring through late winter.
If your cactus isn’t flowering, it can be getting too much light or being exposed to too much heat. Here are some tips to encourage yours to produce flowers!
- For a minimum of six weeks, the nights must be at least 14 hours long and the days between 8 and 10 hours. You might need to cover your cactus or relocate it to an area that is exposed to the natural light cycle if you have powerful interior lighting that is on at night.
- When the plant is kept at temps between 50 and 60F, flower buds form best (10 and 15C).
- By subjecting the plant to temps around 45F (7C) for a number of nights in a succession, you can jumpstart the budding process.
- While the plant is in bloom, be sure to water it consistently. The plant may lose its buds if it dries out too much.
- Don’t worry if the cactus loses its buds one winter; the following year it should bloom.
The three primary varieties of “holiday cacti” are as follows:
- Often mistaken for Christmas cacti, Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) bloom from late October to mid-winter.
- Christmas cacti (S. x buckleyi) flower in the early to midwinter months.
- Late winter to mid-spring is the blooming period for Easter cacti (S. gaertneri).
- Make sure to water your Christmas cactus frequently and keep it cool when the buds on the plant appear ready to open.
- The optimum time to propagate cuttings is late spring when most holiday cacti start to grow after their winter hibernation.
Blossom loss: Your Christmas cactus will probably lose its blossoms if it experiences any kind of stress. As mentioned in the plant care section above, this could be caused by the amount of light or a sudden shift in temperature. Make sure your soil doesn’t become overly dry while buds are developing.
The plant could be vulnerable to mealy bugs and root rot if overwatered. If you experience issues, remove the affected sections and repot the plant in fresh soil.