Tips for feeding your Christmas cactus

feeding your Christmas cactus

If you are like me, you may have Christmas cactus that bloomed beautifully in the past, but the plant is hard for you to bloom again. I really like the way this plant looks when it blooms, and it is a wonderful centerpiece that will brighten up your desk for guests to see during the holidays.

Blooming Christmas cactus during Christmas can be tricky, but if you feed it properly, you will be glad you took the extra time to discover the uniqueness of this unique plant.

How to feed Christmas cactus

To start, the plants will thrive in indirect sunlight and well-drained soil, so make sure there is good space for the plant to grow. The season of Christmas cactus equals the growing season. This means that it should be fed before flowering, which should be from April to October of the year. With the right fertilizer and the right food schedule, you will have bright flowers at Christmas.

These plants thrive on cold days of autumn when the light is low, as they require 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. When you fertilize this plant, you will want a bloom formula or water-soluble formula for best results. From mid-summer to late summer, you can apply phosphorus-rich fertilizer once a month to enhance the flowers during flowering.

When the plant stops growing, it will be late in the summer months and it is important to make sure you stop feeding it. If you continue to feed when the plant is not actively growing, mottled salt can form, which will prevent it from flowering. Do not fertilize when the Christmas cactus plant begins to bloom, as it may cause buds to fall off.

Fertilizers to use for Christmas cactus

Throughout the season, the best type of fertilizer to use when feeding your Christmas cactus is a mixture of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus equivalent. You need to dissolve the well-balanced fertilizer in water so that it is easy to feed the plant. I like to use JR Peters' all-purpose compost Jack's Classic with a 20-20-20 mix. It helps to strengthen the roots and leaves of the plant and prepares it for flowering during the holidays.

When you are not fertilizing the plant, you can use a gallon of water and a teaspoon of Epsom salt mixture. This will help the plant to get all the magnesium it needs to grow and flower without inhibiting its growth. The plant does not need to be fertilized after October because it will be inactive. Stop feeding this plant and reduce the amount of water it receives at this time.

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