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Friday, February 14, 2025

Greatest Soil for Christmas Cactus: 3 Nice Decisions


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​Are you questioning about the very best soil Christmas Cactus? Selecting an applicable potting combine in your Christmas cactus vegetation is essential for the general well being of your vegetation. The soil suggestions on this publish will even work for the very intently associated Thanksgiving cactus as nicely, and in addition for Easter Cactus vegetation. 

best-soil-for-christmas-cactus

Earlier than I get into the very best soil for Christmas cactus, it’s useful to grasp how this in style houseplant grows in nature.

ABOUT CHRISTMAS CACTUS 

BOTANICAL NAME

The Christmas Cactus (usually identified within the commerce as Schlumbergera x buckleyi)  is definitely a hybrid of Schlumbergera russelliana and Schlumbergera truncata.

Schlumbergera russelliana generally goes by the synonym Schlumbergera bridgesii, and Schlumbergera truncata is often generally known as Thanksgiving cactus.

Christmas cacti and Thanksgiving cacti are generally generically referred to as Vacation cacti as a result of they have an inclination to bloom round these respective holidays.

thanksgiving-vs-christmas-cactus
Left: Christmas Cactus
Proper: Thanksgiving Cactus

NATURAL HABITAT

As complicated as all of the botanical names are, Schlumbergera genus comprises 7 species and they’re all epiphytic cacti native to Brazil. Which means that they develop primarily on tree branches or shrubs, so they’re used to glorious, very sharp drainage of their native surroundings. 

Although they don’t seem to be desert cacti, they’re certainly cacti although they develop within the jungle. 

​BEST SOIL FOR CHRISTMAS CACTUS

​Resulting from their epiphytic nature, these vegetation require actually good drainage, which entails each having drainage holes within the pots that you simply develop them in, in addition to a well-draining soil. 

I have a tendency by no means to make use of common potting soil out of the bag by itself. Most potting mixes available on the market maintain an excessive amount of water and aren’t well-drained sufficient.

Because of this, I’m recommending two DIY mixes which you could simply mix by yourself, or should you don’t need to hassle with that, there’s a firm that makes superior potting mixes that you should use straight out of the bag. 

1. TROPICAL SUCCULENT SOIL BLEND

Tropical-Succulent-soil-oh-happy-plants
Tropical Succulent Soil Mix from Oh Joyful Crops

The Tropical Succulent Soil Mix from Oh Joyful Crops is the very best soil combine that you should use straight out of the bag and could also be the very best combine ever, interval.

Why is the Tropical Succulent Soil Mix superb, apart from receiving 10% off routinely just by utilizing my hyperlink?

It’s particularly designed for tropical succulents like Christmas Cactus vegetation. It has glorious drainage, whereas nonetheless holding sufficient moisture and permitting loads of oxygen to the plant’s roots.

​Listed below are extra the reason why that is an distinctive combine:

  • ​Sustainable components are used of their blends. Peat moss will not be used, and Oh Joyful Crops makes use of coco coir and coco chips as an alternative. 
  • Even the baggage and labels are compostable!
  • If you’re not a fan of perlite, none of their mixes use perlite (which tends to drift to the highest when watering your soil).
  • The mix is nutritious and makes use of actual components like alfalfa meal, flax seed meal and rock mud to make sure a sluggish launch of vitamins in your vegetation.
  • A mycorrhizal inoculant is used which improves plant well being and vigor, and will increase illness resistance naturally!
  • Charcoal can be used within the mix, which helps create a wholesome surroundings for the foundation ball of your Christmas cactus. 

I extremely suggest giving Tropical Succulent Soil Mix a attempt in your Christmas cacti.

2. DIY BLEND WITH PUMICE

best-pumice-for-succulents

In order for you a easy combine which you could mix at dwelling, I’ve used this combine which works superbly too.

Like I discussed earlier, I don’t like most mixes straight out of the bag, even when it’s a cactus combine or succulent combine. Though they’re formulated to dry out quicker, they nonetheless don’t drain nicely sufficient for my liking.

Because of this I prefer to amend any cactus/succulent mixes with pumice. I like to make use of two elements of a cactus/succulent combine and 1 half pumice. I actually love the 1/4″ horticultural pumice (hyperlink to Amazon) from Bonsai Jack’s. It’s all the time uniform and in dimension and high quality.

​The pumice helps to create a very well-drained soil. 

3. DIY BLEND USING ORCHID BARK AND PERLITE

​Lastly, you may make your individual DIY mixture of equal elements all-purpose potting combine, perlite, and orchid bark. Remember the fact that the chunkier the potting combine, the extra rapidly your Christmas cactus will dry out. 

This combine leads to a really sharply draining mix, with loads of oxygen to your plant’s roots, and you might be watering extra often.

No matter which potting combine you utilize, water once more each time the highest inch of soil has dried out, nonetheless lengthy that takes. Permitting the highest inch to dry out will even assist to deter fungus gnats.

christmas-cactus-no-sun

REPOTTING CHRISTMAS CACTUS

The Christmas cactus bloom interval, as you’d count on, is usually in the course of the winter season. A very good time to repot can be after the bloom interval is ramping down or over. 

Anytime in the course of the rising season, after flowering, is the very best time to repot. Attempt to keep away from repotting a lot after the summer season months, as it might be too near when your plant will probably be setting flower buds. 

Smaller vegetation might bloom from early winter to late winter, and huge vegetation can usually proceed blooming by means of late spring, so you possibly can time repotting your plant till your plant is finished blooming. 

When selecting a brand new pot, all the time just remember to have a drainage gap on the backside of the pot so extra water can drain away. 

As a basic rule of thumb, solely go up one pot dimension, that are normally in 2-inch increments of diameter. For instance, in case your plant is in a 4-inch diameter pot, go as much as a 6-inch diameter pot and no greater. 

​That is so that you don’t have an enormous extra of soil, which might take for much longer in your soil to dry out. 

Clay pots (terra cotta pots) will dry out your soil much more rapidly than different kinds of pots since they’re very porous. They are often great, since they supply extra air to your plant’s roots, however hold an in depth eye on watering because the soil will dry out extra rapidly. 

​For extra detailed data, take a look at my Christmas cactus care publish for correct care of your vegetation. 

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