Every home should have aSchlumbergeraChristmas cactus spilling over the side of a hanging basket or sitting prettily on a shelf – they are so soft to care for and their vivid flush liven up the vacation months !
And once one of these succulent has become a permanent resident of your home , you ’ll finally start to marvel when and how to repot your Christmas cactus .
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Photo by Kristina Hicks-Hamblin.
This guide will provide you with step by stone’s throw counsel for transplanting these succulent , and the same advice applies to Easter and Thanksgiving cactuses as well !
Before we get started , if you ’d wish to review universal care requirements for these succulents , be sure to read or bookmarkour complete guide to growing Christmas cacti .
When to Repot a Christmas Cactus
Asepiphytes , these succulent plants do n’t have magnanimous ascendant systems and therefore do n’t require frequent transplanting .
The first hint that yourholiday cactusneeds to be repot might be that it ’s dry out more quickly than usual between waterings .
If there are etymon emerge from the drain holes or the top of the growing medium , the specimen is likely root bound , and it ’s time to transplant it to a large container .
Photo by Kristina Hicks-Hamblin.
specimen that are n’t outgrow their pots can still gain from a change of potting sensitive every three to four age , but can keep growing in the same container .
Not certain how long it ’s been since you last repot ?
Why not get keeping trail of this and other houseplant care job in agardening daybook ? Read our clause to learn more .
However you ’ll want to wait until the clock time is good to repot for the ripe upshot .
Exactlywhenthe time is good will change , and it depend on the season , the amount of time since the last repotting , the size of the stem ball within the pot , and whether the flora is blooming or not .
That last point may be the most important – do n’t repot your plant while it is in bloom , since all its muscularity is currently focused on unfolding . Instead expect until bloom has finished .
If yourSchlumbergerais not presently blooming , it may be a just time to repot !
Did yours fail to bloomthis year ?
register our guide tolearn how to advance a Christmas cactus flush .
Let ’s now regard the next factor : time of year .
When possible , it ’s sound to waitress until springtime to transplant your Christmas cactus . previous wintertime and early summertime are also acceptable times .
This is because ideally the plant should be in a stage of active growth , so that the root organization has the opportunity become established in the new container .
After florescence , between late winter and other summertime is the ideal repotting window .
There are some billet where you may need to exchange container and growing mediumregardlessof season , root growth , or the clock time elapsed since you last repotted .
If your Christmas cactus was planted in the awry type of grow medium it ’s best to go forrader and repot immediately . If the specimen seems healthy and is blooming , I ’d still advocate wait until it ’s finished flowering .
These succulents require soil with more moisture retention than arid habitat cacti relatives such asprickly pearsand astrophytums , but they also take good drainage .
In fact , poor drainage is one of thereasons why holiday cacti can deform yellow .
Speaking of turning yellow , do you distrust that your vacation cactus has been overwatered by some overeager members of your household , perhaps ?
If so , you may need to change out the get medium to deliver it .
register our article about pull through overwatered vacation cacti for more guidance .
Let ’s view one more reason that may compel you to transplant one of these succulents disregarding of other factors – a plant that is originate in an oversize pot or in a vessel that has no drainage yap .
A container that lacks drain maw or is too big can induce the growing mass medium to persist miry and waterlogged , lead toroot rot .
How do you know if the container is too big ?
If there ’s more than an inch between the bound of the root ball and the side of the pile , it ’s probably too large .
So if your succulent is currently growing in a weed that does n’t drain , a pot that is too bombastic , or the wrong type of grow medium , go ahead and repot as shortly as possible !
Gather the Repotting Supplies
When you ’re ready to transfer your Christmas cactus , you ’ll need a couple of supplies : growing spiritualist and a new pot – if you are n’t just change out the potting soil .
When opt a premix , check that it moderate factor that will retain moisture as well as offer good drainage – just what an epiphytic hobo camp cactus needs !
commercial-grade potting mixing for succulents variegate greatly – most of them are actually too moisture retentive for plant likeecheverias , but not moisture retaining enough for holiday cacti !
That ’s why I like to make my ownsucculent potting mixesdepending on what I ’m plant .
For vacation cacti , 75 percent organic materials , such ascoconut coirandcompost , and 25 percent mineral ingredients , include pumice and sand , is a right goal to shoot for – though this does n’t have to be exact .
I like to use a blend of one part houseplant potting premix and one part cactus and succulent admixture for these hobo camp cacti – one has fine texture , and the other is quite chunky . This take me a result close to that idealistic 75 percentage constituent and 25 percent mineral proportion .
Learn more about the perfect Christmas cactus growing sensitive in our guide .
After assay many of the commercial cactus and succulent mixing out there , one of my favorites is Rosy Soil ’s Cactus and Succulent Mix , available for purchase in four - quart bagsvia Walmart .
Rosy Soil Cactus and Succulent Soil
And for the houseplant potting commixture , I ’m a bounteous lover of De La Tank ’s House Plant Mix , available in a selection of bag sizesvia Arbico Organics .
De La Tank ’s House Plant Mix
If your plant has outgrown its current pot , take a successor container that is just one size of it magnanimous – about an inch wide-eyed on either side .
Are you wondering if you’re able to reuse nursery raft or decorative container ? Yes !
First , whether the substitute pot is brand new or antecedently used , verify it has drain gob – preferably more than one .
Next , if you are reprocess a container , wash off it , then pass over it down with H peroxide to sanitize .
If you ’re look for some decorative options , condition out our guidebook to 25 of the honorable hanging planters .
In addition to potting mass medium and a new plantation owner , you may also require to regain something to use to contain the small mess you ’ll needs make during the repotting process !
look on the size of your plant life , a gravid denture or a modest credit card bin might work .
It does n’t take to be big enough to curb the whole flora , just the root ball , the new container , and some raise medium .
Repot the Christmas Cactus
When you have your supplies and the time is right , you could transfer .
First remove the hanger from the pot if there is one .
Next prepare the new green goddess by add a shallow layer of growing culture medium in the bottom of the container , about an in recondite or so .
Then remove the plant from its old potful .
If the specimen is super theme bound , try out to gently loosen up the root .
you’re able to do this by itch the medal of your hand against the root testicle , or teasing the edges open with a fork or chopstick .
If you are refresh up the grow medium but returning the works to the same pot , remove the plant , empty out any on the loose potting medium from the heap , and loosen the edge of the root ball .
posit the untie antecedent ballock into the fresh container , and check the level .
Make certain there ’s about a half an inch to an inch of elbow room between the top of the root ball and the flange of the heap , so adjust the amount of growing medium under the solution glob if necessary .
Then fill in with more growing culture medium along the sides of the root lump .
tamp down down gently , and take in a routine more if ask to create a level Earth’s surface .
After repot the Christmas cactus , water it in , then localize it in a dapple with scurvy Inner Light than it is used to for a few days to give it a docile recovery before returning the plant life to its regular location .
Repotted and Replenished
Now that you know how to in good order repot a Christmas cactus , it will be even easier to keep one of these epiphytic succulents growing in your home for many years to come .
Do you have any persist questions on this appendage ? Are you still unsure whether to repot or not ?
Drop your question in the comment section below and we ’ll do our good to give you some guidance !
require to keepgrowing your cognition about Christmas cacti ? We have more interpretation for you right here :
photo by Kristina Hicks - Hamblin © involve the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product picture via Arbico Organics and Walmart . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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