The Christmas cactus is a perfect succulent plant to grow at Christmas. Here's how to repot it to see it bloom again next year
Know how repotting a Christmas cactus it means you will be able to enjoy the plant for years to come. After all, the Christmas cactus is a succulent that blooms from November to January, which makes it a perfect christmas ornament to add to the others Christmas plants. Let's find out how to repot it, to admire its flowering again next year.
When to repot a Christmas cactus
Christmas cactus should be repotted after the end of flowering, which is shortly after the plant has stopped blooming and the flowers have wilted, usually in late winter or early spring. However, this can wait until the roots crawl out of the pot, or out of the drainage holes.
How to repot a Christmas cactus: a step by step guide
Let's find out all the steps for repot your Christmas cactus:
- Use a light and draining soil mixa succulent repotting mix or make your own using four parts compost, one part bark, part horticultural sand, part fine grain, and part pumice.
- choose a slightly larger container, and make sure the pot has a drainage hole to avoid root rot and excessive water build-up.
- gently remove the Christmas cactus from the pot with the help of your hand at the base; then gently remove the plant and the entire root ball from the container. If the soil is compact at the roots, press gently to remove some of the old soil.
To divide the roots and repot a Christmas cactus, however, it is necessary to remove it from its container with a sharp knife, to separate the root sections from the mother plant. These new sections can, therefore, be planted in new containers; after which, even the mother plant can be repotted in a new container or in the original one where at this point it will have more space to grow.
Also remember that a Christmas cactus ideally needs a soil with a lot of organic matter, but good drainage; do not use peat, which is not an ecological choice.
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