Grow Your Own Magazine

Please visit Benacre's Plot Blog to see my Christmas Cactus looking poorly, could anyone advise me how to get it better?
Thanks
Colin.

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http://lowestoftnaturalist-benacre.blogspot.com/

Hi Ben, looks as if it's been kept too warm, too wet, and with not enough light. Let it dry out, put in a cool (but frost free room) with plenty of light. Probably too late to get it to flower this year, but with care it should recover for next year. Xmas cactus need a "rest" during the non-flowering season, they can go outdoors when frosts are over. Bring them in again Septemberish, keep light but not too warm, and gradually increase watering but never ever waterlog them. Good luck.

Thanks will do. I can take cuttings easily?

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http://lowestoftnaturalist-benacre.blogspot.com/

I took a cutting off mine accidently by knocking a couple of sprigs/leaves off I just put them in a pot of composts and they rooted. Whether this was the right/wrong way I've no idea but it worked.

Good luck with it

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Bex

I have an Easter Cactus, looks fairly similar to a Christmas cactus. Despite repeated attempts by my OH to kill it, it still survived but ended looking very sorry for itself. I've had it for years so I decided to take 5 segments off it and pot them up in well drained compost and compost the rest of the plant.
I now have 5 healthy little cacti growing, much to OH's disgust!
My plant bible said that Easter cacti need to be re-potted yearly to keep them in good condition, could the same be true for yours?

Kirsty

Christmas cactus thrive on neglect I have found. Keep them fairly dry and cool and in the summer put them outside and give them a little tomato feed. When you bring them in and the flower buds start to show don't move them or the buds will fall off

Best of luck

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

They thrive better if you don't neglect them

http://www.flowers.org.uk/plants/pla...mas-cactus.htm

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Not total neglect, Nick. Just go easy on the TLC

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet