Home»Cactus - Succulents»Christmas Cactus
Christmas Cactus(Schlumbergera x Buckleyi ) is one of the three holiday cacti , so name because they all blossom around unlike holidays .
Its stem segments , which are often referred to as its leave , are lush and attractive , while the flowers themselves sum up a bit of supererogatory holiday deception .
This December bloomer is generally easy to take care of and tolerant to a wide range of diseases and pest .
However , no plant is entirely immune to problem , and there are still several potential wellness progeny your Christmas cactus might face .
Here ’s a quick and contaminating template to these problems , what causes them , and how to desexualise or prevent them .
What Problems And Diseases Does Christmas Cactus Plants Face?
Pretty much all of the problems your Christmas cactus can take to the woods into can be broken down into three categories : forethought - associate issues , diseases , and infestation .
Proper care is the front line of defense mechanism , with disease often being do by poor care or as a side gist of infestation .
Care Related Problems
Almost all care issues involve water , but some may be due to sun , ground , or inseminate issues .
This lean to happen when there are sudden change in your Christmas cactus ’s environment , such as sudden temperature or ignition change due to being moved to a fresh part of the place .
In this case , just be patient and allow the industrial plant a minuscule clock time to adjust to the novel setting .
Bud drop may also be because of overwatering or a free fall in humidity .
As most HVAC units and traditional furnaces are turned on for the winter , they can dry out the air , so be certain to check the elbow room ’s humidity or augment your Christmas cactus with a pebble tray or humidifier if you notice any cliff in humidness levels .
This is one of the most complicated issue you ’ll face with a Christmas cactus .
First off , check that it ’s in reality a Christmas cactus you have , as many baby’s room and online Peter Sellers have been known to sell you the wrong holiday cactus .
A Christmas cactus will have orotund , symmetrical teeth along the leaf margin , whereas Thanksgiving cactus has more unorthodox teeth and Easter cactus is toothless and notch .
This houseplant want some specific environmental conditions to blossom which are n’t unmanageable to replicate .
Make indisputable the plant is kept between 50 ° and 60 ° degrees Fahrenheit and has at least 12 to 14 hours of shadow per day .
Cut back on food and urine during this period as well .
These combined change will state the cactus that winter is here and it will begin to bloom after a few weeks .
This seemingly minor job can in reality pass to something very serious ( theme rot ) .
Check the dirt to verify it ’s not too wet .
If it feel damp , allow the potting grime to dry out and part practicing the soak - and - dry technique .
However , if the potting mixing is swampy , you ’ll take to repot straight off in fresh , slenderly damp dirt and ensure for signs of antecedent rot .
Conversely , if you stick your finger in and the soil sense TOO ironic , the plant in all likelihood needs piddle .
The problem may also spring up when the works becomes too rootbound .
While this plant actually thrives when distance is little rigorous , 6you should repot if you see roots poking from the drain holes , as severe root binding can foreclose the plant from getting a proper drink .
chlorophyl is what give industrial plant their greenish color , and in the display case of Christmas cactus , the genuine colour of the plant life is deep red to Burgundy wine .
When the plant becomes desiccate , this natural color can come out , and it ’s a good sign that your plant is athirst .
take down that debunk the plant life to too much sunlight can dry out the land quicker , leave in the plant becoming thirsty more often , so you may need to shift the plant so it has slightly more protection .
Diseases
Diseases can be very serious , and some are incurable , so be sure to isolate your Christmas cactus the moment you suspect one of these problems .
This silvery gray fungus will taint Christmas cacti if the humidness is too high .
It will place the bud and staunch and can be deadly .
Remove the septic parts of the plant as presently as you spot this fungus , being trusted to cut below the contagion line and you may be able to make unnecessary the cactus .
check that your cactus has proper humidity levels to help oneself prevent this infection .
This nasty disease is channelise by thrip , and Christmas cactus can sometimes be symptomless carriers .
Symptoms include spot , foliage yellowing , or droop .
If you see this plant or any flora nearby exhibiting symptom , be sure to isolate them and transplant all infect specimens to invigorated , sterile grease and new pots .
This is usually enough to save the works , but a recurrence entail you may have to destroy the plant .
Perhaps the most common and dreaded disease , root rot can be either fungal or bacterial in nature and destroy the stem , conduct to discolouration and wilting of the leave-taking .
This disease is stimulate almost exclusively by overwatering , but may also pass off if you employ polluted stain .
When you mistrust ascendent rot , remove the plant and examine its roots , cut away any blackened or peaked ones with a sharp , sterile tongue .
Be trusted to resterilize between each cut and repot the plant in fresh , unimaginative ground mixes afterwards .
This deadly disease starts off looking like a slushy chocolate-brown spot at the base of operations of the plant life .
It soon form wound and begins working its style up the plant .
Since it point the base of the stem , there ’s no way to pull through the flora itself , although you may still take goodish cutting to propagate while this disease is in its former stage .
Infestations
Christmas cacti can be overrun by all the usual defendant : aphids , fungus gnats , mealy bug , scale , spider mites , and thripid .
Many of these will look due to wrong lacrimation or humidity issues .
you’re able to prevent the risk of plague by giving your cactus a regular neem filth douse , and neem foliar sprays can help combat an live infestation .
While most of these gadfly are n’t deadly to your industrial plant , they can be vectors for disease .
thripid are specially dangerous , as they can transmit INSV .
