What is the best pot for a Christmas Cactus?
A flowering Christmas Cactus can no doubt add a special spark to your holiday atmosphere at home. In order to enjoy the beauty of this cactus, however, and to make sure it won’t die before the holiday ends, you have to select the right pot. For many people this means only one thing–the material of the pot. Should you opt for wood, plastic, clay, or even metal? However, expert growers know that there’s much more you should consider--size of the pot, color, design, drainage, and so on. If you aim for perfection, when it comes to both the health of your cactus and the interior design of your home, you will definitely consider all of the variables in question.
Before we dive into details, let me clarify something: The most important thing when it comes to the best pot for a Christmas Cactus is that you buy a pot with a drainage hole. Over-watering is responsible for 90% of cases when a Christmas Cactus dies, and having a pot without a drainage hole, you are asking for troubles. I just wanted to point this out, because at the end of the day, no matter how beautiful or fitting the pot it is, if the cactus struggles (or dies), the pot plays little significance…
Clay is the best material but not your only choice
When we look back centuries ago, almost all pots were from clay. And while planters from clay certainly have some weaknesses–they are heavy and fragile, they still remain the best choice for Christmas Cactus and other succulents. They provide great aeration to the roots of the plant, clay does not hold moisture, does not get too hot in a scorching summer sun, and at the end of the day it is a natural material.
Having said that, I understand why you may not like clay. Plastic pots are cheaper and lighter, and easier to manipulate with. Plastic is not great for either humans or plants, but you can certainly have a thriving cactus in a plastic pot, as long as you care for it properly. Metal pots aren’t recommended for Christmas cactus though. Wooden and glass containers are fine, the only problem is that glass pots typically come without a drainage hole, and hence they aren’t the best fit for a Christmas cactus.
Right size and depth of a pot for a Christmas cactus
Christmas cactus does not like a pot that’s way too bigger than the plant and its root ball. When you buy a Cactus in a shop, it typically comes in small plastic pot that’s just about as big as the root ball of the plant. Sellers want to save money, so logically they sell the plants in the smallest pots possible, and from plastic which is the cheapest material. Such a pot isn’t a good fit for the cactus and you should repot it immediately. But do not go with a very big pot. In fact, the ideal pot should be just 1/4 of an inch or 1/3 of an inch wider in diameter than the root ball of the plant. You will be fine with 1/2 inch, but that’s about the upper limit.
Deep pots make for nice design combinations at home, but Christmas cactus does not really prefer to live in a deep pot. What happens often is that soil at the bottom of such a pot retains too much moisture, which can cause root rot and subsequent problems in the Christmas cactus. Opt for a shallow pot instead. In an ideal case there shouldn’t be more than an inch distance between the roots and the bottom of the pot. Ideally less but again I want to give you an upper limit so you have more room to play when it comes to the design of the pot :).
Opt for neutral colors of the pot to let your Christmas Cactus stand out and shine
The flowers of Christmas Cactus are incredibly beautiful and will easily catch the eye of every visitor of your house. With this plant your intention isn’t to draw attention to the color or design of the pot. The intention is to draw attention to the cactus, and especially the flowers. Hence I suggest you to go with black, white, or natural clay colors when choosing the new pot for your Christmas cactus.
If you are a design and Feng Shui freak, or simply look for something special, you can try to buy a pot in the color of the flowers of the Christmas cactus. Just imagine the spectacle–a flowering cactus perfectly matching the color of the pot. That’s something a visitor of your house will hardly overlook. Of course, you should also consider other pots in the room. In Feng Shui, we always try to achieve balance and harmony of colors. It doesn’t make too much sense combining black, yellow, and green pots for example, for different house plants you grow in the same room. Try to buy a pot that fits well into the existing setup.
Pot with a drainage hole is a must if you want to avoid problems with your Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus is prone to over-watering. In order to minimize the chances of drowning your Schlumberga in water, you should always grow it in a pot with a drainage hole. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, but I have also some good news for you.
If you really love a certain design of a pot, but it lacks a drainage hole, you can still buy it. Just before you plant your Christmas cactus inside, make sure to drill a hole in a pot, with a help of an electric driller (for plastic, wood, or metal pots) or mechanical driller (for more fragile materials such as clay or terracotta, or glass). You should also buy a fitting saucer (often it does not come with the pot), and make sure you empty it after every watering of your Christmas cactus.
Final thoughts
Searching for the best pot for your Christmas cactus, you should consider several factors: material, width and depth, color and design, drainage. It is also important to think about the pots you already have at home, and chose a pot that will fit well into the existing setup. I hope this helps, and wish you good luck with your choice :).
Christmas Cactus Stem Rot – Causes and Remedies
Who would not love to see a blossoming cactus during Christmas? Snow falling outside, fireplace burning, kids cherishing holidays, and a beautiful Schlumberga with red, pink, or violet flowers. It seems like a fairy-tale… In order to enjoy this spectacle, however, you have to keep your Christmas Cactus healthy, because an unhealthy succulent won’t flower, and it may even die. One of the few problems people experience with their Christmas Cactus is stem rot, which manifests in soft stems, or brown lesions on stems just above the soil level. What causes this, and can you save your Christmas Cactus? We will try to find the answers on the following lines.
Before diving into details, let me clarify one thing: When you see stems of your Christmas Cactus rotting, you can be 100% sure root rot is going on under the surface. Root rot always precedes stem rot, or, said in other words, the rotting progresses through the plant, from the roots to the stems. But the chain of cause of effect does not end (or begin) here either. One step before root rot is always over-watering, which is the real culprit here.
Causes of stem rot in Christmas Cactus and how to prevent it
Over-watering is to blame here, but what does it men for you as a grower? What changes should you make? First of all, make sure you have the right setup for your Christmas cactus. That means:
- Always plant it in a pot with a drainage hole, so the excess water can drain away, and the roots aren’t rotting in it forever.
- Use only soil intended for cacti and succulents, because it is a fast draining soil, a soil that does not compact easily, and does not hold moisture.
Now you have the right setup (or at least know how to do it right next time), make sure to observe the following watering schedule: water your Christmas cactus only when the soil is completely dry. I know you hoped to hear something like “water the Schlumberga every two week or four weeks etc”, but the moisture of the soil is really your best guide here. Since how often your cactus needs water depends on many things, including time of the year, climate in your area, age of the cactus, etc.
Saving a Christmas cactus with a stem rot
Plants can often surprise us with their ability to regenerate, to come back even stronger after suffering some heavy blow due to bad weather, or our ignorance of their needs. Stem rot is a serious condition no doubt, as it typically suggests the roots are rotten to a significant extent, and the rot has eventually proceeded to upper parts of the plant. No doubt you should not wear pink glasses here: You may not always save your cactus. But you can at least give it a shot, and see what happens. Follow the steps below to give your cactus the best chance of surviving:
- Act immediately after you notice the problem. Do not wait for a miracle.
- Gently remove the cactus from the pot, and clean the roots under running water.
- Once the roots are clear of soil, you should be able to recognize healthy parts (hopefully some still remained on the plant) from rotten ones. Healthy roots are white and firm, rotten brown or even black and soft.
- Cut away all rotten roots. Do not spare a single one, since the rot can easily progress again from one “sick” root to healthy ones.
- Once done, repot the plant to a dry, quality succulent soil, and soak it with water (just as you’d do after repotting any succulent). Make sure to use a pot with a drainage hole.
- Wait. After the initial watering, you should give your Christmas Cactus some time to recuperate, and grow new roots. Water sparingly in this period, and only when the soil is dry.
Following these steps, only two things can happen. Your Christmas Cactus will either recuperate, growing new roots, or it will die. If it does die, at least you know you gave it a shot, and won’t repeat the same mistakes again.
Prevention is always the best cure for stem rot and other problems of your Christmas Cactus
In my opinion, we humans have many things in common with plants. If you want to enjoy the beauty of your succulents, such as a flowering of Schlumberga in December, the key is to do things right from the start, avoiding any problems. Stem rot is extremely rare in Christmas Cactus in wild nature. The succulent isn’t prone to such problems. It is just we, growers, who create the problem with bad care. And then we often try in vain to save a dying succulent.
Doing things right from the start, you can avoid any problems. Plant your cacti in a fast draining soil, and in some good pot with a drainage hole. Water sparingly, and only when the soil is dry. Remember that it is close to impossible to under-water a Christmas cactus. But it is very easy to over-water it, and a series of undesirable events will follow–root rot, stem rot, and eventually the death of your plant. We should not forget that most succulents thrive in neglect. Caring about them too much (watering, fertilizing, etc) can do more harm than good here.
Why is my Christmas Cactus Wilting
The only two problems people commonly experience with Christmas cactus are white spots on the leaves, and the leaves of the cactus wilting. In this post we will look at the second of the two problems, the wilting cactus.
Before we dive into details, let me cite three main reasons why your Christmas Cactus may be wilting: Over-watering and subsequent root rot, under-watering, and excessive fertilization. In my experience, one of the three is responsible for 99% of all cases of Christmas Cactus wilting. In rare cases the cactus may wilt simply because it is too old. This isn’t very likely though, unless you inherited your cactus from the mother of your grandmother, since this cactus can easily live for a hundred years.
Over-watering as the most common reason of wilting Christmas Cactus
Some people find this contradictory. At the end of the day, don’t most plants wilt when they actually lack water? Well, most plants do, but not succulents and cacti. At least not in the majority of cases, since it is not easy to under-water these plants. It is super easy to over-water them though. What happens in this case is that the roots of the cactus will rot. If it goes on for some time, the roots aren’t able to transfer water and nutrients to the body of the Christmas cactus anymore. It will wilt and eventually die.
You can identify this problem in several ways. First of them is observation. Check the moisture of the soil regularly. If it seems too wet, and virtually never dries, the chances are high you’ve been over-watering your Christmas Cactus for a while, and the roots are either partially or completely rotten. You can also observe the roots directly, digging a hole in the pot, and picking some roots. If they are soft and brown (clean them from soil with a wet cloth to see the color), they are rotten.
Addressing this problem is quite hard, at least if you want to save your Christmas Cactus. Because if the root rot progressed to a certain extent, things cannot be reversed anymore, and you have to say goodbye to your plant. If you spot the problem early, however, you can try removing all rotten roots and repotting the plant to a new pot. Make sure to use a pot with a drainage hole, and soil that is fitting for succulents. Also make sure you do not water it that often anymore. Most Christmas cacti will do with a watering schedule of once in three weeks.
Under-watering as the second most common reason for a wilting Christmas Cactus
Let me emphasize once again that it isn’t easy to under-water a Christmas cactus. These plants have water stored in their leaves, and can sustain long periods of drought. In special cases though, for example during an especially hot period or when you left for a six weeks long hiatus abroad and forgot to ask your neighbor to water your plants, it can happen that your cactus suddenly lacks water. Two things can help you identify under-watering as a reason for a wilting Christmas Cactus: The soil is very dry and you cannot remember when you watered the plant the last time. You just know it was long time ago :).
Luckily for you, it is much easier saving an under-watered Christmas Cactus than it is saving an over-watered one with rotten roots. As soon as you identify the problem, just soak it completely with water. Once only though. You should stick to the original watering schedule since then. In fact, if your Christmas Cactus is wilting due to lack of water, the leaves should return to normal condition within 48 hours of you finally watering the thirsty plant. If they do not return back to normal, you know that under-watering wasn’t the problem you faced here.
Over-fertilization as the no. 3 reason why your Christmas Cactus may wilt
It is a myth that cacti need fertilizers to thrive and blossom. These beautiful plants are native to semi-desert and desert areas. You would hardly find a soil rich in nutrients in such areas. Christmas Cactus is just fine with getting some sun, rain water, and perhaps some nutrients from the leaves that fall and you leave them in the pot to decompose slowly and enrich the soil. Many people do not get this though, or fall for the marketing tricks of producers of fertilizers, who claim that every plant needs fertilization, trying to maximize their profits.
In truth you can cause more harm than good for your Christmas cactus with fertilizers, let alone with an excessive use of them. If you overdo it, or use a particularly strong fertilizer, it may burn the roots of the plant completely. Similarly to rotten roots, burned roots cannot transfer water and required nutrients from the soil to the body of plant. It will wilt and eventually die. It is also hard saving such a cactus, though sometimes when you repot it immediately (to a fitting soil mix) it may grow some new roots and recover. But the success isn’t guaranteed here.
Final thoughts
As you can see now, the Christmas Cactus may wilt from several reasons. By far the most common (and the least expected by inexperienced growers) is under-watering and subsequent root rot. In some instances though the exact opposite–under-watering–is to blame, or excessive use of fertilizers. In very rare cases your Christmas Cactus may “wilt of old age”, but this is super rare considering how long these plants can live. I hope you have found out why your Christmas Cactus is wilting, and wish you good luck with your plants!
Matthew
May also interest you: FAQ about Succulents – The most common questions about succulent plants answered in one long post.