I'm an utter houseplant idiot. I thought a Christmas cactus could withstand direct sunlight and put it on my deck for all of last summer. When I brought it in, it was horribly sunburned and many of the "leaves" are withered.
I've had it indoors all winter and have been watering more regularly (it bloomed like crazy despite its condition). Is there hope for it (it looks terrible)? Or should I try to take cuttings from the few healthy looking branches? Or can I severely prune it and hope for regrowth? And how exactly does one prune this plant?
Hardiness Zone: 5b
By Shelby from Chicago, IL
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I have a Christmas Cactus that is 15 years old. Through trial and error (mostly error) I have managed to keep it alive. It is a cactus, so the potting soil should be for cacti. The fertilizer also. It's not hard to find..any WalMart will do. Too much water and direct sunlight can kill the plant. You can repot good healthy pieces directly into potting soil or in water till roots appear.
Hi, sorry about your Christmas Cactus but you can still salvage it actually you can produce a new plant just by taking one of the new leafs and just repotting it. I have done this and it works. I have one and every time a branch falls off I stick it back in the dirt and in a couple of weeks it will start to grow new branches.
Don't over water only when dry and put it on a porch in the summer away from direct sunlight we live in Florida and that's where mine are in the summer. winter months they come in doors and when they are in bloom never move the plant the buds will start to fall off if you do. I hope this is helpful.
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