I inherited this neglected pot plant and it looked very sad with the branches saggy and droopy (hanging off the pot). I think it was sagging towards the west sunlight for months without much water. So I repotted it with some new soil and nutrients and repositioned it outdoors with some sunlight during the day. Tied it to a stick to try and give it some support growing back, but I think it will still sag when I take it off. So should I take the stick support off?
Also, while I was repotting the branches were very fragile and a couple of them broke off quite easily. You can see the roots in photo #2 look brown and might be rotting – any advice here?
And keen to know what type of plant this is – I'm now guessing this is a Schlumbergera or Christmas cactus? If so, should I leave it undercover in the shade? And water infrequently?
Any help greatly appreciated ! This plant has massive sentimental value
by lawrikeet
14 Comments
Definitely a Christmas cactus. It likes bright indirect sun, I usually water mine once the top 2 inches of the soil feel dry.
Follow up questions:
Does the pot have drainage holes?
This type of plant does not grow upwards. It does not need a stick to help it stand up, it doesn’t want to stand up. I would also be careful putting it outdoors. If it’s been indoors it may be damaged by suddenly receiving too much light.
It also looks like you’ve put it into a pot that’s too large, so when you water it it’s going to take too long to dry out and may cause the roots to rot.
Please untie it!
Christmas cactus was my guess too. I’ve never owed one but I do have a few cactus like plants.
Soil looks very dense and wet to me. I would try to make/buy a soil blend for cactus/succulents. And I believe they live to hang so maybe no stick for support? Worse case you can take cuttings stick them in new soil and they should root relatively fine.
OP it’s not supposed to grow upright. Remove the stick and ties asap. Also it’s a cactus, so it need to be in well draining soil definitely with a smaller pot. This is too big.
Soil way too wet
They don’t like to be crowded, they’ll try to grow away from each other if they touch. They also don’t grow straight up, they fan out and hang down.
They don’t grow in soil in the wild, they grow in rock crevices and sometimes on trees. Dense soil will suffocate their roots, it’s best to keep them in compost mixed with lots of bark and some pumice
Since they’re from the rainforest they should be kept in indirect or filtered light and watered fairly often
How much ransom did you ask for?
Omg it looks a lot better than the ones I see rotting in peoples houses. Good job 😀
This is either a bait post or just extremely cute and because I want to live in a nice world, I’m going to go with the latter. OP, you are very sweet for trying to support this poor plant but that’s just how they grow.
Ours do great on the front steps in the shade and mostly out of the rain and we can ignore them all through the warmer weather before bringing them in and continuing to ignore them. They like to be root bound in well draining soil, and you can promote their growth by pruning them at their joints after they’ve flowered around Christmas.
Everything about this set up is wrong. Google “holiday cactus” and look at example pics to see what size of pots people use and what proper soil should look like. A quick note on soil, these aren’t terrestrial plants, they’re epiphytes, they grow in the canopy of trees in rainforests.
Remove the rope and repot in something smaller, let the stems fan out so there’s room for air movement. Don’t worry if nodes start dropping off, you can lay them in the soil and they’ll push out roots.
These don’t grow on a support. They are meant to just flop all over there place. #FreeTheCactus
It looks like a Christmas cactus and those lil guys don’t stand up, but they *can* get fuller over time! Just make sure the pot isn’t too big for the roots, make sure it’s not being over or under watered, and keep it in a well lit environment. Do your homework because I don’t personally own one, but the one in my mother’s house looks amazing, so you’ll love it if you can care for it right!
Why is it all tied up??? Was it naughty? Has it been kidnapped??? Set it free!!!
These plants naturally grow in a fountain shape. Give same treatment as for an orchid, they naturally grow in tropical forests. They are not desert plants. Lots of light but not too much direct sun. (In NJ & NY they like to be outdoors in summer). Water when dry.
😂 I really love this post.
Set her free!!!