Just inherited this large Holiday cactus from a family member and it's looking a little rough. I'm not very experienced with cacti so looking for some advice on how to take care of this beast and if I need to do anything with powdery-white leaves or the ones that are cracking. It also seems like the ends are pretty limp… Potted in a plastic pot with built-in drainage tray and then set in a ceramic bowl so it was definitely over watered. TIA!
by Novatheocelot
19 Comments
Spray a tiny bit of water on it. Not too much though. Just a little squirt.
check the soil, if it’s wet/damp, the plant is likely suffering from root rot, if it’s dry, water thoroughly until water is running out of all the drainage holes in the plant. these plants are called cactus, but they need much more water than a true cactus as they are rainforest plants.
Take some bits off the ends and put them in fresh dirt, hang in a window, water weekly, and you will have a new, big healthy plant in a couple years.
These are rainforest cacti. I water ours weekly when it’s indoors. It could be over or under watered, but don’t make the mistake of thinking they shouldn’t be watered regularly.
Is the soil very dry or very wet?
Edit to add: I’m guessing dry based on the clues, but don’t want to steer you down the wrong path if it’s not.
https://preview.redd.it/143jyz2wxx3g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29705e12bf7bdced63852277d12a50266d59d8bd
I inherited one in similar form. For one, that girl is older than she looks, the corkage shows.
Replant in a real pot a bit bigger with a good bottom drainage hole.
Keep it in medium sun but the ability to sleep in the dark. A little shade or a place on a bottom shelf goes her well.
Bottom water and only once a month. I used to feel guilty but my girl is thriving. I put her in a bucket of water and let sit for a few hours. Then lets her bottom dry off and put her back on her little shelf. Here she is.
https://preview.redd.it/f9mdbmczzx3g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb12fd0a251a127990ce7a9c00b288da26988db2
Watar is good for me. Drink some broo
Thirsty!!! So thirsty. Also these are very easy propogate so give her a haircut. Watch out for the spines
I call that a Christmas Cactus and I have never seen one that big. My first thought is that it needs some water but you said it was overwatered. I would clean it up a bit and just google Christmas Cactus as to care and feeding. It has plenty of life left in it.
Check the roots. Make sure she has good fresh “Thanksgiving cactus” soil with perlite and nutrients/fertilizer. Research watering with epsom salt water maybe monthly. Don’t fertilize at the same time you water with the epsom salt water. But do your research so you are doing it correctly! Good luck.
OP what a wonderful plant. She is ancient and needs a larger pot, fresh soil and some quiet time to recover. You have a lot if good advice here.
You may want to split it into two or more pots depending on the size of plant you want to support.
sugar water, lots of sun
I’d be cutting so much of this back and I don’t see it mentioned here. I’d probably cut about 1/3 of it back.
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I see a lot of great advice has already been given. Just wanted to add that a good clean up can do wonders. Take a wet towel, take off as much dust as you can and afterwards spray some water onto it. It really helped mine perk up more.
I second all of the great advice you already received. My one seems to thrive on neglect to be honest.
https://preview.redd.it/5myrp2c6104g1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f7c8ba98f5cc039f57e58873e93fe6285c5e7e8
I think propagating your best leaves for a bit of insurance is your best bet. Then if the mother plant doesn’t pull through, you’ve got a clone. They are supposedly easy to prop.
I have two hypotheses:
The first is a former mite or thrip infection.
The second, which i think is more likely, inadequate soil causing corking on the lower portions of the stem, and poor root health causing the sad look.
Give it a somewhat chunky & orchid-like mix. For my epiphytic cacti I do 1-1-1 of bark fines, pumice, compost/potting soil. The pot must have drainage.
Good light will be necessary. Schlumbergera thrive in strong but protected light. In nature that would be a strong sun in the tropics but protected by tree foliage. In cultivation thats like outdoors under a shade cloth or in a greenhouse. In your house that would against the biggest, brightest, longest sun exposed, south facing window you have.
If you start seeing a *little* purple on the edges of the stems & tips, thats good! That means you’re in the sweet spot for light. If you start seeing it become heavily purple, that would be too much light.
For watering, start on the drier side, watering once every 3-4 weeks. Come the growing season and becoming more familiar with the plant, you can water more frequent, like once every 2 weeks. Good soil, good light, and good warmth can even push that down to weekly watering
Saturating the substrate until excess water drains, do not let excess water sit in a tray or cachepot. Come the growing season, start consider fertilization.