Might be a sign of over watering, if it gets too much water it will swell and it can make the cactus split.
i water my cactus ever month or so.
thanks ash

Really....god I thought this was a good thing, so they will stay thin and paper-like forever, when I got it it seemed limpy and hung over....lol. Now it is filling out and standing up more, but if this is from having too much water, I think I should stop.....it looks so good.....I dont get it???

Tracy
C*O@N&F^U!S+E#D!!

Please do a search on this forum. Use the words "christmas cactus" and "water" together. Christmas cacti are jungle cactus. They need regular water. Filling out and standing up is a good thing. Just because they CAN go for long periods without much water, doesn't mean they WANT to.

Usually people cut back on the watering after a christmas cactus has bloomed. That's because they may be taking a rest from growing. At that time, not as much water is given. From perhaps February until Sept or Oct, water is given regularly. During that time, water it like it's a pothos. Not continually wet, but as soon as the soil is dry. It could be once a week, twice a week... It depends on the pot size, type of soil, dryness of the environment, if it's inside or out. But as soon as the soil is dry, water it.

In Sept / Oct some people hold back water and give it dry/dark treatment to force it to bloom. Not much water, and maybe putting it in the closet for 12 hours a day for six weeks, or until you see buds. Blooming can be triggered by a drastic change in light and water. After budding, regular water is given again until the blooms are spent. Then the christmas cactus has a rest period, usually.

My mother gets her blooms in a different way. She puts her christmas cacti in a bright area outside (no direct sun) as soon as it's warm enough in the spring; and brings them inside when it starts to get cool in the fall. Soon after they set buds. She waters when they're dry.

Whatever you decide to do, I think the most important thing is to give water regularly spring - fall when it's actively growing. Water less when it's not putting out new growth. Late fall - late winter.

Amany is absolutely right on this. As jungle cacti, these DO want water as they come from the tropics, where it rains often & sometimes quite heavily.

I keep my Xmas cacti in plastic pots (this is not a good candidate for clay pots as they can absorb water away from the plants, but if it's doing this well you can leave it) & I water them well once a wk thru the growing season (approx. Feb. thru Oct.). I too do the coffee thing, but I'd keep it to once a month only.

Standing up growth w/ new leaves on the branch ends sounds excellent, like happy & healthy plants. Should they get a bit reddish or purplish on the new leaves or their ends, pls. don't be alarmed, it's a reaction to increasing light of summer. This tends to happen to mine as they grow directly in the west window & get a lot of light.

Personally, I've only heard of cacti splitting from too much water in reference to desert cacti (not those of the jungle).

I too suggest reading up on Jungle Cacti (Epiphytic cacti) for further care info.

Your Christmas cactus sounds happy. Do not under water it - it is not a desert cactus. I have mine growing in clay pots and they are happy and healthy and I have over 20 of them - many are over 10 years old. Just water when the top 1/3 of the pot is dry. They do need to dry out just a bit. Too much water and wet feet are not good for them. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. They like acidic soil so I add tea leaves every so often as well.