3-4 year old Christmas cactus taking a turn for the worse

3 years ago

I was given this Christmas cactus 3, maybe 4 years ago. I had never had one before, and after some research and learning that they prefer to be root bound, I moved it from the original 4" plastic pot to a similar 4" ceramic pot (with 1 hole in the bottom for drainage) with a little saucer.

Since then, I've watered it weekly using filtered water (I have tap water with some heavy elements, so I use a 25 micron PUR filter for the dogs and to water plants). When I water it, I sit it in the sink on a wire rack, slowly pour about 2 cups of filtered water directly on the soil, then let it drain overnight.

I keep it inside, near a North-facing window, so the temperature fluctuates from 65 to 77 year-round and no direct sun.

It did great for awhile. It bloomed in 2019, but not last year; I went through the steps and it developed buds, but they never bloomed. Also notable is that it hasn't really gotten any bigger since I got it; maybe one or two new sections (or whatever you call it), but that's all.

Then about 6 weeks ago (give or take), I noticed that it was kind of soft and looking pretty wilty! I haven't changed anything on my end, so I'm not sure what's up.

After some research online I stepped up the watering to twice a week, but that had no impact.

My only thought... a larger pot? Maybe fertilizer? You can see in the last pic that the roots are coming above the surface, so maybe it's TOO root bound? I would really appreciate any advice!

These pics are today, and I just watered it last night.

Featured Answer

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a

3 years ago

Basically you're going to be re-rooting this Thanksgiving Cactus as a large cutting.

Bright shade in a greenhouse should be perfect.

With a porous, free-draining potting mix, they do really well if kept uniformly moist. These are jungle cacti that grow in the crooks of trees in Brazil and they are rained on almost daily if not daily.

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Comments (16)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
probably way too wet for way to long ...

stop watering.. until l bone dry.. and maybe you can grow some new roots ..

it severely stressed.. repotting it now is only more stress ... but maybe some CC expert will differ on that????

fert is never a response to stress ...

never saw one throwing roots at the far end of the branch.. which makes me think you rotted all the roots off ..

dont know if the leaves are shot.. but you might try to root a couple of the best left ...

all that leaves is prayer ...

ken
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
3 years ago
You're thinking that I should try cutting off a few end leaves and replant? I'm totally open to it if you don't think that'll kill the mother.

If so, regular potting soil or a cactus mix? I don't THINK this is really a cactus, but I'm not 100% on the soil to use...
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socks
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
The potting mix is not good. Here's one recommended potting mix for these plants:

1 part commercial cactus & succulent mix

1 part orchid mix

1 part horticultural pumice or perlite available at your nursery

When you repot, pot up much higher, like 1" from the edge of the pot. If there is rot in the roots or stems, you can clip a couple segments and try to root them and toss the rest. In any case, I would clip off some of the longest leaves, 1-2 segments from the longest ones. I think your plant has a chance to recover if it isn't dealing with so many long stems. If you want help with the cuttings, ask here. Here's a picture of some I'm rooting.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked socks
socks
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

I have no idea about your water. I use tap water and it’s fine. Do not fertilize. Reuse that pot, scrub it out before repotting, and don’t worry about those air roots. That’s fine. Your plant is not going to make it unless you change the potting mix.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
3 years ago
@socks, am I right in assuming that I just snip it off and keep some of those exposed roots on the new section, then stick it in the new soil? I usually use locally grown dark honey in lieu of rooting hormone with other plants... do I need either?

As a new transplant, should I keep it in the South-facing window, outside in the shade, or in the greenhouse?

The one you see is in the same soil that it came with 3-4 years ago, I didn't change any of that. To clarify, are you saying that I should change its soil to the mix you posted, and put it in the same 4" pot?

The local nursery isn't open on weekends, so I'll have to wait until Monday to work on any of it :-(
jojosplants2020
3 years ago
If you have a lowes or homedepot near by, they should have the materials suggested.
socks
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Yes, just ignore those air roots. Make your clipping, let it sit so the end dries up a few hours and then insert it into your new potting mix in a small pot with a hole. You do not need any honey or rooting hormone. Just make the cutting stand up as best you can. You can put more than one in a pot. There are different opinions about when to water. I wait a week or more if the potting mix had any moisture. Water sparingly, but let it run out the bottom. No sips.

I would keep the newly planted cuttings wherever their "mother" plant has been. That's the light, air circulation, temperature they are used to.

You should definitely repot in the suggested mix. Change it's soil, as you said above. Clean off as much of the old potting mix as possible, and toss it out. Don't use for the cuttings. I hope you can find the 3 components of the mix. At the very least, use the cactus & succulent mix and orchid bark, but if you can find pumice or perlite it will help.

I've started some very large cuttings but sometimes just do 2-4 segments as shown in the photo. I could be wrong in the way I start cuttings, even tho' it works. I cut mine as shown on the left below, but in the case of your plant, you might want to gently twist the segment off as shown on the right. That way you'll cause less injury to the segment which stays on the plant.

I'm not an expert. Others may chime in to correct me, but the above is what I do.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked socks
socks
3 years ago
I suppose if you clip it like the one on the left, it damages the segment left on the plant. Gently twisting it off might be a better way to go.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked socks
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
3 years ago
I wanted to update you all with the progress...

When I pulled it out of the pot, the soil was HARD!! Not quite as hard as a rock, but not far from it :-O Which explains the problem, really.

I crumbled from the bottom of, trying to be as gentle as I could. But when I got down the plant, there really wasn't any root at all! Maybe 3 or 4 tendrils, but that's all. So I think that all of what appeared to be roots coming out of the soil had already died and dried away.

I rinsed it gently in the sink to get all of the soil off, so it looks damp in these pics:

I'm letting it dry out right now, but I have soil ready for it so I'll replant it on Friday. I have very little confidence that it'll survive, but what do I know?

The soil mix is moist but not wet; am I correct in understanding that I should wait to see new growth before watering it at all?

I also took 12 cuttings in the hopes of at least starting it over, but they were all 1 segment in size. Should I try to get more cuttings with 2-4 segments?
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
3 years ago
Also, I should note that I do have a greenhouse in a dappled sun section of my yard. I read that the cactus likes high humidity... should I put any of this in the greenhouse to reproduce its native tropical conditions?
Embothrium
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
they are rained on almost daily if not daily

I believe this is said to vary seasonally. Personally I have found various Zygocactus to be extremely forgiving. However if a body goes on and on without watering they will start to fall apart at some point.
socks
3 years ago
As for taking bigger cuttings, I would not. I think your plant needs what it’s got.

I hope the base of the plant wasn’t mushy. I’m suspicious about how it looks.

As for watering, I don’t know what to say, but certainly not right away if your mix is moist. Don’t add any water to the mix. Here in my arid zone, I’d water in 10 days if weather is warm. I have no idea in a greenhouse. Sorry. Some people here say don’t water until it gets roots. You can tell if it’s rooting by touching it very gently to see if it budges. Proceed with caution. If it’s going back in that ceramic pot, it won’t dry out fast at all especially in a greenhouse.

Thanks for the update. It’s always fun to see what people are doing.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
3 years ago
I hope the base of the plant wasn’t mushy. I’m suspicious about how it looks.

@socks, no, it felt pretty firm. It actually looked better today after sitting out overnight!

I placed it in the new soil, but the soil is so soft that there's nothing really holding it in place! It just falls over. Unless you all tell me otherwise, I'm going to use wire to hold it in place and then put it in the greenhouse.

I have 3 seed trays with cuttings, so I'm going to put 1 of those in the greenhouse, one on the back deck in the shade (there's a goldfish pond nearby so there's some humidity, but not as much as the greenhouse), and the third in the house where I kept the original for so long. I figure that will cover all of my options, and give the best chance of at least something surviving :-/
socks
3 years ago
Or you can use chopsticks, skewers or pencils to support it. Help it to stand up properly. (Not sure it needs wires. You don't want anything damaging what few leaves you have, right?) Then don't breathe on it!! (joke)

Excellent plan.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked socks
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
2 years ago
Giving you guys and gals an update... the original DOES seem to be doing a lot better! I've had it in my greenhouse for 11 days now. About half of it still looks wimpy and kinda wilted (you can see that part in the second pic), but the other half has perked up and looking stronger.

None of the cuttings really look good, though.

What do you think, is it time to water it yet? Or should I wait for the wilted half to perk up first?