Christmas Cactus Soil Not Drying
#help #ChristmasCactus #HappyPlants
I’ve had this Christmas cactus since December. It has a single bloom on the left side you can see. The problem is, every time I water it, the soil stays moist for a very long time. Like 20 days. I’m not sure what the issue is here. I’m fighting really high humidity in my apartment right now, so I’m sure that’s playing a part, but I’m not having this issue with my other plants anywhere near this bad. My only idea is that the pot is too big? Can anyone help?
I’ve had this Christmas cactus since December. It has a single bloom on the left side you can see. The problem is, every time I water it, the soil stays moist for a very long time. Like 20 days. I’m not sure what the issue is here. I’m fighting really high humidity in my apartment right now, so I’m sure that’s playing a part, but I’m not having this issue with my other plants anywhere near this bad. My only idea is that the pot is too big? Can anyone help?
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@BumbleBee340 pot size can do it. Especially if it’s too big compared to the root ball. But many other factors can be at play here! The ones I can think of right now are cold temperatures or less light (less photosynthesizing=less water use), lack of airflow. As well as too big of a pot or plenty of humidity like you mentioned, since plants will transpire less, in that instance.
@BumbleBee340 I just woke up, lol, so a big one I just missed is the drainage and aeration in your potting mix. Sometimes the drainage hole can get blocked too! And is that a porous pot all the way through, or is it glazed? Glazed will retain more moisture.
@BumbleBee340 Hi Reina, Holiday cactus are epiphytes which mean that they grow on trees or rocks so they are used to very little soil. Which is also why their root system is very thin and shallow. There isn't a need for them to grow deep down into a pot to search for water because it's usually right there. I would definitely repot it into a shallower pot with drainage holes. Also as far as soil goes I would plant it into some Succulent soil mixed with orchid bark for a chunky well draining mix more closely to what it would be used to in nature.
@DreamMachine the last time I watered it seemed to drain perfectly fine (I actually spilled the tray all over my carpet 😭). The potting mix is cactus/succulent soil and perlite probably a 50/50 mix. I want to say the pot is not glazed but tbh it doesn’t feel UNglazed, it’s just the same color as the not glazed part. So at the very least not heavily glazed. Temperatures are rising, it’s been in the high 70s low 80s recently. AC is on in my apartment and I’m keeping it at 72. But this problem has been going on since February. Light has been consistent during this time. Grow light above it for 12 hours and it gets 1-2 hours of direct if it’s not cloudy.
@princesspitstop it’s currently in a 6-inch pot. What would you suggest switching to, and do you have any suggestions on where to find good pots? I feel like all the ones on Amazon or at Walmart or somewhere similar are pretty deep, and you can’t find very many options <6”
@BumbleBee340 The width seems fine it's the depth that's the problem I've noticed on most pots. I would try some nurseries or even Lowes or Home Depot. Like @DreamMachine said try to stay away from glazed on the inside of the pot. Try to find something short and squatty. Something like the pot in the picture. Also if you find a plastic pot without drainage holes you can always add them with a soldering iron or wood burning tool. You can make pots out of all kinds of things or add drainage holes to make better drainage for your plant.
@BumbleBee340 A chunkier soil will also help water drain better so the height of the pot isn't as much of an issue.
@princesspitstop @BumbleBee340 oh!! I just saw terracotta azalea pots at HD the other day!! They are made more shallow
@DreamMachine I've heard that since Holiday Cactus are jungle cactus not desert cactus that terracotta isn't the best type of pot for them because they remove too much moisture from the soil too quickly. Especially when using the correct soil for them. 🤷♀️ I've also heard that they are perfect for them so I don't know.
@princesspitstop I think it depends on your climate! Here, in soggy wet rain land terracotta is excellent for mine. But in your hot climate I could see that being a very bad idea 😆
@BumbleBee340 hi Reina and welcome to the #GregGang other than the soil staying moist, your plant seems to be growing well. Is there another problem?
@YammieOf3 my moth orchid had a root rot problem not too long ago so I’m just really concerned about the same thing happening to this one since the soil is staying so moist for so long. I also think the plant had two other buds it was going to grow but then it stopped nurturing them and they died, but they were super small. I just have the one flower. I agree with the others and I’m going to repot in something shallower with some bark mixed in
@princesspitstop I have another question that came to mind: is it a bad idea to repot it now while it’s trying to bloom its single flower? I don’t want to stress it out
@BumbleBee340 I think it's fine to wait until the flower is spent to repot. It will give you some time to find a new pot and some bark or whatever substrate you choose to chunk up the soil. Really if the soil drains well enough you won't have to worry about the size of the pot as much. You know what I mean?
@princesspitstop yes, thank you for the advice!
I only use this app to ask questions because I feel like I learn so much from this community every time I do. I don’t even have all my plants listed on this app because I don’t pay for it anyways
I only use this app to ask questions because I feel like I learn so much from this community every time I do. I don’t even have all my plants listed on this app because I don’t pay for it anyways
@BumbleBee340 one more thing you can do while you’re waiting for a good time to repot, is to have a fan going in the room (unless you have one already). From all of your care notes and conditions it seems like you are doing everything right. So quite possibly like @princesspitstop it might just be a bit too deep of a pot for this shallow root structured cactus 🤷♀️ and possibly not enough air flow?
Inside air is a whole lot more still than outside, with all its windy-blowingness 🌬️ I have either a big fan or some of those little dinky clamp on fans (pictured). You don’t need to blast it in direct path of the fan, but I find it very helpful to aim them at the corner of a room, just so it gets any pockets of stale air circulating.
Inside air is a whole lot more still than outside, with all its windy-blowingness 🌬️ I have either a big fan or some of those little dinky clamp on fans (pictured). You don’t need to blast it in direct path of the fan, but I find it very helpful to aim them at the corner of a room, just so it gets any pockets of stale air circulating.
@DreamMachine I tried to avoid turning on the AC for as long as possible (im a college student with itty bitty income) but it’s been on recently. When the weather was moderate outside I would open the window just to keep it fresh inside. At this point and with all the advice I think it’s gotta be the pot and the soil because none of my other plants are staying moist like this