Christmas Cactus, Beauty All Year Around By Adam Peters At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

This is a primer for taking care of a beautiful Christmas cactus. It is a great plant for year around beauty.

If you are looking for a natural way to decorate your home, you may want to try a Christmas cactus or other plant. Poinsettias are the most popular plant that you see at Christmas time. It makes an excellent Christmas gift for almost anyone that you purchase a gift for and it comes in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, salmon, red, pink, or even a combination of these colors. The more light the cactus gets, the more flowers the cactus will have. A sunny place inside your home is its ideal spot during the winter, but in the summertime you want to place it in a shadier location. Increase the time that your plant spends in the sun each day so that you can adapt it to live outdoors. Between May and September it is best to put your Christmas cactus in the shade.

Well-drained soil is recommended for your Christmas cactus. Packaged potting soil is the best option to ensure that it is exactly the right composition for your cactus. If it is warmer outside, then your Christmas cactus will need more water. Water it when the top layer of soil is dry to the touch and keep the pot continually moist. By keeping it moist, you will help to prevent it wilting.

If your cactus has blooms all over it, then it does not need water. Leave it without water for four or five weeks after it blooms and then repot it and add fresh new soil. The plant will have new growths by the spring and then it will need some fertilizer. Give it some liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks to help it grow.

To help the plant to grow taller and wider, prune it after it blooms. Simply by using your fingers or a sharp knife, you can pinch the stem and remove the sections of each bloom. Root these sections that you removed to help make new plants. If your Christmas cactus has a long and uninterrupted time in a dark spot, then it will bloom more voraciously. You should let it be in darkness from the beginning of October until the start of the holiday season and then you will have lots of flowers.

Here is a handy guide for taking care of your Christmas cactus

During the month of January, your plant will be full of blooms. February to March you may want to reduce watering. From April to May, you only want to water the plant when the top layer of soil is dry. June to August is when you want to protect your plant by placing it in a shady location. In September and October, your plant will need less light and will enjoy being in a dark, dry, cool place. November and December are the best months for your Christmas cactus to bloom. You will enjoy this Christmas cactus year around.

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