I'm an utter houseplant idiot. I thought a Christmas cactus could withstand direct sunlight and put it on my deck for all of last summer. When I brought it in, it was horribly sunburned and many of the "leaves" are withered.
I've had it indoors all winter and have been watering more regularly (it bloomed like crazy despite its condition). Is there hope for it (it looks terrible)? Or should I try to take cuttings from the few healthy looking branches? Or can I severely prune it and hope for regrowth? And how exactly does one prune this plant?
Hardiness Zone: 5b
By Shelby from Chicago, IL
I have a Christmas Cactus that is 15 years old. Through trial and error (mostly error) I have managed to keep it alive. It is a cactus, so the potting soil should be for cacti. The fertilizer also. It's not hard to find..any WalMart will do. Too much water and direct sunlight can kill the plant. You can repot good healthy pieces directly into potting soil or in water till roots appear.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Squirrels devoured my 3 Christmas Cactus. They looked beautiful through the summer and my husband noticed, yesterday, that they were stumps. I want to try and salvage them. Is there any hope?
