The Christmas cactus is not very demanding when it comes to nutrients. As a child of the rainforest, it copes well with nutrient-poor substrates. If you want to fertilize it, you should be careful and not overdo it. How to fertilize Christmas cacti.
How should you fertilize a Christmas cactus?
Normal cactus fertilizer or liquid fertilizer with a high potassium content is suitable for fertilizing a Christmas cactus. Fertilize a maximum of every 14 days and reduce the recommended amount of fertilizer by a third to half. Avoid fertilizing after repotting or during the rest period after flowering.
When should you fertilize a Christmas cactus?
Christmas cacti are at home in moist rainforests. There they thrive with little nutrients. This fact should be taken into account when fertilizing Christmas cacti. Less is often more here.
As a general rule, you don't need to fertilize a Christmas cactus at all, as you should repot it annually.
If you still want to fertilize, make sure you avoid over-fertilization. Fertilization takes place all year round. You only have to avoid fertilizing during the short rest period after the flowering period.
- Fertilize a maximum of every fourteen days
- Reduce the amount of fertilizer
- do not fertilize after repotting
- Keep a rest period after flowering
Do not fertilize after purchase or repotting
Immediately after purchasing or repotting a Christmas cactus, you should completely avoid fertilizing it. The substrate is so rich in nutrients that additional fertilizer would simply be too much. In the worst case scenario, the Christmas cactus will die.
You only need to fertilize when the cactus has grown in the same substrate for a year. If you have to repot it anyway, you can skip fertilizing altogether.
It can make sense to repot a Christmas cactus immediately after purchasing it. The soil is often very compacted, very rich in nutrients or completely wet. In this case, you should unpot the cactus, rinse off the old substrate and place it in fresh soil.
The right fertilizer for Christmas cacti
To fertilize a Christmas cactus, you can use normal cactus fertilizer (€7.00 on Amazon). But a liquid fertilizer with a high potassium content is also sufficient.
Reduce the quantities indicated on the package by a third to half. How to avoid over-fertilizing your Christmas cactus.
Tip
If the Christmas cactus loses its flowers, it is not due to a lack of nutrients. This is due to changing location too frequently. The flowers always turn towards the light, so you should move the plant as rarely as possible.
