The Christmas cactus is a beautiful and popular houseplant that produces colorful tubular-shaped flowers. It is also fairly easy to care for, which makes it an ideal choice for new gardeners or anyone who wants a stunning plant with low maintenance. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Christmas cactus doesn’t experience any problems. A Christmas cactus dropping leaves – how to fix/prevent it is one such issue that can affect this plant. Thankfully, there are things you can do to control the problem.
Underwatering is the most common cause of a Christmas cactus dropping leaves. When the soil becomes too dry, the plant’s leaves will begin to brown and have a crispy feeling to them. If the underwatering continues, these leaves will start to fall off the plant.
Thankfully, underwatering a plant isn’t typically a death sentence for the cactus and most can be revived by merely hydrating the plant. If, however, the cactus is severely underwatered, trying to water it can be difficult since the water will just run off the surface of extremely dry soil.
If this occurs, you will need to soak the Christmas cactus. Fill a container that is large enough to hold the entire pot of the cactus with water. Submerge the Christmas cactus so that the entire pot is under water. Let the plant soak for about 20 to 30 minutes before lifting the pot up and out of the water. Allow the excess water to drain out of the bottom of the pot and then set the cactus back in its location.
What Causes Christmas Cactus To Drop?
A Christmas cactus isn’t a difficult plant to care for, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few problems that can arise if the proper care isn’t given.
Underwatering
The most common cause of the Christmas cactus dropping its leaves is underwatering. If you are not giving the cactus enough watering, it can result in a dry and wilted plant that will lose its leaves.
Underwatering a Christmas cactus is not nearly as harmful to the plant as overwatering it, but it still isn’t a good thing to do. Not only can it cause the leaves to discolor and drop, but it also puts stress on the plant, increases the chance of pest and disease problems, and even stunts the plant’s growth.
Overwatering
Overwatering can also cause the Christmas cactus to lose its leaves. As its name suggests, overwatering is caused by either giving the plant too much water, growing the plant in soil that doesn’t drain properly, or a combination of the two.
Overwatering leads to root rot, which can quickly kill the plant. In fact, when conditions are ideal, root rot can kill in as little as 10 days. To make matters worse, there is no cure for root rot and aboveground symptoms typically don’t present themselves until rot has already progressed beyond control.
The only good thing about overwatering is that it is completely preventable. Just ensure the plant isn’t getting too much water and that it is growing in soil that drains well.
Diseases
When your plant develops a fungal or bacterial disease, one of the first symptoms is that it loses its leaves. Unfortunately, because of the many different diseases that it could be, you will typically have to wait and look for other symptoms first. For example, if the leaves are dropping and they have brown spots, the issue is probably bacterial leaf spot disease.
We at Plants To Trees first published this article on December 30, 2022. Copyright protected.
Poor Lighting
The Christmas cactus needs bright, indirect sunlight in order to survive. But if you place the plant in harsh direct sun, the leaves can burn, scorch, and fall off the cactus. This plant also needs a period of darkness in order to promote blooming during the holiday season. A good general rule of thumb is to provide the plant with 14 hours of darkness once a day for 6 weeks. This should be started in mid September.
If your leaves are dropping off the plant, try moving the Christmas cactus to an area where it will receive indirect light. An area near an east-facing window with a blind or sheer curtain typically works best for this plant.
Pests
Pests are another potential cause of a Christmas cactus dropping its leaves, although this isn’t as common as underwatering and overwatering. Sap-sucking insects, such as mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids, can attack plants and suck the vital juices out of the leaves. This can cause the leaves to fall off the plant,
Thankfully, controlling sap-sucking insects is not difficult and usually only requires a few treatments of insecticidal soap. This pesticide is relatively safe and can be used indoors around people and pets. Make sure to read and follow all the instructions on the label, and thoroughly coat the top and underside of each leaf.
Wrong Temperature
Another potential cause of the Christmas cactus’ leaves falling off is that the temperature is too hot or too cold for the plant. The Christmas cactus thrives in temps that range from 70 to 80 degrees during the spring and summer, and 60 to 68 degrees during the fall and winter. This plant should never be placed in an area where the temperatures are above 90 degrees or temperatures below 50 degrees.
The article owner is Plants To Trees dot Com and this article was first published on December 30, 2022.
Additionally, make sure the Christmas cactus isn’t near a heating or cooling vent or other area where the temperatures can fluctuate drastically.
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PlantsToTrees.com is the owner of this article and we first published this on December 30, 2022.