One of the things I look forward to most during the festive season is watching my Christmas cactus bloom. Over the last couple of years, I've realized there's one particular element that can make or break a Christmas cactus display: its soil.
The best soil for a Christmas cactus is one that is well-draining and rich in nutrients, and while there are specific Christmas cactus potting soil mixes available on the market (from Amazon), I find it much more rewarding to make a DIY potting mix.
An Easy Christmas Cactus Recipe
Getting the growing environment right is one of the best ways to avoid Christmas cactus mistakes, which is why it can be a great idea to make your own Christmas cactus potting mix.
There are the materials you will need:
- Houseplant potting mix (from Amazon)
- Perlite (from Amazon)
- Corase sand (from Walmart)
- Organic compost. You can read our guide to make your own compost for tips
The first thing to do is get a large mixing container. I like to use a baking mixing bowl (like this from Walmart) for my potting mix recipes.
Start with two parts houseplant potting mix, forming a base with plenty of essential plant nutrients in it. Alternatively, you can use the best soil for succulents, as Christmas cactus is actually a succulent and not a cactus. This succulent potting mix from Amazon is a good choice.
To make the mix even more well-draining, add one part perlite and one part coarse sand. These materials will aerate the mix, making air pockets for excess water to drain away.
The final ingredient to add is a handful of organic compost. This will boost the amount of nutrients available in the soil, promoting vigorous growth and long-lasting blooming.
Give it a good mix and use it to repot your Christmas cactus.
Why These Are the Best Ingredients For a Christmas Cactus
Because it's a succulent, the Christmas cactus is prone to the same succulent mistakes as other types.
This includes overwatering and oversaturated soil, which ultimately can result in houseplant root rot.
This is where the perlite and coarse sand come in, aerating the mix and helping to manage moisture levels.
In fact, Christmas cactus has aerial roots in its natural habitat, growing on surfaces like tree bark as an epiphyte. For this reason, a dense potting mix will only suffocate roots.
You can also use a soil moisture meter (from Amazon) to check when you DIY potting mix has sufficiently dried to ensure you don't overwater your Christmas cactus.
As for the organic compost, this is a material full of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus which are particularly important for Christmas cactus growth and blooming.
On top of this, you can fertilize your Christmas cactus with coffee grounds, or use a specific Christmas cactus fertilizer (from Amazon).
FAQs
Can I Mount My Christmas Cactus?
Yes, a Christmas cactus is a houseplant you can mount because it's an epiphyte, i.e. they grow on surfaces like tree bark in their natural habitat, rather than in soil. Though, it isn't the easiest houseplant to mount. You should use a mounting board (from Amazon), wrap Christmas cactus roots in a well-draining potting mix, sand, and moss, and attach it to the board with garden twine. An easier way to get this look is by potting your Christmas cactus in a hanging basket (from Wayfair) and elevating it.
Not only can you make your own Christmas cactus potting mix to encourage healthy growth, you should also water a Christmas cactus carefully to keep it happy, only topping it up with water when the top two inches of soil have dried out.
Use the below Christmas cactus accessories to take your care regime to the next level:
This watering can is in a beautiful terracotta hue. It has a long, narrow spout, ideal for watering houseplants.
Use this Christmas cactus fertilizer to give your plant a boost of nutrients. This liquid fertilizer should be diluted in water before use.
Christmas cacti are succulents and have shallow roots, making this an ideal-sized planter. It has a drainage hole and saucer to remove excess water.
