Christmas Cactus

Question:

I have had my plant for seven years, I moved recently and now my plant is droopy. I have never pruned it I do Not know how. I would also like to start new growth and do not know how. My plant is 8 inches long and in a 8×10 pot. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer:

That is a very large pot for a Christmas Cactus that size. This plant has a very small root system and does best when kept quite potbound. That said, I do NOT recommend that you try to repot it to a smaller pot. However, I am concerned that it may be drooping due to root rot. Root rot occurs when the soil around the roots stays moist for too long. Large pots with excess soil usually do not dry out frequently enough to prevent root rot.

Holiday Cacti also droop after they finish flowering, usually about this time of year. If yours recently bloomed, then that may be the cause of the drooping. If so, keep the soil drier than usual and wait until the days get longer when it should perk up.

Now is a good time to prune. As a general rule, prune back each stem by about one-third. New growth will slowly emerge at the end of each pruned stem.