Question
Hi Will.  I'm having a problem w/ my Christmas Cactus and don't know what to do about it.  I received the cactus last year and over-watered and almost killed it.  Luckily I saved one of the healthy branches and planted it in an 8 inch clay pot in miracle grow soil and it has done wonderfully all spring and summer.  Now there are 6 branches that have grown out of the principle one and until recently it continued to grow and thrive.  The stems and branches were all strong and sturdy.  I have had it in a south facing window and water it about once every 10 days.  It started to bloom 2 weeks ago, but all the leaves started getting really thin-like and it started to droop.  I thought that it needed more water and after I watered it the leaves plumped back up and it looked great.  However, since then every one of the last leaf segments has started to curl under and the tips are turning a pink-like color.  What gives?  Please let me know soon.  Thank you.  

Answer
Hi Christopher,

I wish I had a simple answer for you, but I don't. You have an unusual situation in that you have a single cutting growing in an 8-inch pot, which is very large and sets you up for serious watering problems. Ordinarily, a single stemmed cutting would be in a 2-4 inch pot. Of course, it is possible to mange a Christmas cactus in an oversized pot, but it is much more difficult. The risk is that if you add just a bit too much water each time, then the roots are likely to slowly rot.

I suspect that your plant did fine for a while, but the larger volume of soil that is not drying out sufficiently is now catching up with you.

It is very hard to advise you as to the best course of action at this point. Clearly, the too-large pot is a problem. However, downsizing and the resultant disturbing of the roots  may traumatize the plant even more. Downsizing is what you need to do, but it is risky. If you decide to go ahead with it, remove all soil except that which is covering healthy roots and move it to a terra cotta pot that is just barely large enough to accommodate the roots and a small amount of soil.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.