Why does the bud of my Christmas cactus wither and see why?

Christmas cactus is an attractive potted plant that blossoms in December, just in time for the festival. Christmas cacti are considered tropical plants and need extra care, unlike their desert relatives, which do not need much care to grow and blossom. Christmas cactus needs proper care to sprout and blossom every year. There are many reasons why cactus flowers wither at Christmas, which can also lead to the withering of buds.

Light

In winter and autumn, put Christmas cactus in direct sunlight windows, but in spring and summer, plants need indirect sunlight or filtered sunlight. Plants need at least 13 hours of darkness a day, starting in mid-September and continuing until mid-November, otherwise buds will not form, or form and fall off. However, if you put the cactus in a room with a temperature of 12.8 ℃, you don't need a full 13 hours of darkness.

water

When plants don't get enough water, the leaves of the Christmas cactus will wither. Dry soil conditions can also lead to bud shedding. The soil needs to be kept moist in summer and winter, but dry before it is watered in autumn and spring. Avoid watering the leaves when watering the cactus. Use water at room temperature to avoid impact on the roots of plants, which can cause plants to sprout and not blossom.

Temperature

The house temperature between April and September should be between 21.1℃ and 26.7℃ during the day. When the bud is formed in autumn, the temperature above 32.2℃ will cause the bud to drop. Nocturnal temperature between 12.8 ℃ and 18.3 ℃ is necessary for good leaf growth and bud formation. Plants should stay away from ventilation, cooling vents, heating vents and fireplaces; extreme temperature changes can lead to a decrease in germination rate.

Fertilizer

From March to May, when plants are actively growing, use water-soluble cactus fertilizer once a month. Although fertilizing the Christmas cactus is stopped in June and July, it needs to be fertilized again in August and September. Don't fertilize plants in December and February. Use cactus fertilizer and use cactus fertilizer according to the 1/4 strength recommended on the package.

problem

Turning on the lights in a room, or the lights in the car windows shining on the Christmas cactus, can interrupt the dark hours needed by plants in dark times. This problem will cause the buds of plants to fall off. If the plant is in a room with these conditions, move the plant to a new place in September, it can be a dark closet, leave it there for eight weeks, and then send it back to its original place.