I’m quite keen to grow lots of plants outside as well as indoors. This includes the indoor Christmas Cactus.
These plants are popular at Christmas time because of the colors they throw when they are in bloom.
If you grow them indoors, you have to make sure that they stay moist.
I tend them once a week and I also give them occasional fertilizing. Plants that are kept well tend to live longer.
It is not often that you get a plant that is looked after and goes into full bloom perfectly.
Unfortunately, at Christmas time, this happens with the Christmas Cactus.
It is not uncommon for this plant to drop flowers. It could be for several reasons but the following article looks at the reasons for dropping buds.
Flower drops are quite common with the Christmas Cactus and there are a number of reasons. Some of the reasons for drops are pretty simple to fix.
The maintenance of plants holds a prominent place in enhancing their blooming at the right time.
At present, several environmentalists decorate their homes and offices with indoor plants to make the space more eco-friendly in appearance.
Christmas cactus is one of the widely used indoor plants by Home Decor lovers across the world.
Let’s get started!
Why is my Christmas Cactus Dropping Buds?
You can find versatile types of Christmas cactus plants in online plant nurseries.
Non-maintenance of Christmas cactus is found to be the main reason behind the dropping of plant buds before blooming.
Multiple factors play key roles in enhancing the blooming of the Christmas cactus plant.
Below are the reasons which can cause your Christmas Cactus to drop its flowers:
Interrupted Dark Cycle
An improper dark cycle is one of the main reasons behind the dropping of plant buds.
The provision of sufficient sunlight to the Christmas cactus plant is very essential to enhance the growth of the plant buds and leaves.
Hence, keeping the plant in a dark place without sunlight can induce the dropping of plant buds.
Moving the Christmas Cactus can Cause flower buds to drop off
Frequent shifting of Christmas cactus plants with buds can give rise to the dropping of plant buds.
It is good to put grow LEDs while growing Christmas cactus inside the home where there is no sufficient sunlight.
The provision of growing LEDs can minimize the shifting of plants from one place to another for sunlight provision.
This feature in turn can reduce dropping buds before blooming.
Saturated Soil Causes Flower Buds to Drop
The preparation of nutrient-rich soil before planting Christmas cactus holds a prominent place in minimizing the risk of dropping plant buds.
Saturated soil, if left unconsidered can increase the trouble of dropping buds.
Hence make sure that the potting soil constitutes nutrient-rich soil to avoid the dropping bud problems in Christmas cactus.
Extreme weather conditions with Fluctuating Temperatures
Extreme weather condition is another main cause that can interfere with the normal growth of plants.
People can minimize the consequences due to extreme weather conditions by placing the plant at the right location where it can get ambient sunlight and water for normal growth.
Also, you can put grow LEDs while placing the plant inside the home.
Excessive watering of plants at times can increase the risk of dropping buds from the plants.
To get the best result, make sure to provide an adequate water supply to promote plant growth.
Want to know the ways to prevent it?
Keep reading…
How to Prevent Christmas Cactus Dropping Buds?
Though the Christmas cactus buds drop is a common issue that we find once in a while, there are ways by which you can prevent them from dropping.
Providing the proper Dark Cycle
In the case of Christmas Cactus bud formation and blooming, the dark cycle plays a major role.
If you find that your plant’s dark cycle is already interrupted, you can start again maintaining that.
Keeping in the dark cycle consistently helps to recover the issue causing buds to drop.
Keeping Christmas Cactus in one Place
Changing place indicates a change in Sunlight amount, the airflow to the plant, and mostly
Providing the Optimal Soil for Christmas Cactus
Soil is an important part of the growth of buds in the Christmas cactus. If the soil is soggy or loamy, it can cause root rot and other issues to your plant.
So, first, check that you used the proper soil mix for your Christmas Cactus. The soil should not hold water near its roots and it should drain properly.
This would ensure keeping the plant healthy and prevent buds from dropping at an earlier stage.
Maintaining the Temperature
If the outside temperature gets freezing cold in the winter season and very hot during summer, then you need not keep the Christmas Cactus outside.
We need to prevent any extreme dip or rise in temperature situation. If we experience freezing temperatures, we need to bring the Christmas Cactus inside our house and cover it with a cloth.
Keeping it at an optimal temperature is best for the buds and plant growth.
Conclusion
If you cannot spot the cause of your bud drop, then you will need to be patient. Every plant is different and with flowers dropping it could be due to several things.
It could be the blooming stage, i.e. flowers are falling off. This occurs with the Christmas Cactus because the bloom drops.
It may be due to overwatering or under-watering.
Sometimes the plant gets overwatered, generally caused by pouring the water onto the plant rather than watering from underneath.
It may not be from lack of sunlight. If the buds are dropping it could be because it needs a higher amount of sunlight.
Check the package, maybe it needs an extra half hour a day to bloom.
If you are not willing to wait for the plant to bloom, it may be best to take it out of direct sunlight and re-pot it. In general, cacti like bright, direct sunlight.
Be careful when choosing what type of pot to re-pot your plant in.
Most plants like a pot that is slightly wider than it is tall. If the pot you put it in is wider, you are more than likely watering the plant correctly, but it may still have room to grow.
Check-in every few months and see how your plant is doing. Check that it has not dropped its buds and is well hydrated. If it has, it may just be time to repot it.
Now that you know the causes of dropping buds, you can hopefully spot when it is dropping them. You may come across a few fewer bud drops if you do.
