Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera Bridgesii) is a popular holiday plant that can be found in many homes during the winter season.
This succulent cactus can be easy to care for if you know the right way to water it. Based on watering frequency, the Christmas Cactus may remain Overwatered or underwatered. This can lead to the plant dying.
We need to properly water the Christmas Cactus so that it is not either Overwatered or underwatered.
In this post, I would contrast Overwatered vs Underwatered Christmas Cactus, discuss the signs to understand, and a complete guide about this.
Let’s get started!
Overwatered vs Underwatered Christmas Cactus
When a Christmas cactus is overwatered, the plant will start showing some symptoms of dehydration, darker steam, and to an extent, the stem will begin swelling and rotting.
On the other hand, underwatered cactus will show some signs of swelling as a result of dehydration or lack of moisture forcing the plant to dry up. Underwatered Christmas cactus will have dry, brown stems and leaves and will often produce no flowers.
The best way to water your Christmas cactus is to wait until the top inch of soil is dry before watering again.
Signs of Underwatered Christmas cactus plant
Underwatered Christmas cactus include, the plant will or show some signs of dehydration. The leaves will start limping and drop off.
The stems, as well as the branches, will be soft and start getting mushy.
Other symptoms will prevail to show that the Christmas cactus has a lot of water.
In the case of underwatered cactus, it will turn brown from the stem, and the leaves will be soft to touch.
The soil around the plant will be hard and dry. The succulent will start bending, and its upright posture will change.
Signs of Overwatered Christmas Cactus Plant
Any cactus which sits on excess water will reduce its health. You need to dump the excess water to allow oxygen to flow well.
The signs include limp leaves, which will drop off, the stem and the branches will be soft and mush. To control this, use the soli meter to measure the amount of water.
How often does the Christmas Cactus plant need water?
Watering your Christmas cactus plant every two to three weeks is essential.
You need to water the plant after the top one-third of the soil gets dry when you touch it. Like in the case where the plant is 6 inches tall, you need to water and leave two-inch free.
How long does the Christmas cactus plant go without water?
The most significant number of days the plant requires to go without water is around two weeks. This depends on the plant’s location if it is in-house or outside.
If your plant is outside in a hot and dry area, you need to water it after three days. Two weeks is for those inside the house where the temperature is cool.
The right way to water Christmas Cactus: Top Watering or Bottom Watering
You need to water the plant from the base of the plant directly to the soil to allow the roots to distribute to other parts.
You can also mist the leaves to ensure proper hydration.
Recovering the overwatered and underwatered Christmas cactus plant.
We can recover the plant depending on the level of damage caused to it. If overwatered, it may or not survive the same case if underwatered.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude the post on Overwatered vs Underwatered Christmas Cactus!
Now you know the signs of overwatering and underwatering the Christmas cactus and also how and when to water. It is important to water your Christmas cactus properly in order to ensure its blooming success.
Overwatering can be just as harmful as under-watering, so it is important to find the right balance.
I hope you enjoyed reading the post.