---
title: "I’ve had several holiday cactus over the years, and no matter what I…"
description: "I’ve had several holiday cactus over the years, and no matter what I do, they end up thin and purple. I want the fat plump bright green growth like when they…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/aGAK-4ayRFKntIfFxTpxsQ/KMrN150yFaOvsU4Ehx7tXH"
community: "Expert Level Greenspace"
author: "Sarah"
published: "2025-03-03T14:57:01.019535Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/B3dJzonCLFgUK1XP9rgpBcBI7vTYrJ2adt8IGZbQDrU/cT_zlv1DR9Sy7MlgTOY_4A.webp?size=large"
---

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# I’ve had several holiday cactus over the years, and no matter what I…

_Posted by Sarah on 2025-03-03_

I’ve had several holiday cactus over the years, and no matter what I do, they end up thin and purple. I want the fat plump bright green growth like when they are new. (Or the aged and dried brown on really old growth is fine too.) Thoughts?

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/B3dJzonCLFgUK1XP9rgpBcBI7vTYrJ2adt8IGZbQDrU/cT_zlv1DR9Sy7MlgTOY_4A.webp?size=large)

## 7 comments

### JW commented on 2025-03-03

I'd get those guys a bit less water, more light, and check for too high of soil acidity. If you want lots of stalks, find a healthy branch and cut off the last segment, and there is a chance that two leaves will grow from the end instead of one.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/cntBhzuhemsXktbGSWDmnn9XkfsMF6fWhnH7zPcFREk/4CTCOy-iRquuDcpLGoEdxA.webp?size=large)

### JW commented on 2025-03-03

I'd get those guys a bit less water, more light, and check for too high of soil acidity. If you want lots of stalks, find a healthy branch and cut off the last segment, and there is a chance that two leaves will grow from the end instead of one.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/cntBhzuhemsXktbGSWDmnn9XkfsMF6fWhnH7zPcFREk/PuoIMjgwS56xuMb-2nQ06g.webp?size=large)

#### Sarah replied on 2025-03-03

I’ve trimmed them a few times. Last time I went pretty far back, trying to get them back to green. Not much I can do as far as light, they are in an east facing bathroom window, but it’s a northern climate (New Hampshire).

How do you check soil acidity?

### JW commented on 2025-03-03

\*did not mean to post twice

### Bay Area Plant Mom commented on 2025-03-03

isn’t that sun stress?

### Wolfen 🐺 commented on 2025-03-03

Generally that purple color is from too much sun, aka sun stressing.

### JW commented on 2025-03-05

Sorry I was confusing. I meant stress because of more light😅. Soil acidity can be found by using a water test or a test strip. Water test is usually pretty expensive so I have a little pH strip kit that I use. If you have a fish tank, you can take a bit of water that has flowed through the soil and test it with one of those strips, too!

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