Well guys! Y’all have seen my Christmas cactus on numerous occasions. The last post was that I repotted it and it looked rather pathetic. I have only done a little watering once since I repotted two weeks ago. The cactus is dropping leaves like no tomorrow. This morning it just dropped this big branch. The roots looked great when I repotted it. What could be the cause and what is the solution?
Repotted two weeks ago
What it looked like two months ago
It looks like the pot may be too big for it, also, I don’t see any drainage holes. Try repotting into a pot no larger than 1-2 inches bigger than the original with drainage holes. If not, the water will settle at the bottom which will cause roots to rot. Hope this helps :)
0 likes This is the same pot it was previously in. There are drainage holes. It’s the type of pot where it has a tray that can be removed. I check the tray frequently after I water. It also has only been lightly watered since I repotted two weeks ago. No chance of root rot. When I repotted the roots looked great and no sign of rot.
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was there considerable damage to the root system? i.e. untangled or trimmed roots, any root rot, or change in media. transplant shock will cause plants to drop leaves and branches, especially if the roots were trimmed and the foliage wasn’t.
0 likes So the roots were untangled and I’m sure during that process some of the roots were lost. The roots were in great condition! I did change out the soil since it had been over two years. If this could be normal, when should I be worried? This has been going on for 2 weeks now. Should I do a deep watering? I only did a very small amount.
0 likes it does sound like it’s shock from the repot, it will recover in time. i always saturate the soil fully after a repot, it helps to settle the media and encourage strong roots. light waterings can be detrimental to the root system and cause overwatering symptoms or even rot as adding a little bit of water at a time can keep the soil consistently moist. many houseplants, but succulents especially, benefit from a soak/dry cycle, where once the media is totally dry it is throughly saturated. the pot should go from feeling light as an empty pot to considerably more hefty if it’s been watered properly. it may be a good idea to trim some of the branches as well, since your plant seems to feel it doesn’t have enough roots for the foliage it’s trying to support currently. if the cuttings are firm they should propagate well, holiday cacti root easily. once you go through a few more watering cycles with the plant it should perk up. typically transplant shock can last up to a month.
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That was really useful PlantFather, thank you! I’m just going through similar although now feel I acted too soon 😢 I chopped the plant, discarded the roots entirely & am just waiting for it to callous a little before starting again with the chopped bits I do have. Next time I’ll wait it out a bit longer 🙏 thank you 🙏
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