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What Kind of Soil Should I Use to Grow a Christmas Cactus?
What Kind of Soil Should I Use to Grow a Christmas Cactus?. Christmas cacti in full bloom often flood the market in December, but these succulents don't produce flowers on cue without special treatment from you. Exposing them to total darkness for 12 hours a night -- beginning in October -- forces blooms in time for the winter holidays. Keeping...
Christmas cacti in full bloom often flood the market in December, but these succulents don't produce flowers on cue without special treatment from you. Exposing them to total darkness for 12 hours a night -- beginning in October -- forces blooms in time for the winter holidays. Keeping your plant healthy until the following year means providing for its needs, which includes the proper soil.
Commercial Potting Medium
Succulent soil sold in your local plant-supply or hardware store provides your Christmas cactus with the appropriate soil. This soil resists excess moisture and promotes proper drainage -- two vital features of soil for Christmas cacti.
Amend Garden Soil
Using garden soil as the base for your Christmas cactus is always an option, but it must be amended. Mix equal parts sterilized garden soil, aged compost and coarse sand. The Henderson County Horticulture News recommends adding 1 quart of wood ashes to a bushel of the soil mix and suggests adding well-rotted cow to manure to poor soil at a rate of one-tenth of the volume of your soil.
Potting Soil
Commercial all-purpose potting soil and be used as the soil base for your Christmas cactus, but must be amended to improve drainage and promote aeration. Mix one-part potting soil to one-part builder's sand or perlite. This creates a porous soil suitable for succulents.
Considerations
Using garden soil to make potting medium for Christmas cacti requires sterilizing the soil first to prevent injuries to the plant from soil-borne pathogens. Subject the soil to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Doing so in the home releases offensive odors -- heat the soil on the grill or outdoor fireplace if you decide to sterilize your own soil. Sand added to potting mixtures should be coarse builder's sand not the type you find at the beach. A bag of succulent soil mix from the store may be an added cost, but it is ready-to-use and doesn't require mixing.
