Why is the Christmas cactus turning red? Christmas cactus may turn red due to lapses in the treatment they get.
To elaborate further on these, the exposure to intense bright sunlight could cause the Christmas cactus to turn red. Christmas cactus usually grow in shade when they grow in the wild.
Usually, they would grow as epiphytes. Hence when you cultivate them , do not expose them to too intense sunlight.
First you would spot them forming purple hue or red hue on their leaves. Then those hues tend to spread more and it will turn red at the end. Ultimately, they would fall.
Further you may spot the new growths of the Christmas cactus also forming in red. That could also be due to the lapses they get in terms of the care treatments.
Besides these features, incorrect feeding could also result in turning the Christmas cactus red. It is important that you feed these plants well so that they can produce attractive blooms.
You need to do it periodically and appropriately too. You can start to feed them from mid-October and suspend feeding them once they complete flowering.
You may use the fertilizers which are specifically made for succulents and for cactus. So, if you spot your Christmas cactus turning red that literally means the soil is lacking phosphorus levels.
In addition to these, excessive watering would also result in Christmas cactus turning red.
Irrespective of the fact that they love moisture, you need to ensure that you do not provide excessive water for them at any given time. Over watering could create an unhealthy impact on the plants.
Ideally you need to water the soil when their top layer is dry only. if you expose the plants to waterlogged conditions, it will result in rot.
Further it will affect the shades of the foliage and make them turn red. Ultimately it will end up perishing too. If you place the Christmas cactus closer to the drafts, it will affect the airing of the room and cause for the redness of the Christmas cactus.
How do you treat red leaves on Christmas cactus?
A proper care treatment is what you need to practice when treating the red leaves on the Christmas cactus.
It will help them to regain the natural original green color. To start off you need to first examine the plants well and see whether there are any pests which have invaded the plants.
If you find any it is important that you treat them at the very moment you spot them. Next you need to arrange a new soil mix along with disinfected scissors and garden pruners.
After that you should take the plants out of the pot gently. Next, you need to rinse the root system with running water as well. Check whether you could spot any decaying plant parts.
If you find any decaying plant parts, you need to snip them off while using sterile tools. Don’t forget to treat those cuttings with an antiseptic.
You may use crushed activated carbon or even ash for this purpose. As the next step you need to leave the plants to air dry for about 2-4 hours.
After that you could add some substances such as perlite or gravel as the drainage layer. Finally, you can close the drainage layer with soil and dip the roots in the pots.
Other problems
Why are my Christmas cactus leaves turning pink?
Your Christmas cactus leaves may turn pink due to excess sunlight or due to under watering.
So, to remedy this, you need to shift the plants to a shady place in the first place. Next you can start watering them. Keep in mind that Christmas cactus want indirect sunlight and moderate watering.
Why are my Christmas cactus leaves turning purple?
If you could spot any purplish hue in your Christmas cactus, you do not have to worry about that as it is quite normal.
Having said that if you could spot it significantly on the leaves, that is an indication of some lapses in the care treatment you provide for them.
Just as with the redness in your Christmas cactus, the nutritional lapses may cause the plants to turn purple. If you do not feed them periodically, it would make them starve for essential nutrient levels.
Hence, I recommend feeding them once a month during spring to mid fall. You could use a general-purpose fertilizer for indoor pants for this.
Usually, Christmas cactus have a significant requirement when it comes to Magnesium component when you compare it with other plants.
So, to fulfill this requirement you could use Epsom salt for that. You could simply use the Epsom soil solution once a month during spring and in summer.
However, refrain from using the Epsom salt in the same week you apply the regular fertilizers. Further if your Christmas cactus has crowded roots that could also cause the Christmas cactus to turn purple.
Once the plant’s roots grow compact, the nutrient absorption will not take place rapidly.
In addition to these, too much direct sunlight would also result in the Christmas cactus leaves turning purple in color. What you could do is to immediately shift the plants to somewhere which is shady. It should fix the problem for you.
Why are the tips of my cactus turning purple?
It is quite normal for the Christmas cactus to turn their leaves tips purple.
Christmas cactus new growth is red
If you spot your Christmas cactus is forming new growths in red, it could be due to the shortcoming in the care treatment they get.
Christmas cactus magnesium deficiency
If your Christmas cactus is suffering from magnesium deficiency you could see the red tinged foliage and purple tinged foliage.
You could commonly come across this condition. This is quite visible during winter once you water and feed them rarely.
Besides, the colder temperature would also slow down the nutrient uptake of the plants. As aforesaid , Christmas cactus have higher demand when it comes to Magnesium nutrients. So, to remedy this you need to apply Epsom salt during their growing season.
Christmas cactus leaf problems
Chances are that Christmas cactus leaves could be limp and droopy. Flowering could be one reason as to why they become limp and droopy.
Christmas cactus takes a lot of energy to produce flowers and consequently their leaves would tend to become droopy due to that.
So, if you experience this kind of a situation, you need to wait until the plants finish flowering and let them rest for some time.
During this time, you could water them lightly and skip feeding them at all. Later on, you could continue with the regular care treatment for the plants.
Needless to mention that improper watering may also result in the droopy and limp leaves of the Christmas cactus.
It would further result in wilted and shriveled leaves as well. In fact, both under wearing and over watering could result in this condition.
You need to ideally water the plants to keep their soil layer moist. Do not keep them deprived of water for too long too.
Apart from these, your Christmas cactus leaves may turn pale in color due to excess sunlight exposure too. In that case best would be to shift the plants to a shady place.
Read Next : Why Are Christmas Cactus Dropping Buds? Are Christmas Cactus Acid Loving Plants?
