Hello,

I am hoping someone can help me! I have a very sad Christmas Cactus. It needs fresh soil, a bigger pot (or to be split). I read that it needs to be under potted. Does this mean, it likes to be crowded in a smaller pot?

Any tips to get my cactus looking shiny and gorgeous?

Thanks for any help you can offer!!
Blessings,
Janelle

If you're using potting soil, your plant probably doesn't need much of it. CC's are jungle epiphytes, similar to orchids. They do like to stay moist, but need tons of air around the roots also. In a pot of potting soil, which has very little air in it due to the tiny size of its' particles, the roots will probably be in a sphere around the sides and bottom of the pot, where there's oxygen available. Using a more chunky/porous/airy soil can help, and unglazed clay pots that can breathe.

Your plant is probably Schlumbergera truncata:
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

The info here is excellent:
http://www.clemson.edu/extensi...

I found with my Christmas cactus that you need a lot of perlite to keep the soil light and airy .