When and how to repot your Christmas cactus succulents

This is the season when your Christmas cactus is full of buds preparing to open. It is an experience you look forward to when your plant shows off its spectacular red, pink, white, and orange blooms. For the Christmas cactus to bloom, it needs a new pot and fresh soil to keep it healthy. Learn how repotting revives a Christmas cactus, when to do it, and how.

Why repotting is important

Christmas cacti are succulents native to the Brazilian rainforests. Repotting becomes a necessary step in its care to encourage healthy growth and regular blooming. Fresh soil helps replenish the succulents’ nutrients. This houseplant always needs a slightly larger pot to give it a little more room for growth. When you skip repotting, it causes nutrient deficiencies, weakness, and fewer flowers blooming. Failing to repot regularly prevents plants from accessing necessary nutrients from fresh soil. This leads to root-bound conditions, stunted growth, and fewer flowers.

Repotting is extremely necessary every year or every two years in the plant’s maturity. To help maintain the plant’s health. Always plant to repot in early spring before new buds begin forming. Get rid of as much of the old soil as you can and repot the plant in a new pot with fresh soil to keep any diseases from spreading.

How to repot a Christmas cactus

Repotting a Christmas cactus doesn’t take long or require many supplies. When repotting your plant, choose a pot that’s two sizes larger than the current one.

Just loosen the soil in the current pot with your trowel. Gently lift the plant from the pot.
Use your hands to brush off and shake excess soil from the roots.
With good pruners, remove any dead, brown leaves or soft roots. Healthy roots need to be firm and white.
Add a layer of fresh soil to the bottom of the new pot. Set your cacti plant in the middle and fill the area around it with more soil. Make sure the roots are covered and press to remove any air pockets.
Water the succulent and place it in an area with indirect light for a few days so it can adjust to the stress of repotting.