Why Are The Leaves On My Christmas Cactus Limp?

A Christmas cactus may look its best during the festive season but this resilient houseplant grows all year round.

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Despite that Christmas cactus plants are more hardy, they can also suffer from a range of problems, such as dried or limp leaves.

Why Are The Leaves On My Christmas Cactus Limp?

From overwatering to the wrong soil, we explore the reasons why the leaves on your Christmas cactus may be limp, and how to fix it.

Why Are The Leaves On Your Christmas Cactus Limp?

There could be a large variety of reasons why the leaves on your Christmas cactus are limp are wilted, including too much direct sunlight, overwatering or lack of nutrients.

As a rule of thumb, a Christmas cactus plant prefers partial shade with moderate watering and sufficient warmth and humidity.

Here are all the reasons why your Christmas cactus may be suffering from limp leaves.

Not Enough Watering

One of the most common reasons for dropping or limp Christmas cactus leaves is that the plant isn’t watered enough.

If you water it only once a week in warm weather, then the leaves of the plant may droop or drop off.

Christmas cactus plants aren’t true cacti but they are tropical succulents which means that they need more water than your usual cactus.

It’s best to water your Christmas cactus regularly or get a drip feeder that waters your plant automatically.

Too Much Watering

On the other hand, you shouldn’t give your Christmas cactus too much water as this could cause soil rot which can lead to your plant’s leaves going limp.

A holiday cactus has a very shallow root system which means that it prefers to have medium-dry soil without soggy conditions.

In addition, the stems of the Christmas cactus are extremely sensitive and delicate. They don’t respond well to overwatering.

This means that if you water your plant too much over longer periods of time, then its roots will start rotting, and this could even lead to the death of the plant.

Then, you will notice limpness and withering because the plant cannot absorb any more water.

Wrong Soil

Another common reason why Christmas cactuses may have limp leaves is because they are potted in the wrong soil.

Christmas cacti are epiphytes. This means that they commonly grow along trees in tropical regions.

Their stem and leaves also hold a large amount of water that is fed up from the soil and roots.

These two essential characteristics mean that your Christmas cactus needs well-drained soil to live and thrive.

The best soil mix for a Christmas cactus is a blend of river sand and normal potting soil. The sand increases the space between the soil particles allowing better drainage.

If you pot your Christmas cactus into too dense soil like normal garden soil, then the fine roots of your plant won’t be able to soak up enough water.

This can lead to root rot, limp leaves and the dropping of the plant’s flowers.

Lack Of Nutrients

Limp leaves or shrivelled leaves can also be a sign that the soil of your Christmas cactus doesn’t contain enough nutrients or the right nutrients.

All plants require essential nutrients in their soil to grow leaves and blooms.

Your Christmas cactus simply takes all these important nutrients from the soil and any fertilizer that you feed your plant.

Unlike in forests where plant material is added by decaying material on the ground, in a plant pot at home or in your garden, there is no natural way to add nutrients.

You will need to regularly add nutrients in the form of fertilizer to the Christmas cactus soil to ensure that your plant can thrive.

If you notice that your Christmas tree stopped growing or a lack of flowers, then you need to check if the pot soil contains enough nutrients.

Wrong Humidity Or Temperature

As Christmas cacti are tropical succulents, they are very picky when it comes to humidity and temperature, especially if you want them to grow flowers.

Christmas cacti need an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is much cooler than your standard houseplant.

In addition, a Christmas cactus plant needs even cooler temperature during fall and winter, down to around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

This being said, these beautiful plants cannot take too cool climates. Any temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit will damage the plant’s cells and its leaves will start going limp.

This also applies to too high temperatures. If your Christmas cactus is in a room that’s too warm, then the limps can droop and flowers fall off.

Humidity is another important consideration as a Christmas cactus requires extremely high humidity.

If the air in the room, where your plant is, is too dry, then it won’t flower and the leaves will start to go limp, and eventually fall off.

How To Fix A Limp Christmas Cactus

It’s not too difficult to fix limp leaves on your Christmas cactus. You just need to find the cause of the limpness, and then fix the problem.

Water The Right Amount

It’s a fine balance between watering your Christmas cactus too much or too little. As a rule of thumb, you should try water your plant at least twice a week.

However, this depends on the humidity and temperature of the room where the plant is located.

If you notice your Christmas cactus dropping its leaves, then check how moist the soil is. If it’s too dry, then you will need to water more.

Apply Fertilizer

It’s a good idea to feed your Christmas cactus fertilizer at least every two months. If your plant has been in the same pot for a few years, then it’s best to change the soil and repot it.