Christmas cactus rotting problem

My old and large Christmas cactus is rotting away. It started this about 2 weeks ago, dropping branches almost everyday. They are all soft and look rotted at the soil level. I stopped watering at that time (I wait until they feel dry before watering) but branches are still dropping. In fact not much plant left. I have been successful rooting some pieces but others just rot away again. What can I do. Change soil? To what? GIVE UP AND START OVER? I do have several other cactus and some of them have started to do the same thing. Do I maybe have some kind of disease? PLEASE HELP

Can you send photos?

I'm going to guess that this huge old CC has not been truly 'repotted' in a very long time. Therefore, I'll further guess that the soil has degraded and become of poor texture for root health and drainage/aeration.
But be aware, I myself don't do well with CC. They seem to fill their pots with very fine roots, and suddenly I find hard 'soil' that doesn't work well. Probably best to root what you can, in good new potting mix.

Probably

I've experienced the exact same thing. Our Christmas Cacti plants have at one time or another dropped branches. I too have wondered about it. Maybe it's normal? Not really sure, but we've never completely lost a cactus from this.

I agree with the others. If your cactus is really old, and been in the same container for a long time, perhaps it is root bound. Might be worth repotting.

Thanks for the info. Any recommendations for the type of potting soil or things I might add to regular potting soil? Sorry no pictures

I think there are cactus soil blends on the market. However I have used general potting mixes and everything seems okay. My grandmother had hers in what appeared to be soil from outside.

Soil from outside is almost certainly NOT good for potted plants.
Google for care and choose sites like Royal Horticultural Society or an appropriate plant society
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=840

BH--

Generally, I find "Cactus soil" as it is sold in the small bags @ HD' too heavy.
It just feels like it would hold too much moisture. I think it has a lot of sand
in it to make it drain better--but i still don't like it. Seems there will never be any
soil aeration for the roots.

I am sure "Tapla's" Mix would e great. You can find it in the "Soil and composting" Forum.
Many people swear by it.

BTW--Transplanting an old, large CC is quite tricky.

--For one--the stems and fronds are very fragile and will break easily.
Brace yourself for many sections breaking off if you do this--but that is OK too--
You can root them and propagate this old plant.

If you are going to lift it out of the old pot--take a large, sturdy plastic bag. cut a hole in the
bottom of it, and slip it over the pot and plant from the bottom up.
Go only as high as the base of the plant!!
Tie the bag off at that point around the base of the CC--and then remove the plant
from the old pot...carefully--and gently. Set it aside...

Prep your new pot with fresh potting mix (of your choice) and fill it in as deep
as needed to, comfortably, fit the plant in the new soil. Keep the bag over the plant!!
Press the soil down around the roots and a bit above them too, keeping it at the
level it was growing all these years. An inch over the level is OK, but no more!
Consider this "top dressing". Water it in.
Consider it "top dressing" as it will settle some anyway from the watering.

When you think everything has been done the best you can--untie the plastic bag
and let the plant, gently, "relax" over the new pot.

Water it VERY sparingly after this procedure. IF it has bloomed just before this--
the Holiday cactus will be entering a "rest period" for about 2 months.
Just let it be! Keep an eye on it and do what is needed--but, overall, do nothing.
This is a good time to take cuttings to root. TWIST off the sections! NEVER cut them off!

After the rest period, it will start sending out new growth-and you can resume watering
and caring for it as usual. Now you can also fertilizer it a bit.

Any broken off sections can be rooted in a small, shallow glass (Like a shot-glass)
with just a smidgen of water in it. Keep a tiny bit of water in it at all times.

I have also rooted cuttings in a "Pro Mix" type of soil. It just takes a bit longer.

If all goes right--after rooting sections of a CC--you can expect blooms in 2 years from it.

Good luck! Gita

If you can find the soil and composting forum...lol

This message was edited Dec 2, 2015 10:56 PM

Trust Gita- she has beautiful baby christmas cacti!! nice and plump "leaves", mine get thin as if they cannot absorb any water. May be that I don't repot as often as needed.

What would we do without Tapla?? Thank you, Tapla!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/719569/

I am Grasshopper to tapla"s ...whatever. I trust his advice.

Sally--(JB abd I communicate via e-mail.)

I have (almost never) re-potted a Holiday cactus--only the smaller ones
I have rooted and are now growing, into bigger pots.

Mine are all done blooming now--and I will try to take some cuttings
of each color I have so I can send them back to JB, who lost all her
[plants, including her CC's, in the GH due to an inspector finding some
insect infestation in her GH. I think the only one she still has is the red one I gave her.
It has always been her favorite.
I told her that, when she gets better and wants to grow all kinds of CC's again,
I will return to her one of each color she gave me-plus all the colors I picked up
scrounging end-of- season racks of CC's at Lowes and picking up broken off sections.
These are always plump and healthy.
Momlady--Thanks for digging up Taplas link....


Sally--
When the "leaves" on my CC's get thin and limp , it seems to be, usually, when
I have allowed it to go too dry, for too long.
Sometimes, on my oldrt CC's, a whole stem will come apart. Then I usually see
that there has been some root-rot going on.
SO---as you can see--nothing is perfect here either....:o

Another issue i have (mostly with my Easter cactus) is that they are dropping "leaves"
and fronds---they just come loose and lay on top of the pot. I will try to pot them up.
I really don't know why this happens--but it could be that I am watering them too much??

Here is the red one JB so loves. It has an unusual, blunt, bloom.
If you turn it up--the bottom of the bloom is, kind of, flat.

Nice grower...this one.... Gita

Sally- I was thinking the same thing. Lol

This is the first year that I have sucessfully grown CCs and all 3 are blooming or close to it.

Ours have been blooming for quite awhile, and still at it. We started with one, and now have 2 additional plants.

Dad gave me their 'heirloom' plant, was planted in non draining pot and got huge for them over years. But eventually, I got the plant. The soil was very hard and dense, pieces of plant started coming off.. and when I got it out of the pot, there were basically no roots- surviving on atmospheric moisture I guess. Organic matter in a soil will eventually break down.
These are probably favorite heirlooms for their ability to bloom and endure lots of abuse, aside from their unique looks. I'd never recommend garden soil for a potted plant.

Sally--
Show me a picture of your heirloom CC, please. Thanks, G.

sorry, Gita, it went to plant heaven with my attempt to repot and later living with me! Just the usual pinkish reddish common 'CC"

This is a common little grocery store one. Mom in law r got three years ago. Two years w ere spent on kitchen bar and water was very iffy and light was kitchen overhead. Last year I took pity , began to water, some fertilizer drops, and east windosill. It's grown a lot and the aegments are small , still has some plumpness to the stems that my own plants often lose. It's never been repotted. That shows you what 'abuse' they can somehow survive. I think my weekly wayering, which always can drain, just dampens the roots without really saturating the soil.

Sally--your CC looks really healthily to me...

Let it grow and get root-bound....do not worry. These can stand to be root-bound.

After blooming--they like a rest period....VERY little watering--if any. 2 months.
As hard as it is--they will be OK.
You can pinch back and take cuttings after they have loomed...

G.

Didn't bloom this year, due to its placement in a living area which would inhibit bud setting.

ROFL, my post above was done on a phone, hence the horrible typos!