The limpness is indication that the stems are not getting enough water........which does not mean necessarily that you are UNDERWATERING, although it could. It could also be that it was overwatered and roots rotted away (less/no roots to obtain water), that the soil mixture has become compact or otherwise unsuitable over time, or there just may be too much plant for the size of the pot (not enough roots to obtain moisture and support that large plant). I would look into repotting it into a larger pot and using some good fresh soil suitable for this type of plant.

Bear in mind it's an epiphyte and it grows in humus rich soil that is formed from decaying leaf litter in the crook of a branch for eg. It needs moisture, but not enough to rot the sparse rootball of this type of jungle cacti.

If it were mine I would repot into a new mix after reducing each branch by at least a half. That way it will reduce the shock of the move, and if it has root issues, give the chance of better regeneration of new growth. It won't take long to bounce back to that size again given better conditions.

Please add your state/temp zone info after your name on your profile so we can advise better on any future issues.

Gill UK

i would do as greenclaw suggested,,that way you give that plant less shock and it should rebound and get big again next year outside,i would keep it in a shaded area though,so it don't sunburn,put the trimmed pieces in another contaner or water to root.i know i would trade the cuttings for other colors,to get other colors for my collection. good luck

Yes, your Thanksgiving Cactus (not Christmas) probably just needs to be re-potted. I have found that the best mix for these is a mix of mostly bark with a handful of perlite and a pinch of potting mix thrown in. They need a free-draining mix that can be watered often without holding excess moisture.

Josh

Thanks for all the help. I will trim, repot with new soil mixture after it blooms. How much larger should the pot be? Don't they like to be pot bound?

greenman28,

How do you tell if it is a Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus? It has jus started to bloom in the last week.

See those points on the leaf margins? That's the most obvious indicator.

The next major indicator is that the flowers are asymmetrical.

Josh

Well spotted Josh, I missed those points!

Steve - I'm in Cape Coral and my red TC has been doing the same thing. I have soaked it in water a few times to re-hydrate the bark (mine is in the mix that Josh mentioned) and that has helped. Only my red plant has the goofy leaves.

Mine also is just now blooming. We have been warmer than usual this 'winter', so I am blaming it on that.

Here's a picture from this morning -

Last year it bloomed much earlier, but the leaves looked even worse. After the bloom, I went with the new mix. I did not prune, but maybe I should have.

I searched this forum for help for my Christmas cactus and a few things in this thread caught my eye.

I have two different cactus in the same pot. I think a Christmas and a Thanksgiving but they both bloom most of the year. At least they used to bloom most of the year. Last summer they both started dropping leaf segments and the blooms only last a couple of days. Some branches look limp like Steve and Crenda's photos. They were given to me at least 10 years ago and they were "old" then. I have quite a few African violets and I use the same fertilizer in the water that I use for everything. The African violets haven't been blooming like normal either. Maybe we've had too many cloudy days?

I wonder if they need new "dirt"? For a few years I've wanted to separate them but since they were almost always blooming, I didn't. I have a smaller plant upstairs in front of a south window that looks pretty good but it's not blooming like it should either. I can't even find African violet potting mix here so any kind of mix for the cactus will have to be made from scratch. And I'm not sure I'd be able to find the ingredients. I wonder if I should take them out of the pot and see if the roots are ok even though they have some flowers on them. And if I do that, I will put them in two pots.

I'm in Iowa but we have had a very warm winter. It hasn't been below zero yet so the furnace hasn't run like in other years.

Josh: greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a ,

How much bigger should a pot be width and depth to repot the plant? The current pot is about 10 inches across the top. I know you said mostly bark, handful of pearlite and a pinch of potting soil. Do you think I should remove or break apart the current soil around the roots before replacing it? It is blooming now but the flowers look weak.

Steve

Start by lifting the rootball out of the container and having a look at the condition of the roots and mix. If you can see dry pockets of mix, then you'll know that the issue is lack of moisture. If, on the other hand, the mix is completely saturated and compacted at the bottom, you'll know that the issue is lack of aeration (too much moisture in the rootzone).

Now is not the best time to re-pot, so I caution you. The plant is spending a huge amount of energy on the bloom, and it won't have those energy stores to recuperate as quickly.

When you do re-pot, yes you'll crumble away as much of the old mix as possible, without damaging too many roots. Then, you'll take the fresh moistened bark mix and work it into all the spaces between the roots, leaving no air-pockets. Water the plant in well afterwards, and wait to water away for approximately a week.

Let me see if I can find a Thread from the last time I re-potted my Christmas Cactus. It was a major chore.

Josh

Here you are.

Christmas Cactus Re-Potted

Josh

I just repotted the "Thanksgiving Cactus". It had very little root ball and compacted. I will let you know how it does.

I look forward to seeing how it works out for you. My big red TC keeps looking like it would benefit from a repot - or at least a trim. I keep looking at it, but haven't done a darn thing yet!

Here is a current picture of the Christmas Cactus above. (Thanksgiving Cactus)

It is looking much better.

Thanks for all the help.

Beautiful job, Steve! It's absolutely gorgeous!

Steve

Congratulations! Plant looks great, you obviously did repotting right. I am sure there are many more roots now, and is enjoying the new potting mix.

Wonderful recovery and lovely plant. Well done, Steve!

Such great information and good points in this thread! I hope some of you will see my comment. I have an old Fuschia Christmas Cactus that is getting too big. I thought about taking cuttings and giving it away, but large plants are so lovely when in bloom. I'm hoping that it will respond well from a pruning. Here I go....!