Christmas cactuses adorn households worldwide and they’re especially popular during the festive season or when they’re most frequently in bloom.
Maintaining their emerald green foliage and splendid blossoms isn’t hard, which is another reason why gardeners love these plants.
However, there’s no such thing as a problem-free plant and the Christmas cactus isn’t an exception. Discoloration, wilting, and droopiness are just a few of the conditions that can affect this holiday cactus.
Even though these plants aren’t prone to diseases, some may occur and cause damage. In this article, I’ll show you some of the most common Christmas cactus diseases and how to treat and prevent them.
Let’s get started!
1. Root Rot
One of the most common Christmas cactus diseases, and this applies to houseplants in general, is root rot disease. (1)
It typically attacks plants grown in waterlogged soils and, in the case of the Christmas cactus, the new root tips are the main target of the pathogens that cause root rot.
How To Identify
The easiest way to identify this dangerous disease in your holiday cactus is to look for signs of wilting and poor growth.
The main problem is that the plant displays these symptoms last and the parts below the soil line are already rotten.
If the root rot hasn’t progressed yet, your soil may be dark and mushy to the touch and it could emit an unpleasant smell.
How To Prevent
The best way to fight this notorious disease is to prevent it. You may think that’s easier to say than to do but for the Christmas cactus, trust me, the last thing you want is to have to save it from root rot.
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