This Soil Mix Will Keep Your Christmas Cactus Happy & Thriving, According To Our Garden Expert

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Recently, a good friend of mine sent me a photo of a gorgeous Christmas cactus he had just bought that was absolutely covered in red blooms. Like myself, he has lost his share of holiday cactuses for various reasons. He was most concerned about watering it properly, a confusing challenge because this plant isn't a cactus at all. It's actually an epiphytic succulent, so unlike cacti, the soil should be kept evenly moist, but not soggy, to keep the Christmas cactus thriving year-round. In nature, epiphytes don't grow in the ground. Instead, they attach to trees or structures. These plants collect moisture from rain and humidity, and they absorb rich nutrients from decomposing organic matter. No wonder they're so picky about soil!

As House Digest's in-house Master Gardener and Garden Editor, I can honestly say one of the best ways to learn about plants is to fail. I'm not sure how many Christmas cactuses (Schlumbergera bridgesii) I have owned, but I have three types of holiday species growing right now — they're even happy and healthy (or so they tell me). Making sure you are watering your Christmas cactus correctly is an important step to keep it healthy, but it won't make up for using the wrong soil type. Skip the store-bought cactus and succulent mix because it will dry out too quickly. Instead, use a DIY blend of potting soil, compost, and vermiculite to create the perfect soil environment for your plant.

Although there are some good, high-quality options for organic potting soil mixes available, I make my own blends for a few reasons. The first is, because I have so many container and house plants, I actually save money by purchasing individual ingredients like organic potting soil, coco coir or peat moss, vermiculite, and orchid mix. The other reason I like to make my own potting mix is that different plants have different needs, so I can mix and match them as needed to create the perfect soil blend for each plant. Yes, they're spoiled.

Because of the Christmas cactus' epiphytic nature, we want to provide a nutrient-rich soil that stays moist but still drains well. For this, I like to combine equal parts high-quality potting soil, organic compost, and vermiculite. This simple mixture also works well for other epiphytes, like monsteras, because it offers everything these plants need: lots of organic nutrients, good drainage, and slow moisture release as the plant needs it. Although I prefer vermiculite, you can replace it with perlite for the same results.

I have an extra tip for the over-waterers out there (you know who you are). If you tend to overwater, or you keep your house cool enough that there's not a lot of soil moisture evaporation, you may want to toss a handful of orchid potting mix into your blend. The large bark chunks provide extra drainage, which will help prevent root rot.

Now, before you get too enthusiastic about repotting your Christmas cactus with the perfect soil mix, you may need to wait a bit. If the plant is blooming, setting buds, or you expect it to set buds soon, let it stay in its original soil until the flowering process is complete. Transplanting while the plant is in this phase will stress it, causing the buds or flowers to drop off or not form at all. Because so many people purchase Christmas cactuses when they are in full bloom around the holidays, the best time to transplant is late winter or as late as early spring. Repotting after the plant has finished blooming but before it puts on new spring growth is perfect.

These plants like to be a bit root-bound, so you probably won't need to size up the first time you repot unless you see roots coming out of the drainage holes. In fact, Christmas cactuses grow pretty slowly — repotting every two or three years is to be expected. The first repot is to improve the quality of the soil, but the next will be because it's so healthy it needs a bigger planter. And yes, you can use this soil mix every time you pot up your thriving Christmas cactus.