Did you know that one of the good and easiest ways to fertilize your Christmas cactus is by using the leftover coffee grounds from making your morn cup of coffee ?
It ’s honest ! Not only do spent coffee grounds contain the perfect balance of trace nutrient to help keep a Christmas cactus healthy and firm all throughout the year , but those same nutrient also help the plant develop firm and better blooms as well .
The Christmas cactus has long been one of the most popular flowering indoor plants to have blooming throughout the vacation season . With its bright green segment foliation that spill out from the center of the flora , the perennial is expectant for tally big color and interest indoors the whole year around .
One of the best ways to get your Christmas cactus to bloom is to give it the nutrients it needs when it needs them most. And coffee grounds can help you do exactly that – for free!
But without a doubt , it ’s during the calendar month of December when the plant really comes to life . When properly cared for , the Christmas cactus bloom heavily just as the holiday arrive . And when it does , depending on the variety , its prime can fire up up a room with blooms of cerise , white , pinkish , purplish and even yellow !
But the key wrangle above , “ when properly cared for , ” are extremely important when it come to anthesis . And for a Christmas cactus , that mean getting just the correct amount of light , water , and food . And even more importantly , all at the right clip !
How To Fertilize Your Christmas Cactus With Coffee Grounds
Although a Christmas cactus includes the name “ cactus ” , it ’s far from a desert enjoy plant . In fact , as it turns out , the Christmas cactus is not a lawful cactus in the least . The dear flora actually hails from higher altitude rainwater wood in Brazil .
In its rude acquire location in Brazil , the soil is moist and the air is humid . And because it grows in wood , the works gets passel of shade as well . But even more importantly , the flora gets mint of nutrients from the rich , timberland land . And those nutrients are what helps it flower magnificently .
Potassium and atomic number 7 are two of the most important energy source for powering a Christmas cactus . Those nutrient are found pronto in the rain forests from all of the decaying plant topic . But when produce in a container indoors , you could mimic those nutrient for your plant easily from coffee bean evidence .
Unlike the true cactus plant above, the Christmas cactus does not grow in the desert. Because of that, it needs far more nutrients to power its blooms when growing in pots.
As it turns out , spent coffee ground contain both atomic number 7 and potassium . Even better , it ’s in a form that is gross for the plant to well take in . But as you will see next , when the plant gets those nutrients from the coffee ground is the real key to getting big blooms all through the vacation time of year . And when to fertilize – and when not to just might storm you !
One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make with a Christmas cactus is fertilizing it at the wrong time . Unlike most annual and repeated flowers , fertilise a Christmas cactus in good order before or as it ’s bloom does not facilitate the plant . In fact , it actually suffer it !
Right before a Christmas cactus goes into flush , it goes through a resting period . This include more darkness and cooler temperature to allow it to prepare for blooming . But it also needs a relaxation from growing – and if you supply it with energy , it will force it to do the precise opposite .
In addition , if you seek to prey your plant while its blooming , it can greatly foreshorten the life span of those blooms . So when do you feed your Christmas cactus ? And how do you do it with coffee grounds ?
Believe it or not , you need to fertilize your Christmas cactus every month – from February to September – and stop feast it from October through January ! And here ’s how to do it with umber grounds !
When fertilizing your Christmas cactus with coffee grounds , it ’s important to note we are tattle about used coffee grounds , not fresh . bracing grounds contain too many nutrient and too much Lucy in the sky with diamonds . Both of which will harm your plants .
Once coffee is brewed , the undercoat lose nearly all of their acidity and have much lower alimentary level . at this point , they are staring for your Christmas cactus .
To fecundate your plants , first allow the flat coat to completely dry out . When summate grounds to the soil , you should not simply place the grounds on top , but instead stir them into the first column inch or so of the territory . If you leave the ground on top , they can hold water correct to the stem , causing the plant to rot . But by stirring them in , it gets the soil and the nutrients right on to the roots without issue .
You will want to protrude fertilizing in other February or at least a few weeks after your plant life finish blooming . By starting at this point , you tolerate the works to start build up muscularity for next year ’s bloom of youth . And will the coffee grounds ever make a difference come next Christmas !
This live for newfangled flora you just buy this time of year . Again , do not fertilise them while they are blooming . Wait until February .
For an average size pot Christmas cactus , you will need to use about 3 tablespoons of umber grounds for each prison term you fecundate . employ a bit less for small plants and a bit more for any gravid plants . The real key is to verify you space out feedings to as close to a calendar month aside as potential .
By doing this , you keep the works feed with a reproducible reference of vim to keep building up blooming power . Feed your plant one last time in early September , and then permit it to begin resting for its late season blooms .
Place dry grounds on the soil and work them into the soil all around the plant.
As a final note on the coffee tree grounds , only use traditional coffee for the spent yard . Avoid flavored umber that can contain additives that could harm your Christmas cactus . Also – stay aside from decaffeinated coffee grounds as well . Most contain chemical substance traces in them from how the caffeine was removed that can harm plant .
So what about other popular vacation cacti ? Yes ! Thanksgiving and Easter cacti can also benefit from java ground as well . And just as with the Christmas reading , they should only be fertilise in the off time of year . ( If you are unsure of exactly which vacation cactus you have , be sure to check out our clause : Do You Have A Christmas Or Thanksgiving Cactus ? How To Tell The Difference ! )
Here is to power your Christmas cactus with coffee berry grounds . And to having happy , level-headed and big flower plants all through the holiday ! well-chosen Gardening – Jim and Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening , DIY and recipe article and book of account for over 15 eld from their 46 acre Ohio farm . The two are frequent speakers on all thing garden and love to travel in their spare clock time .
Coffee grounds can have your cacti blooming like crazy during the Holiday season!
