When to repot a Christmas cactus – timing is crucial if you want your plant to flower over the festive season
Experts reveal the ideal window, and how to know if your plant really needs an upgrade
Is your Christmas cactus looking a little overgrown? Getting a bit too big for its container? You’re probably wondering when to repot a Christmas cactus.
Before you learn how to repot a Christmas cactus, you’ll need to pin down the best time to do it – and since the popular houseplants are about to burst into bloom for the festive season, it’s wise to think twice before repotting them this month.
So, when is the best time to repot a Christmas cactus? I asked the experts.
What you'll need
A chic plant pot for a Christmas cactus.
This plant pot has an integrated saucer.
Enriched with seramis for even better drainage.
If you’re trying to figure out when to repot a Christmas cactus, you’ll need to wait until after your plant has finished blooming – and that’s a long way away yet.
‘The best time to repot a Christmas cactus is in spring, once it has finished flowering,’ says Jo Lambell, founder of Beards & Daisies. ‘That’s when it starts putting on new growth, so it settles into its new pot much more easily.’
So, repotting should be on your list of things to do with a Christmas cactus after flowering. Only if your plant needs it, though, because a cosy pot isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘They don’t need repotting often,’ continues Jo. ‘The Christmas cactus actually likes being a little snug in its pot, and that can even help it flower, so every two or three years is plenty.’
If your Christmas cactus is due an upgrade, you can buy specialist potting mixes like the Westland Cacti & Succulent Potting Mix from Amazon.
I also asked Jo if it’s possible to repot a Christmas cactus in autumn.
‘I’d leave it until spring,’ she said. ‘October is when a Christmas cactus starts setting its flower buds. Disturbing it now can make it drop those buds, and you’d lose your Christmas flowers.’
The only exception is if you’ve got a very unhealthy plant on your hands, and it’s looking like your Christmas cactus won’t flower anyway.
‘The only time I’d repot in October is if you have to, like a cracked pot or soggy, rotting roots,’ Jo explains. ‘If so, be gentle, keep the root ball as intact as you can, and put it straight back into the same spot. The Christmas cactus doesn’t like change while it’s budding, so avoid moving it around too much.’
You could even propagate your Christmas cactus if it’s really beyond help – but again, this is best done in spring.
‘If parts of the plant are rotten, cut them off and try to grow new plants from healthy sections,’ says Andy Little, houseplant buyer at British Garden Centres.
If you can, wait until spring to repot your Christmas cactus – you don't want to miss those festive flowers!
