Just in time for the holidays, the Christmas cactus is adding some much-need color to the season with its show of flowers that can include variations of white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple, depending on variety.<\/p>\n

Have you added a Christmas cactus to your indoor garden, or received one as a holiday gift? Consider giving it a healthy boost by adding some finely milled volcanic basalt to the soil. A well-nourished Christmas cactus can live for 25 years or more.<\/p>\n

Read what one of our customers had to say about what happened when she used Cascade Minerals to remineralize her 55-year old (!) Christmas cactus:<\/p>\n

\u201cI purchased a small packet of Cascade Minerals to try on my cactus plants. For years there was no leaf luster to the cactus no matter what I used or repotted them into. All of the plants received a sample of the sample packet. The Christmas cactus which is 55 years old (yes, 1957, which means it was a broken-off start of an original plant back then) has gotten back its leaf shine\u2026even the old bark has a luster! Thank you, your natural product works.\u201d \u2013 From Susan, a Cascade Minerals customer<\/em><\/p>\n

High quality, finely milled volcanic basalt like that in Cascade Minerals gives Christmas cactus plants much-needed essential minerals and trace elements that they cannot get elsewhere. That\u2019s because the Christmas cactus belongs to a species of cactus from the coastal mountains of SE Brazil that grows on trees or rocks.<\/p>\n

In fact, most of the world\u2019s cacti are rock dwellers. Instead of feeding on rich, organic soil, they live off the mineral compounds that are found naturally in the rocks that they grow on. Grown as houseplants, cacti have to rely on us to provide them with the minerals they need\u2014including calcium, magnesium, manganese and iron (all of which are found in Cascade Minerals).<\/p>\n

Use 1-2 tsp of all-natural Cascade Minerals per every inch of pot diameter and lightly stir into the top of the soil. When repotting your Christmas cactus, mix Cascade Minerals with potting soil prior to planting (use 1-2 cups of Cascade Minerals per gallon of potting soil).<\/p>\n

Here are a few other growing tips:<\/p>\n

\n
• The Christmas cactus is very light-sensitive\u2014too much light causes stems to take on a reddish color, too little light will prevent flowering. The ideal growing environment is in a cool bright spot, out of the direct sun.<\/li>\n
• Starting in November, ensure a holiday bloom by placing your Christmas cactus in a place that stays dark and cool (around 50-55\u00b0) at night.<\/li>\n
• To propagate, use short pieces of stem (1-3 segments long), twisted off rather than cut. Let cuttings dry for 1-7 days until they form a callous at the broken end. Then root in a growing medium.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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