Question
I have a christmas catus that i rescued from a friend. It was pretty sad,had one flower was in ugly pot and terrible soil. I nursed it along and it bloomed last year. I repotted it late this summer. It  appears wilted and pale.The stems are firm, no odor from soil and i am not one to over water. It may have been a little dry after the repot. Should i  check the roots and maybe repot or just keep my eye on it. It is in an east window. The other christmas cactus in the same room it setting buds. sorry so long a ? any advice? Thanks in advance.

Answer
Hi Donn,

Your rescued plant did pretty well in that ugly pot and terrible soil once it received your good care. However, once you tried to make things better by repotting things started to go south. Unnecessary and improper repotting is the single most common cause of plant failure, so you have lots of company. Repotting disturbs roots and damages tiny roothairs that are vital. In addition, fresh potting mix and larger pots tend to retain water for longer periods of time, causing roots to slowly rot. Repotting is such a pervasive problem that I have written an entire article on the subject which is available from me via email request.

Holiday Cacti are particularly vulnerable to root damage. They have very fine root systems that allow them to live in meager soil and withstand periods of drought.

I suggest that you gently undo your repotting. I hope you didn't remove all of the original soil. If the original rootball is still intact, then you can move it back into its original ugly pot or one of the same size. This will allow the soil to dry out more frequently and perhaps reverse the root damage that has already occurred.

Be very careful to allow the soil to dry out thoroughly between waterings and do not add any fertilizer. It is better that you do less rather than more going forward.

The best way to manage ugly pots is to place them inside slightly larger but more attractive planters.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC