Why Does My Christmas Cactus Look Wrinkled? [Reasons & Fixes]

The Christmas cactus is a must-have for plant lovers during the holiday season. This unique cactus blooms in winter and produces tubular flowers with lilac or pink hues. Christmas cacti are low-maintenance plants and can live for years with the proper care.

However, certain mistakes on the plant owners’ part can cause their condition to deteriorate and create issues like wrinkling. So if you are a new Christmas cactus owner searching ‘Why does my Christmas cactus look wrinkled,’ keep reading to find out.

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Why Does My Christmas Cactus Look Wrinkled?

Wrinkled leaves are a plant’s technique of communicating that it is not receiving the care it requires to flourish. Therefore, when a Christmas cactus wrinkles, it signals issues like over- or under-watering, old age, use of incorrect fertilizers, or excess sun exposure.

Here is a detailed explanation of why these issues might cause a Christmas cactus to wrinkle and how you can remedy these errors to make your Christmas cactus thrive again:

Lack of Water

Like all succulents, Christmas cactus plants store water in their stems, so when someone complains about the issue of wrinkling in a Christmas cactus, they usually refer to a wrinkled or shriveled-up stem.

When a Christmas cactus does not receive enough water, it eventually consumes all the water stored in the stem, making it look wrinkled. A shriveled stem makes a Christmas cactus look unhealthy and detracts from its beauty.

Christmas cactuses do well without water and can go over three weeks to a month without watering. However, plant owners must water a Christmas cactus every two to three weeks whenever the soil looks dry to ensure it needs adequate water to survive.

Water is essential for photosynthesis, the process through which a plant uses energy from the sun to produce food. Hence, without water, the plant cannot get appropriate nourishment and will eventually weaken and die.

The Christmas cactus may need more frequent watering during the summer months. Therefore, plant owners must always pay attention to the top layer of soil to determine if it requires watering.

Excess Watering

Most new plant owners may think their Christmas cactus is shrinking due to a lack of water. However, overwatering can cause a Christmas cactus to wrinkles in certain cases.

Like most cactus succulents, the Christmas cactus does not do well when it receives too much water. When the plant has excess water in its stem, it is forced to consume it, which can lead to wrinkling.

When a Christmas cactus receives excess water, it can also develop deadly issues like root rot, which you must tackle immediately to prevent the plant from dying. One way to know if a plant is suffering from root rot is to notice the tips of the leaves.

If the Christmas cactus tips begin to turn black, it is usually a signal of root rot. If you notice this issue, immediately remove the plant from the pot and examine the root for rotten or squishy parts. You must cut off the damaged roots and repot the plant in fresh succulent soil.

Since anything in excess harms a plant, one must develop a proper watering schedule to avoid under or overwatering. You can also set the alarm on your phone or download applications that remind you to water your plants.

However, check the first two to three inches of the soil before watering to see if the plant needs water.

Doing so will allow you to alter the watering schedule through seasonal changes since the soil may take longer than two to three weeks to dry during the winter season or dry out before two weeks during extreme heat.

Excess Sun Exposure

Since the Christmas cactus is not a desert plant and originates in the tropical forests of Brazil, it does not prefer extreme heat. Therefore, the plant’s leaves can get wrinkled during the summer if they receive too much direct sunlight.

A Christmas cactus plant requires indirect sunlight for at least four to six hours daily to thrive. The plant thrives in shaded areas of tropical forests and prefers indirect and filtered sunlight.

Hence you must keep your Christmas cactus plant in an east-facing or north-facing window instead of a south-facing window where there may be direct sunlight.

When placing the plant in front of a window, ensure it is not too close to the window to prevent it from scorching during the extreme summer season.

Moreover, during the beginning hours of the day, when the sunlight may be too extreme, try to filter out the harshness of the sunlight by placing light curtains in front of the window.

Experts also recommend bringing the Christmas cactus indoors during the peak of summer since this plant does well indoors.

If placing the plant outdoors, keep it under a shaded area, preferably under the shade of larger plants, to replicate the environment these plants usually get in tropical forests.

If you live in an area that does not receive enough sunlight, you can use sun lamps to provide the plant with adequate light to thrive. However, keep an appropriate distance between the plant and the sun lamp and don’t provide more than four to six hours of light.

Old Age

Since plants are living organisms, they mature like any other living thing and have varying lifespans. Christmas cactuses are long-lasting plants that may survive up to a hundred years with adequate care.

Even if a Christmas cactus is in optimal health, it may exhibit indications of aging in the shape of wrinkled leaves as they mature.

Therefore, if your plant is a few years old and is beginning to wrinkle in some places, these may be biological indicators of aging, and you have nothing to worry about. However, if you find a substantial area of the plant becoming excessively wrinkled, this might indicate other problems.

Use of Incorrect Fertilizers

Fertilization is vital to keeping a Christmas cactus plant healthy, especially during the blooming season. However, using the wrong fertilizer can do more harm than good to the plant and cause wrinkled leaves.

Certain commercially sold fertilizers contain harmful sodium content or chemicals that can damage your Christmas cactus. Hence, plant owners must stick to appropriate organic fertilizers for Christmas cactuses.

Furthermore, the Christmas cactus plants require higher magnesium concentrations than other plants. You can supplement the plant with additional magnesium by mixing 1 tbsp of Epsom salts into a gallon of water and pouring the mixture into the pot.

Tips to Prevent Christmas Cactus Plants from Wrinkling

Here are a few tips that Christmas cactus owners can follow to prevent their Christmas cactus from wrinkling:

Maintain a proper watering schedule and allow the plant to completely dry out between waterings to prevent it from wrinkling due to under or overwatering
Keep the plant in indirect sunlight and avoid exposing the plant to direct sunlight during the peak heat hours of the day
If your Christmas cactus is old, try removing the heavily wrinkled leaves to see if it produces new healthy foliage. If it does, you don’t have anything to worry about
Use low-sodium water or rainwater for hydrating your Christmas cactus, and avoid using sodium-rich fertilizers
Fertilize your Christmas cactus plants using fertilizers made specifically for succulents or cactuses

Bottom Line

Now that you know the answer to ‘Why does my Christmas cactus look wrinkled’ you can take the appropriate measures like creating proper watering schedules, using appropriate fertilizers, and avoiding direct sun exposure to help the plant improve the appearance of its leaves and prevent it from wrinkling.

By following the tips above, you can easily prevent your Christmas cactus from wrinkling and keep the plant leaves looking healthy for years to come.