A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Christmas Cactus Problem

It seems to be the month of cactus worry for me!I have a pretty small Christmas cactus that I have had for about a year. Now some of the leaves on the end of the "branches" are getting dried out and crunchy. What am I doing wrong? The dirt doesn't look wet at all - it is very dry and doesn't seem to absorb water, it is dry and hard and it seems like the soil always has been this way since I bought it. Should I repot it in new soil? I worry I am overwatering it because the soil is always dry to the touch. Any ideas?

yes re pot.I just did mine yesterday and are the same size& I then let it soak in water afterwards (in new pot)then pulled out.I proably soaked it an hour.I know I want to put mine in a small hanging basket,but don't have one now so I just up potted pots by about an inch.I also crumbled the lower portion of roots and mixed that soil with the potting mix.mine were potted in peat mix with perlite with tan& green balls in soil.Walmart was out of my potting mix so had a $1 bag from dollar general.its not a bad potting mix and was a lil gritty so proably a better choice.I lost 3 of my larger ones,so had bought 3 small cheap plants to go again.
Good luck with your plant.

Ok I will try that! Should I cut off the crunchy leaves or just leave them be?

They will not grow and will only continue to suck the life out of what is left so cut them off. It's a pretty hardy plant so don't worry about over-pruning. Then go ahead and soak it again and then leave it till the top 1/2 to 1 inch of soil is dry.