The festive season is upon us and there's one highlight I look forward to every year: my Christmas cactus blooming. These popular holiday plants come to life during the Christmas season, but it's also the time of year a lot of problems emerge. One sign something isn't quite right with your Christmas cactus is the presence of tiny white roots sticking out between leaf segments.
The key to successful Christmas cactus care is understanding its native environment, and these roots, known as aerial roots, are a clue about their growing habit in their southeast Brazil habitat. As epiphytes, Christmas cacti are found growing on surfaces like tree bark in tropical rainforests, rather than in soil. Aerial roots allow them to attach to these surfaces, while also soaking up nutrients and moisture.
