Christmas Cactus Care Instructions
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Christmas Cactus, also known as Schlumbergera or Zygocactus, is often referred to by its common name because it starts to perform and bloom during the holiday season. These nostalgic plants are often passed down through families by propagation or mature plants.
Bright, but indirect, light is preferred by this plant. For instance, a bright window blocked by a transparent curtain would be ideal. Placing it in a full sun can result in stunted growth or burnt foliage. Changes in temperature can also have adverse effects on the plant such as putting it near a fireplace, heat vent, etc.
Creating humidity for the plant is essential. Taking a plant tray and filling it half with gravel and half with water will provide your plant with both the humidity it needs in the air and the water it needs to uptake from the roots of the plant. Watering in this fashion is much more advantageous for your newly purchased cactus.
Watering is critical for all plants. This genera is related to tropical cacti, not those we envision in the desert; meaning that it doesn’t like to become totally dried out. If this happens, all the flowers and buds will wilt and fall off the plant. Before watering, touch the soil – if it is dry to the touch, it is time to water. If the soil still feels damp – do not water. However, watering from the roots up by using a plant tray as mentioned above helps the plant to only take up water as needed. Misting the leaves on a weekly basis will also help to ensure maximum growth, but if you have hard water can result on white water spots. During fall (end of October) and winter, your Christmas Cactus should be watered less frequently than in the spring and summer. This will promote bud and bloom production.
All plants benefit from being fertilized. Make sure to use a fertilizer that is specialized for indoor house plants (20-20-20 is ideal) and follow the instructions on the label for care. Fertilizing 2 to 4 times per year would be a good point of reference. Fertilizing should stop around the end of October when the first buds begin to appear.
Getting your Christmas Cactus to bloom right during the holidays can be tricky, but many have success. During the fall months, make sure to place your cactus in an area where it receives total darkness (up to 12 hours or more) during the night with no artificial light and indirect sunlight during the day. Start this process in mid-October. Using a bathroom or closet during the night is ideal, but you must remember to move the plant daily into indirect sunlight, which can be challenging. During this time, you will want the temps in the room to be cool in the 50’s to be exact and watering should be limited, but not stopped... or you can just let your cactus bloom whenever it prefers.
Comments
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Monday, 15 December 2014This is a great site.
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Monday, 05 January 2015
life saver=cactus
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Sunday, 10 January 2016
I've had my cactus about 3 years and it stopped blooming. I water fertilize and keep it in a spot where it's cool and lighting is perfect I think. Not direct but indirect most of the time. Why isn't it blooming I'm disappointed. It is in a plastic pot and continues to grow in size but would a clay pot be better? This is the only reason I can think of for it not blooming? Please help me. Thank you!
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Sunday, 10 January 2016
Hi Karen- there shouldn't be much of difference as to which pot you are using since you are keeping the plant indoors during these colder months. Did you try the suggestions at the end of blog post above?
Getting your Christmas Cactus to bloom right during the holidays can be tricky, but many have success. During the fall months, make sure to place your cactus in an area where it receives total darkness (up to 12 hours or more) during the night with no artificial light and indirect sunlight during the day. Start this process in mid-October. Using a bathroom or closet during the night is ideal, but you must remember to move the plant daily into indirect sunlight, which can be challenging. During this time, you will want the temps in the room to be cool in the 50’s to be exact and watering should be limited, but not stopped... or you can just let your cactus bloom whenever it prefers. -
Tuesday, 02 February 2016
A small portion of my cactus has died. I've tried numerous times to get a new section to root so that I can fill in the dead space, but have had no luck. Can you give me any ideas? Thanks.
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Tuesday, 09 February 2016
Hi Alice - have you repotted the plant recently? Sometimes the soil gets old and the plant starts to suffer. If you're going to repot, put it in a clay pot with good drainage.
Thanks...I didn't know this...I luv HGTV