How to Grow and Care for Easter Cactus

The Easter cactus, also known as holiday cactus, is a tropical cactus known for its prolific star-shaped blooms of various potential colors that tend to bloom in the spring, near the Easter holiday. This easy-to-grow epiphyte doesn't need soil in the wild, preferring rocks, trees, and other plants as its substrate. Easter cactus grows well as a houseplant, in which case it prefers dappled, filtered light and requires loose, well-draining soil so that air can reach its roots.

Easter Cactus Care

Easter cacti are fairly easy to keep as houseplants. Here are the main requirements for growing an Easter cactus:

• Place your Easter cactus in a spot with dappled sunlight or bright, indirect light.
• Prepare well-draining soil and choose a pot with a drainage hole; remember that this cactus would never sit in wet soil in the wild.
• Allow the soil to dry out fully in between watering, and then water thoroughly, allowing the extra water to drain out.
• Ideally, keep the humidity around your Easter cactus high, as it prefers rainforest conditions.
• Fertilize regularly during the growing season.

Light

As a natural forest understory plant, the Easter cactus is accustomed to growing in locations partly sheltered from the sun. Indirect sunlight is best to help this plant thrive.

Soil

As an epiphyte, Easter cacti do best in porous soil mixes that provide good airflow to their roots. A store-bought "cactus and succulent mix" would work well, especially when combined with perlite and orchid bark. The plant thrives in a pH range of 6.0 to 6.5.

Water

Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, then water thoroughly until the water drains from the bottom. The Easter cactus does not tolerate having its roots waterlogged, so ensure the pot has proper drainage. Do not let any water sit in the saucer after watering. Cut back on watering from late fall to early winter to help encourage blooming.

Temperature and Humidity

Unlike other plants in the Cactaceae family, the Easter cactus thrives in cooler temperatures. They require cold temperatures to bloom. The Easter cactus will bloom in nighttime temperatures between 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

While Easter cacti enjoy humid environments, they tolerate typical household humidity levels. However, if your home is especially dry, provide extra humidity with a humidifier or pebble tray.

Fertilizer

Easter cacti appreciate regular fertilization. Apply a balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, once a month when the plant is actively growing.

Types of Easter Cactus

The Easter cactus is native to the Brazilian rainforests and is typically classified as Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri. However, the Easter cactus has sometimes been classified as Hatiora gaertneri or Schlumbergera gaertneri.

• Hatiora rosea: A similar species with pink flowers commonly referred to as "rose Easter cactus."
• Easter cactus 'Sirius': An all-white cultivar with its distinctive star-shaped flowers
• Easter cactus 'Colombia': Produces bright orange blooms.
• Easter cactus 'Scorpius': Produces bright red blooms.

Pruning

Pruning an Easter cactus is optional, but it will help with reblooming for the following year. The one rule is to prune right after the plant flowers in the spring and while it's still in its active growth phase. Don't wait to prune an Easter cactus in the fall or winter.

To prune, focus on breaking off the top leaf pad from the stem at the joint. Use your fingers or sterilized garden scissors. If you create an uneven break, be sure to trim that off. Pruning will encourage the growth of new stems for a bushier plant with more blooms.

Propagating Easter Cactus

You can grow Easter cactus from seeds or cuttings. It's more popular and much easier to propagate Easter cactus with cuttings. Propagating is best done two to three months after the blooming period. To propagate via cuttings, follow these simple steps:

1. Gently twist a leaf off at the leaf terminal; don't break the base.
2. Once separated, stick the bottom of the leaves back into a small cup or pot of soil, ensuring at least half of the leaf is in the dirt.
3. Lightly mist the leaves.
4. Place plastic bags over the cuttings to keep in the moisture.
5. Wait to water the leaves until roots sprout in a few weeks, then repot.
6. Water as you would with a mature Easter cactus.

How to Grow Easter Cactus From Seed

Harvesting seeds can be challenging because you must pollinate the plant, harvest seeds, and keep your patience while waiting to see if the seeds thrive.

1. Germinate seeds on a moistened paper towel. Lay the towel over a tray of moistened, enriched soil. Cover with plastic wrap. Give air for an hour each day.
2. Place the tray in a warm spot with indirect light exposure.
3. When given ideal conditions, the seeds will germinate within three weeks.
4. Transplant the seedlings once they show signs of sprouting.
   

Potting and Repotting Easter Cactus

Easter cacti enjoy being snug and pot-bound and only need to be repotted every two years to refresh the soil. If there is still room in the current pot, don’t increase the pot size; plant it back in the same container. However, if you need to size up a pot, choosing a pot 2 to 3 inches wider than the previous one is ideal. Clay pots are best to help with aeration and drainage. Repotting is best done in the spring after the blooming period.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Common indoor plant pests such as mealybugs, scale, spider mites, and fungus gnats can be problematic for Easter cacti. Root rot can also be an issue but is usually a result of overwatering or improper soil mixes being used.

How to Get Easter Cactus to Bloom

aster cactus blooms around the time of the Easter holiday, differentiating this cactus from the Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus that bloom around those respective holidays.

Bloom Months

Easter cactus flowers bloom between March and May. Typically, Easter cacti flower in the late winter to early spring, requiring long nights and cool temperatures before blooming.

How Long Does Easter Cactus Bloom?

Easter cactus plants can produce prolific blooms for two to four weeks in spring.

What Do Easter Cactus Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Easter cactus flowers are prized for their stunning, star-like, profuse blooms when grown in the right conditions. These flowers are about two inches long and come in red, white, orange, pink, and purple with no discernable scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

About two months before the blooming period in the spring, stop fertilizing the plant and give it equal amounts of darkness and indirect light. Keep the cactus cool at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night and warm during the day in the light, but don't put the plant near a heater or other heating source. The warmth will speed up the start of the blooming period.

Caring for Easter Cactus After It Blooms

After the blooming period, prepare for next year's flowering. After the plant has bloomed and is not in its active growth phase, you can cut back on watering until midwinter, when you will begin the dark and light process all over again. These stress conditions will encourage prolific blooming in early spring next year.

Common Problems With Easter Cactus

The Easter cactus is a relatively easy-going plant, but sometimes, you'll spot a problem. Usually, problems result from overwatering (check for root rot, cut away any affected roots with sterile scissors, and repot), underwatering (begin with small sips of water if it's been neglected), or it gets too much light (move the plant).

Dropping Leaves

Your cactus may look like it's falling apart if the pads fall off. The cause may be that the plant is stressed from overwatering or underwatering. You can always root the pads that fall off in potting soil for new plants.

Wilting

A wilting Easter cactus can mean it's stressed from being overwatered, underwatered, or getting too much direct sunlight.

Leaves Turning Yellow

Your cactus may need to be repotted. When the leaves turn yellow, the plant may be in soil that cannot properly drain. Check for root rot and repot.

From: thespruce