How to Care for a Christmas Cactus and Make It Bloom Again

The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) joins Norfolk Island pine trees and poinsettias as plants beloved during the winter season. While it may seem like an unusual holiday plant, the Christmas cactus blooms at the beginning of winter.

The fleshy segmented stems of the plant are flattened leaves and slightly serrated on each side. In late fall or early winter, flowers bloom on the ends of each stem.

In its native environment, Christmas cactus grows on moss-covered trees or in rock crevices filled with decaying vegetation. Indoors, Christmas cactus grows well in pots outdoors in the shade or indoors next to a window with bright, indirect light.

Given the right care, Christmas cactus can grow up to 2 feet wide in just a few years.

Best Pot for a Christmas Cactus

The best pots for cactus plants are terracotta or clay pots. These pots are porous and wick away water from plants that can be harmed by overwatering. The pot should have many drainage holes or one large one at the bottom.

Choose a potting mix specifically for succulents or cacti.

Where to Place Christmas Cactus

Place a Christmas cactus cactus within three feet of a large east- or west-facing window covered by a sheer curtain or that is slightly shaded by trees outside. Choose an area that has stable temperature conditions, away from vents and fans.

Christmas Cactus Care

Taking care of a Christmas cactus is a little trickier than most other desert-loving cacti that are drought resistant.

• Plant in average soil and give four to six hours of diffused light daily.
• Provide temperatures between 70°F to 80ºF throughout the growing season.
• Feed with half strength water soluble balanced fertilizer in spring and again in early summer.
• Allow soil to dry almost completely between waterings.
• Induce flowering by providing at least 12 hours of darkness every night.

To encourage more stems, grow your Christmas cactus as a hanging plant or place it where it has room to drape. You won't need to worry about thorny spikes as you do with other types of cacti.

Light

Provide Christmas cacti with four to six hours of diffused light during winter bloom months. The plant likes sun and shade, but you have to take care not to give it too much of either one.

Holiday cacti prefer partial shade or diffused light, although they are adaptable to other conditions. If you expose them to full sunlight, ensure it's during the winter months; too much sunlight in the spring and summer can cause the plant to become pale and yellow.

Soil

Plant your Christmas cactus in a sandy cactus mix or general-purpose potting soil mixed with perlite. Christmas cactus roots do not like to sit in wet soil, so ensure that the mix drains well.

Watering Frequency

Water Christmas cacti thoroughly once the soil has completely dried out since its last watering. You will know if the soil is too dry when the leaves start to pucker and shrivel. Allow excess water to run out through the drainage holes.

If the plant is located in a sunny window during the winter, it might need to be watered more often. Use a moisture meter to evaluate the soil if you are unsure if it's truly dry or not.

Temperature and Humidity

During its peak growth months (April to September), a Christmas cactus prefers balmy temperatures between 70°F to 80ºF. Once the buds are set, it requires low nighttime temperatures (between 55°F and 65ºF) and at least 13 hours of darkness to flower.

Keep it away from heating vents, frequently-opened doors, and drafty windows. This plant does not like to be exposed to sudden drafts or temperature changes, and it may drop its buds or flowers if it's unhappy.

The Christmas cactus needs ample humidity, especially when grown in the dry conditions of heated homes during the winter. Either use a humidifier or place a pebble tray filled with water beneath the pot to boost its humidity levels.

Fertilizer

Feed your Christmas cactus monthly with a half-strength, diluted water-soluble balanced fertilizer during the early spring and summer months.

Once you've noticed the formation of flower buds—usually late summer or early fall—stop feeding. After the plant blooms, you can resume monthly feedings.

Is This Plant Right for You?

Christmas cactus is a relatively low-maintenance plant that can be right for anyone. If you can commit to fertilizing annually, moving the plant twice a year, and keeping an eye on water and pruning needs, this plant can work well for you.

Types of Christmas Cactus

Schlumbergera x buckleyi is ahybrid plant often called by other names such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter cactus. They look alike but bloom at different times and have slight differences in the shape of their leaves. Because of their subtle differences, they are often mislabeled in garden centers.

• Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata): This plant blooms close to the end of November with showy flower colors that are either red, pink, peach, purple, orange, or white. It has very pointed and claw-shaped projections on the edges of its leaves.
• Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana): Often bred with S. truncata to form Schlumbergera x buckleyi, this species blooms close to the end of December with magenta and white flowers. It has flattened leaf segments that are rounded with a few notches around the edges.
• Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri): This variety starts to reveal star-shaped flower buds in February and flowers from March through May. It has tiny bristles on the edges of its rounded leaf segments. Though it's marketed as a holiday cactus, note that it's not in the same genus as the other holiday cacti.

How to Get Christmas Cactus to Bloom

The best way to ensure that your Christmas cactus remains in bloom throughout the winter isby removing the faded flowers or deadheading. Christmas cacti usually bloom for four to six weeks. The colors are showy, but the flowers are scentless.

For your Christmas cactus to bloom during the holiday season, you might need to force it into dormancy, then coax it out. Here's how:

1. In mid October, reduce watering (probably once every week or two). Only water when the soil feels dry about an inch below the surface. Stop fertilizing.
2. Keep your Christmas cactus cool between 50°F and 55ºF, and make sure to limit the amount of light it gets for about six to eight weeks.
3. Give the plant 12 to 14 hours of total darkness at night. (During the day, the plant can receive indirect light.) If the room is warmer than 55ºF, give your plant an extra couple of hours of darkness each day. If light can reach the plant anytime during its 12 hours of "night," cover the plant with a dark cloth.
4. Once flower buds form, move the plant to a bright, draft-free window. Flowers should start opening within a couple of weeks.

Pruning

Prune a Christmas cactus right after it blooms, when it enters a new growth period extending its growth segments. Pruning will force the plant to branch out, and it will grow more of its distinctive stems. You can also prune safely from after bloom to late spring without harming the plant.

To prune a Christmas cactus, give the stems a twist between one of the segments. You can also use a sharp knife or scissors to remove segments. You can remove up to a third of the plant per year or, more conservatively, trim off one to two segments from the end of each stem.

Propagating Christmas Cactus

The best time to propagate a Christmas cactus isone to two months after it's finished blooming. Avoid propagating it in the fall while it sets its buds and as it's actively flowering.

Taking cuttings of Christmas cactus, large or small, will help the original plant grow fuller and bushier, resulting in more blooms in the future. Christmas cactus is best propagated from stem cuttings.

To begin, prepare a 4- or 6-inch pot and fill it with a cactus potting mix or a similar, well-draining soil blend. Optionally, you can root your segment in a clear jar of filtered water before planting it.

1. Cut sections. Use your clean hands or a sterile knife or scissors to cut sections of stems with three to five stem segments on each.
2. Dry the segment. Place the stem segment in a cool, dry place for two to four days until the cut end callouses (dries out) to protect the end from rotting.
   
3. Plant the segment. Push the cuttings about an inch deep in the lightly moistened soil.
4. Water the plant well.To create a humid environment and encourage rooting, cover the plants and container with a clear plastic bag secured with a rubber band.Remove the plastic bag once rooting has started.
5. Care for it as usual. Wait at least eight to 10 weeks before repotting to a permanent home. The best evidence of good rooting is new leaf or stem growth.

Optionally, you can root the stems in water before planting them in the soil. Set the cut end in one to two inches of filtered water, then place the jar in a window with indirect light. After several weeks, the stems should have roots at least one or two inches long and are ready to plant in potting soil.

Repotting Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus should be repotted every three to four years. It likes to be rootbound, and if you repot too frequently it may not bloom. You can also repot when you see a lot of roots growing out of the drainage holes or out of the top of the soil.

Wait until blooming ends and the flowers have wilted in late winter or early spring to repot a Christmas cactus. Never repot the plant while it is actively blooming.

When repotting, choose a container that is only one to two inches bigger in diameter than the current one.

Repotting Gear

Get what you need to repot your Christmas cactus:

• An excellent set of pruning shears
• A good, well-draining potting soil specifically for indoor plants
• An attractive and properly sized planter

Overwintering

Holiday cacti are not cold hardy and do not tolerate frost. These tropical plants can remain outside all year only in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12. They can handle nighttime lows in the 60s, but anything approaching freezing can kill the plant.

Bring the plant indoors before the first frost and maintain drier soil. The colder temperatures should spur bud production. You should begin to see buds forming by October.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

The most common pests that infect holiday cacti are fungus gnats, flower thrips, aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs.Soggy soil is what most often attracts these pests.

Insecticidal soapand horticultural oil are usually effective in controlling an outbreak. The tiny pests can also be removed by blotting them with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.

Fungal diseases are common when plants are overwatered, leading to root rot and stem rot. Avoid overwatering to prevent fungal infections. Wilting, brown leaves, black or reddish spots on leaves and stems and soggy soil all are indicators the plant may have root rot. If you suspect this problem, remove it from its pot and shake off excess soil. Cut away soggy, discolored roots, replant in a fresh pot with dry potting medium and allow the roots to recover several days before watering.

Common Problems With a Christmas Cactus

Holiday cacti are long-lived plants that are sensitive to temperature and humidity. They are hardy when kept above freezing temperatures; however, they will require ideal temperatures and conditions for lush flowering during the holidays.

Stunted Appearance or Growth Distortion

If you notice that your Christmas cactus has stunted or distorted growth, inspect it closely for a mealybug infestation. Mealybugs look like tiny white cotton dots about 1/8 to 1/4 inches long. The insects feed on plant sap and leave a sticky honeydew substance behind, which causes mold to form on the plant.

Yellowed, Spotted, or Wilting Leaves or Stems

If your plant has yellowing leaves or stems, leaf spotting, or plant wilting, inspect them closely for thrips. Thrips are an insect that looks like thin black or white slivers. The leaf and stem damage is not caused directly by thrips but by a virus they commonly transmit, impatiens necrotic spot virus. Treat the thrip infestation with repeated insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.

Wilting can also be caused by too little light, insufficient water, or if the plant is rootbound. Correct those conditions and monitor closely for improvements.

Leaves Turning Red or Pink

If the leaves of your Christmas cactus turn red or pink, it might be receiving too much sun, but is no cause for concern. Simply move the cactus a few inches further away from its light source and watch it return to normal in no time.

From: thespruce