Growing Christmas Cactus

How To Care For A Christmas Cactus

Blooming again since Christmas

Patricia Mosey

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Christmas Cacti are easy to grow. When they bloom, they produce colorful tubular flowers in pink or lilac colors. They bloom a long time indoors and they are low-maintenance houseplants, which makes them popular. We’ll bet someone in your family has a Christmas Cactus!

Despite their name, Christmas cacti are not desert cacti. Their natural habit is one of an epiphyte living in tree branches in the rain forest of Brazil! In other words, they prefer a humid climate, not a dry one, so it’s important to water these cacti. (See more details below.)

Also, note that there are several types of holiday cacti: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They bloom closest to the holiday of their name. Christmas cacti have flattened leaves with rounded teeth on the margins as opposed to the Thanksgiving cactus that has pointed teeth. Easter cacti have pointed teeth with fibrous hairs in the leaf joints.

To confuse matters further, most of the Christmas cactus sold are actually Thanksgiving cactus. If you find your Christmas cactus blooming near Thanksgiving, guess what?

Planting

Christmas cacti grow in most container soils. Make sure the soil drains well and your pots have drainage holes.
Plants should be kept in bright, indirect light.
A daytime temperature of 70 degrees F and an evening temperature of 60 to 65 degrees F is preferred.
In the summer, Christmas cacti can be placed in a shady spot in the garden or in an unheated porch until temperatures get below 50 degrees.

Care

As soon as the top inch of soil in the container feels dry to the touch, soak the soil until water runs through the pot’s drainage holes; discard water in the tray so the plant doesn’t sit in water. It’s especially important to water well during flowers.
From spring through early fall, feed every 2 weeks with a complete houseplant fertilizer. During the fall and winter feed the cactus monthly
Once flowers fade, continue to grow the plant as a houseplant.
Prune plants in June to encourage branching and more flowers. Simply cut off a few sections of each stem. Of you wish, root the cut-off pieces in moist vermiculite to make more plants.
If your cactus is not blooming, it may due to amount of daylight or temperature. Flowers will only form when the temperature is between a cool 50 to 55 degrees F.
Nights need to be at least 14 hours long and daylight periods are between 8 to 10 hours for 6 weeks—for six weeks. If you have strong indoor lighting, you may need to cover your cacti at night.
If the cacti sheds its buds in a winter, it will bloom the following year.

Pests/Diseases

If your Christmas Cacti is exposed to any type of stress, the plant will drop its blossoms. This could be related to amount of light, or a sudden change in temperature, as discussed in above plant care section. Also, ensure that your soil doesn’t get too dry.

The plant may be susceptible to mealy bugs and, if over-watered, root rot. If you have problems, cut out infected areas and repot in clean soil.

Recommended Varieties

Thanksgiving cactus or holiday cactus.

Wit & Wisdom

When the buds of a Christmas cactus look as if they’re about to open, make sure you water the plant regularly and keep it cool.
Late spring is the best time to propagate cuttings because most cacti emerge from their winter rest and initiate new growth.

Photo: Catherine Boeckmann. My mother-in-law’s giant Christmas Cactus in bloom.

Planting Times

Reader Comments

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broken Christmas cactus

Can it be saved? It was large and now I have seven different sections, what do I need to do?

Christmas Cactus Cuttings

If the sections have roots already, they can be replanted. If not, their stem ends should be placed in slightly moistened soil, sunk about an inch or so into the soil. After about six weeks, they should have roots and can be transplanted to larger pots.

Christmas Cactus

I purchased 2 baby size Christmas Cacti 4 years ago. I planted them in the enclosed pots and fed and watered the way my mom did hers years ago. Mine have not grown at all in 4 years. A couple of the end leaves will shrivel and fall off then a couple of new ones will emerge. I remember my mom saying they are one of the few plants that have to get rootbound before growing. Is this true? Should I replant both of them in the same small pot?

Christmas Cacti Conundrum

Christmas cacti don’t need to be pot bound to grow, though they do prefer it. Your cacti’s lack of growth probably boils down to an issue with either light or water, however.

Christmas cacti like bright, indirect light, so an eastern window is ideal. Keep them out of direct, intense sunlight, as this can burn their leaves.

As for water, these cacti are a tropical species, so they require more water than the usual cacti. That said, they don’t like to sit in water, so use a well-draining potting mix (such as a succulent mix) and a pot with drainage holes. Water when the top inch or so of soil is dry.

Your best course of action would be to repot both cacti in a well-draining potting mix in separate pots with drainage holes, then see if they do any better than they are now!

Christmas cactus

are they poisonous to cats? the Amaryliss? What plants are poisonous? What are safe...indoor plants...indoor cats

Cacti Toxicity

Christmas cacti are not toxic to dogs or cats, but Amaryllis are. Here are some common plants that are unsafe for pets: https://www.almanac.com/content/plants-are-poisonous-pets

Cactus

We have two supposedly Christmas cactus but the labels that came in the pots say spring cactus. They have never bloomed. What are they.

Propagating Thanksgiving and Christmas Cactus

I think mine have little flying bugs in the dirt...how do I treat this?

Christmas in July

What are the 4th of July cacti called? My plant consists of several years of plants of different colors potted together and is larger than the one pictured. It had several blooms this past summer.

holiday cactus

July? We’d just say consider yourself lucky! We’re only familiar with Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter varieties of cactus. See more about these holiday cacti in Robin’s article here: www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/christmas-cactus-thanksgiv...

colors

I love my Cactus, got seven (7) different colors. White, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Peach/Coral, Fushia/ Purple , Red. Plus one "Spring Cactus",red
Looks like Daisy blooms. Always keeping a eye out for different ones.

cactus.

I have Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter cactus per your description, Today is Dec. 7, 2017. All of them are blooming and have been all blooming once per month since 2010. :)

Cactus

I also have RED & YELLOW blooms on my cactuses.

christmas cactus

Why are the leaves turning red.

Root rot

My aunt gave me a Christmas cactus and I can't seem to keep it happy. I think I've watered it too much because the roots are rotting and it's breaking off. Any way to save it?

health of Christmas cactus

My cactus seems to be dying, fronds are breaking off; I've watered consistently and it gets full sun late in the afternoon. When should I throw in the towel or is there any hope of salvaging it.

christmas cactus

you recommend feeding more often than most writers but I am inclined to agree with you they need plenty of nutrients I have recently blogged about this
RogerBrook (no dig gardener)