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Christmas Cactus: How To Care For a Christmas Cactus Houseplant | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Christmas Cactus

A Thanksgiving cactus in full bloom.

Photo Credit
Nadezhda Nesterova/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Schlumbergera spp.
Plant Type
Houseplant
Sun Exposure
Part Sun
Bloom Time
Spring
Fall
Winter
Flower Color
Pink
Purple
Red
White
Hardiness Zone
10
11
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How To Care For a Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, or Easter Cactus

The Editors
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The Christmas cactus is a very popular houseplant—and for good reason! When they bloom, they produce colorful, tubular flowers in pink or lilac colors. Their beautiful flowers, long bloom time, and easy care requirements make them a wonderful plant. We’ll bet someone in your family has a Christmas cactus!

About Christmas Cacti

Unlike other cacti, the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) and its relatives don’t live in hot, arid environments such as deserts or plains. In fact, these epiphytic succulents are native to the tropical rainforests of southern Brazil, where they grow on tree branches and soak up the high humidity, dappled sunlight, and warm temperatures.

The bottom line: Don’t treat a Christmas cactus like it’s a run-of-the-mill cactus or succulent. They can’t take the same sort of sunny, dry conditions that other cacti can. It’s important to water these cacti more regularly than most succulents, but to also be cautious of keeping them too wet. (See detailed care instructions below.)

Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas Cactus?

There are three main types of “holiday” cacti out there: the Easter cactus (S. gaertneri), Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata), and Christmas cactus (S. x buckleyi). Each holiday cactus typically blooms closest to the holiday that it’s named after. However, most of the “Christmas cacti” sold today are actually Thanksgiving cacti, which tend to bloom from November through February and therefore pass unnoticed as Christmas cacti. To learn more, see our article on the different types of holiday cacti and how to tell them apart.

Note: For simplicity’s sake, we refer to all three of these species as “Christmas cactus” on this page, since this is the most commonly used term and our care advice applies to all of them!

Planting

Potting Christmas Cacti

  • When selecting a pot for a Christmas cactus, be sure to choose one that has a drainage hole in the bottom. This helps to keep the soil from getting too wet.
  • Christmas cacti grow well in most potting mixes that are formulated for succulents. The important thing is that your potting soil drains well.

Where to Put a Christmas Cactus

  • Plants should be kept in bright, indirect light. An east-facing window or a bright bathroom is ideal. Too much direct sunlight can bleach the sensitive leaves.
  • A daytime temperature of 70°F (21°C) and an evening temperature of 60-65°F (15-18°C) is preferred.
  • Christmas cacti prefer a more humid environment, which makes a bright bathroom or kitchen a good spot to keep them.
  • 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°F (10°C). Keep them out of direct outdoor sunlight.
Growing

How to Care for Christmas Cacti

  • Plan to water every 2-3 weeks, but only water when the top one third of soil feels dry to the touch. For example, if the plant is in 6 inches of soil, water when the top 2 inches feel dry. (Use your finger to check!)
    • When the soil is sufficiently dry, soak the soil until water runs through the pot’s drainage holes. Place a tray underneath the pot to catch the water. After 10-15 minutes, discard any excess water in the tray so that the pot doesn’t sit in water.
    • It’s especially important to water well while the plant is flowering.
  • From spring through early fall, feed every 2 weeks with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. During the fall and winter, feed the cactus monthly to encourage successful blooming.
  • Prune plants in late spring to encourage branching and more flowers. Simply cut off a few sections of each stem; the plant will branch from the wound.
    • If you wish, place the cut pieces in a lightly moist potting soil—they root easily after a few weeks and make for excellent Christmas presents!

Christmas cactus

How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom

The blooms of Christmas cacti and its relatives are triggered by the cooler temperatures and longer nights of fall. The three main types of holiday cacti generally bloom according to this schedule:

  • Thanksgiving cacti are the earliest and longest bloomers, typically producing flowers from late fall through mid-winter.
  • Christmas cacti tend to bloom from early winter to mid-winter.
  • Easter cacti bloom from late winter to mid-spring.

If your cactus is not blooming, it may be receiving too much light or too-high temperatures. Here are some tips to encourage yours to produce flowers!

  • To trigger blooming, nights need to be at least 14 hours long and days between 8 to 10 hours for at least six weeks. If you have strong indoor lighting that’s on at night, you may need to cover your cactus or move it to an area that’s exposed to the natural light cycle.
  • Flower buds form best when the plant is kept in temperatures between 50 and 60°F (10 and 15°C).
    • You can kickstart the budding process by exposing the plant to temperatures of about 45°F (7°C) for several nights in a row.
  • Make sure that you are consistent with watering while the plant is in flower. If the plant dries out too much, it may drop its buds.
  • If the cactus sheds its buds one winter, don’t worry: it should bloom the following year!
Recommended Varieties

There are three main types of “holiday cacti” available:

  • Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) bloom from late fall to mid-winter and are often mislabeled as Christmas cacti.
  • Christmas cacti (S. x buckleyi) bloom from early winter to mid-winter.
  • Easter cacti (S. gaertneri) bloom from later winter to mid-spring.
christmas-cactus_full_width.jpg
A giant Thankgiving cactus in bloom. Photo by Catherine Boeckmann.
Wit and 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 holiday cacti emerge from their winter rest and initiate new growth.
Pests/Diseases

Blossom drop: If your Christmas cactus is exposed to any type of stress, the plant will likely drop its blossoms. This could be related to the 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 while buds are forming.

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.

Houseplants

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Comments

Railey (not verified)

1 month 4 weeks ago

I could use some advice/help on what to do to save a recently acquired Thanksgiving Cactus!

It's old and has a very woody stem - however it wasn't trimmed or well kept. The entire stem is split, it seems dead and dry - (even hollow in some parts). All of the green is wrinkled and withered. One of the thick branches is snapped and only hanging by a thread. Somehow the snapped branch has a bunch of healthy looking flowers blooming on it.

The original root system and trunk is way beyond saving and I fear the only way to get this to come back is propagation. Is it possible to propagate from the woody stem (the undamaged stem section) to keep its size or will I need to take several soft cuttings and start growing this as a small plant again?

Hi, Railey, First, for general information (ours included), the difference between the three cacti is found in the shape of the leaves. The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumgera truncata) has very pointed and claw shaped projections on the edges of the leaf. The Christmas cactus (Schlumgera bridgesti) has leaf projections which are more scalloped or tear drop shaped. The names indicate are a general reference to the bloom times. The best way of propagating that we know of is from cuttings, not from the root.

Dip the cutting in water and then in rooting hormone. Place the cutting into damp builder’s sand or potting medium that drains well. Set it in an area that gets bright light and maintains temperatures of 70 to 80°F. Keep the medium damp but not wet. In about two weeks, gently lift the cutting to look for roots. When you see roots, transplant to cactus medium, water, and place in a bright spot.

Karen (not verified)

2 months ago

I was given a Christmas cactus that from your article I now recognize is a Thanksgiving cactus. It blooms from after Christmas thru late winter, then again late spring/early summer. The blooms don’t last long, but maybe I’m not watering enough at that time. It’s in a very small pot and although you say it likes being crowded, I want it to grow to a giant plant like the one you have pictured. My question is how deep a pot does it need? I have a wide but shallow banzai planter I thought of using because it has two large drainage holes and a tray for the excess water. The pot is about 4-5 inches deep and about 8-9 inches long. Would this work, I or do I need a deeper and/or narrower pot? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, since moving I don’t have a sunny window to keep the plant in except in summer. Does artificial light (house lights) work as well? I can move the plant to a somewhat sunny window under the kitchen lights. It has not bloomed since we moved in September and I don’t know what to do to get it to bloom again. Please help, I don’t want to lose this plant! Thank you.

The plant should have at least 2-3 inches of new soil on all sides of the root ball—around and below it. That will give it enough space to grow its roots into and grow larger overall. (Once it fills that space, you’ll have to repot it again, of course!) Your bonsai pot could be big enough to serve as a temporary home, but it depends on how big the plant is now.

Artificial light will keep the cactus alive, but it really needs some sort of sunlight to thrive and bloom. Even in a room with bright, indirect light would be better than solely artificial light. It sounds like keeping it in the sunny window in your kitchen would be a good idea. 

As for the blooms: Christmas cacti can be finicky, so the plant is probably just adjusting to its new space. Additionally, it will bloom better with more light. You may not get blooms this season, but hopefully that will change next year!