The Christmas cactus brings cheerful winter blooms just when we need them most. With its dazzling pink and lilac flowers, this tropical beauty thrives indoors during the chill of winter.
Whether you’re looking to keep yours blooming bright or share its charm by propagating new plants, this festive succulent is a gift that keeps on giving!
About Christmas Cacti
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) is a popular houseplant that blooms indoors in the winter, so it’s popular at holiday time and makes a great gift, too. Unlike regular cacti, however, this is not a plant from a dry, hot desert location. Instead, this is a succulent native to tropical rainforests, 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 a run-of-the-mill cactus! It’s important to water these cacti regularly, but also to be cautious of keeping them too wet. (See detailed care instructions below.)
Holiday Cactus Types
There are three main types of “holiday” cacti out there: the Easter cactus (S. gaertneri), the Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata), and the Christmas cactus (S. x buckleyi). For simplicity’s sake, we refer to all three species as “Christmas cactus” on this page since the care is the same. See our article on the different types of holiday cacti and how to tell them apart.
Growing
How to Care for Christmas Cacti
- 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!
How to Get Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom
The blooms of Christmas cacti and its relatives are triggered by the cooler temperatures and longer fall nights. 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 midwinter.
- Christmas cacti tend to bloom from early to midwinter.
- Easter cacti bloom from late winter to mid-spring.
If your cactus is NOT blooming, it may be receiving too much light or living in conditions where the temperatures are too high. 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 and 10 hours for at least 6 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!
It's especially important to water well while the plant is flowering.
Types
There are three main types of “holiday cacti” available:
- Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) bloom from late fall to midwinter and are often mislabeled as Christmas cacti.
- Christmas cacti (S. x buckleyi) bloom from early to midwinter.
- Easter cacti (S. gaertneri) bloom from later winter to mid-spring.
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It sound like too little water and/or too much direct sunshine. Is it planted in cactus soil (a special mix); you could try that as it better controls the moisture than traditional potting soil. And remember, though it is a cactus, it comes from the humid forests of Brazil, where it lives epiphytically on tree branches, meaning that it doesn't sit in water, but doesn't get bone-dry either.
Water it a little and gradually a little more. Do not soak it. And allow it to dry out between waterings. Too much moisture in the soil will cause the plant to rot (leaves will drop). Water sparingly but consistently in fall and winter, and keep it out of direct sunlight, just give it bright, indirect sunlight.
In theory this could work; the only thing that might be an issue is water. Christmas cacti like warm, humid, shady environments, but will not tolerate being over- or underwatered. So if you do plant them outside, make sure you place them in an area where the soil doesn't completely dry out nor stay wet for too long. Good luck!
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.
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