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.
More Like This
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.
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!
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- …
- 10
- Next »
Comments