With gorgeous flowers in festive hues, Christmas cactus makes a popular vacation present. The exotic-looking flowers open just in time for the holidays and supply weeks of color. Christmas cacti are long-lived plants, flowering every year in shades of red, purple, peach, and white. Learn how to care for a Christmas cactus so you can delight in these holiday charms for years to come.
Christmas Cactus Care
Prevent overwatering the plants, and do not let water sit in the dish below containers. Water plants when the soil is dry to the touch. Plants can be permitted to dry out slightly throughout the spring and summertime months however take care to preserve even soil moisture during blooming.
Light
As soon as the flowers fade, lower watering up until growth resumes in spring. While plants tolerate bright light during flower, they carry out much better under partial shade conditions throughout the spring and summer season. Indoors, that may be a brilliant east- or north-facing window. Plants likewise carry out well when brought outdoors for summer season. Look for a place with filtered sunshine, such as under a tree (remember, they grow in rain forests). Too much light can trigger plants to appear pale or yellow.
Soil
Plant a Christmas cactus in well-drained, lightweight soil. Three parts potting soil mixed with two parts perlite will provide excellent drainage. Or utilize a specially developed cactus potting soil mix.
Water
Use a well-draining pot to enable excess water to drain pipes and to avoid the plant from ending up being waterlogged. Do not let the plant sit in standing water.
Temperature level and Humidity
From April to September, keep the Christmas cactus at 70 to 80 ° F, as this is the time of peak growth for the plant. As soon as buds are set, the plant chooses lower nighttime temperature levels at about 55 to 65 ° F. Keep the plant in a place devoid of drafts and sudden temperature level changes. Provide humidity throughout dry winter season by misting the plant or positioning the pot on a tray of pebbles filled with water.
Fertilizer
Fertilize plants when active growth resumes in spring, providing a well balanced (such as 20-10-20) fertilizer at half strength. With appropriate care, a Christmas cactus can live for years.
Types of Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) comes from a group of closely related plants that consists of the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri), each called for the holiday throughout which they normally flower. Jointly, they are referred to as vacation cacti.
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata): The types most commonly available in shops throughout the holiday season is in fact Thanksgiving cacti, not Christmas cacti, since the blossom time represents the holiday shopping season.
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii): This types blossoms from mid to late winter season. The plant’s segments have more rounded edges.
Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri): This plant buds in February with blooms from March through May. With rounded edges, Easter cacti often have tiny hairs on their leaves.
Despite which species you might be growing, standard plant care stays the exact same.
Pinching and Pruning Your Christmas Cactus
A quick pruning in the summer season can encourage more flowers come winter. Pinch back stems in early June to promote branching, which in turn will lead to more flowers at the shoot ideas. Some growers likewise pinch plants back in September to create an even crown and get rid of immature stem sectors. Immature stem sectors (less than 1 cm) do not flower. Pinching back to a fully grown section will encourage bud advancement.
Propagating a Christmas Cactus
Cuttings can be utilized to propagate new plants for family and friends. Taking cuttings from the plant will likewise assist it to grow fuller. The very best time to propagate is one to 2 months after flowering.
Fill a 4- to 6-inch pot with potting soil, cactus soil mix, or a sand-peat mix.
Take cuttings of one to four sections and set them in a cool, dry place for several days till the cut end dries out. This avoids the end from decomposing.
Plant the cutting one inch deep into the soil. Water to keep damp.
To develop humidity, cover the plant with a plastic bag and secure it with an elastic band. Eliminate the bag when the roots have actually formed. Roots should form within two to three weeks.
To root in water, put the cut ends into one to two inches of water and place them in indirect light. After a number of weeks, roots must form. When they have to do with two inches long, the cutting may be planted in soil.
How to Grow a Christmas Cactus From Seed
Harvest seeds from the plant’s pods, or fruit. If the pods are green, wait up until they turn red, which is normally in the fall.
Wash the pulp from the seeds, and plant them in moist cactus soil mix or a mix of sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Press them gently into the soil without covering them.
Create humidity by covering the pot with cling wrap or a plastic bag and putting it in indirect sunshine.
Mist the soil’s surface daily, or water the plant from the bottom by positioning the pot on a tray of water until the soil’s surface area is damp.
Eliminate the plastic covering after seedlings emerge, usually after a few weeks.
Plant seedlings when they are about 2 to 3 inches high.
Potting and Repotting
Christmas cacti don’t require to be repotted typically, every 3 or 4 years, or when roots begin to grow from the pot’s drainage holes. They prefer to be rootbound. The very best time to repot a Christmas cactus remains in spring when flowering has ended and its flowers have actually wilted. Do not repot the plant while it is blooming.
Transfer the plant to a pot that is the next measure. Location a couple of inches of fresh potting soil at the bottom of the pot. Carefully loosen the roots and remove the old soil, then move the whole root ball to the pot.
Place the plant in the brand-new pot so the top of the root ball is about one inch below the surface area. Pat down the soil around the plant.
Provide moderate water and location in low light for a couple of days to offer the plant time to adapt to the new pot.
Overwintering
As indoor plants, Christmas cacti flower in the weeks around Christmas. As outdoor plants, they are cold-hardy in USDA zones 10-12. They can tolerate some cooler temperature levels, as they require them to flower, however they are tropical plants and can not tolerate frost. Sudden temperature level modifications can cause the plants to lose their blooms. During summer season, Christmas cacti can be placed outdoors with filtered sunlight and defense from wind.
Typical Pests and Diseases
Overwatering can bring in insects to your Christmas cactus. Common bugs include mealybugs, spider termites, and aphids. These insects can trigger wilting, yellowing, and stunted growth. To get rid of pests, utilize insecticidal soap and horticultural oil.
Fungal illness can cause stem rot. Brown areas on stems at the soil line suggest fusarium, while phytophthora causes the stems near the soil line to appear damp. Use a fungicide to treat the plant, though it may be tough to conserve.
How to Get a Christmas Cactus to Flower
Christmas cacti start flower bud development in response to the much shorter day lengths and cooler temperatures of autumn. The ideal conditions for flower bud development consist of bright daylight followed by fourteen hours of constant darkness in a cool environment with temperatures between 60 and 68 ° F. Plants may not flower if temperatures remain too warm and/or plants do not receive the required amount of darkness. These can be tough conditions to supply inside where synthetic heating and lights are generally utilized.
One choice is to move plants into a seldom-used space, heated garage window, or other place where lighting can be managed till flower buds establish. Once flower buds establish, plants can be moved back to their typical area for display screen, as day length does not impact blooming after the buds are set. Move plants as quickly as buds appear to lessen bud drop.
Plants grown with cooler night temperature levels, in between 50 and 59ºF, will often set flower buds regardless of day length. Extreme cold can trigger issues as well, with plants dropping flower buds when temperature levels drop listed below 50ºF, so pay attention to nighttime lows.
Common Problems with Christmas Cacti
If your Christmas cactus has leaves that are turning red or pink, the plant might be getting too much sun or too little water. Water the plant when the surface area of the soil is dry.
