If you are growing a Christmas Cactus, you already know they are nothing like the other succulents. Despite the fact that they are succulents, they have entirely different prerequisites than cacti. That is because their normal natural home are the woodlands and jungles. Truth be told, they are really referred to as Forest Cacti.
Forest Cacti can be shy bloomers, unless you fulfill every specific need they have. You have to provide them with a cool, dry place to rest in the early spring, be mindful so as not to move them an inch once buds show up, and enable stems to solidify open air amid the summer.
General growing requirements
Temperature – Christmas Cacti lean toward temperatures in the range or 55-70 degrees F. Amid their resting period, most incline toward cooler temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees F.
Light – These plants need a well-lit location out of direct sunlight.
Food and water – After a time of rest, you should water more often when buds start to shape. Amid blooming and active development, water and feed as you would with any other houseplant. Water generously when soil begins to dry. Christmas cactus don’t like hard water, so utilize rain water or filtered water.
Humidity – Leaves need misting frequently.
Repotting – Christmas cactus profits by yearly repotting after they get done with blossoming.
Propagation – You can easily root Christmas cactus from cuttings. Take stem cuttings from a terminal stem tip in the summer. Let it recover for a couple of days before embeddings in into a peat-based compost.
Care for Christmas through the year
Mid-November through January – This is the normal flowering period. Water normally and maintain a minimum temperature of 55 degrees F.
February and March – This is the important period of rest. Move plant into cooler temperatures (50-55 degrees F.)
April and May – Resume normal feeding and watering. Water well when compost starts to dry out.
June through Mid-September – Set your Christmas cactus outside. Forest cacti require a spell outside to solidify their stems so they can give you next year’s blossom buds. Place the cactus in an obscure spot and shield it from snails and slugs by setting crushed eggshells (or other sharp material) around its base.
Mid-September through Mid-November – This is considered the pre-flowering period. Keep plants on the cooler, dryer side until you see flower buds form. Then increase water and temperature and leave it alone to flower.
Advice from Christmas cactus owners
Fertilizer – Get your Christmas cactus to bloom by placing one feed stick into the plant pot each month. Break them in 1/2 and stick them into the soil.
Only water when dry – Cactus of any kind are succulent plants (they retain water) therefore don’t water until soil is very dry, then give it a good soaking.
Avoid artificial light – The secret to making a Christmas Cactus bloom again is: along about mid October, make sure that it doesn’t have any prolonged period of artificial light until it sets blooms in late November.
No water and in the dark – Put it in a dark area for 6-8 weeks without water. When you take it out, it will start blooming.
Put a box over it – Try putting your cactus in a room that would receive the same light as outside. This meaning, let your cactus have the same amount of light during the day as if it was outside. Putting a box or something over the cactus at night also works. The cactus blooms as a result of less light during the fall/winter. Another option would be putting it in a closet or another room for the entire month of October with little or no water.
In the summer, keep it in a shaded spot where it does not take the direct sun and it does fine.
