Quick Tips To Grow & Care For
At this time of the year, we are lucky to have several gorgeous house plants that provide holiday color and splendor.
One of them is the Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera species), an undemanding plant, that rewards you with its seasonal flowering year after year.
Here are some fast tips on how to grow and care for them.
Light:
Medium to bright indirect light
Water:
It is a succulent, so it can take dry air and infrequent watering; however, it will require more attention when it is in bloom. Prefers well-drained soil, and likes to be slightly potbound.
Fertilizer:
During blooming and growth, fertilize with an all purpose, soluble houseplant fertilizer every 10 days.
Temperature:
Average to slightly cooler room temperatures, and when not in flower, as low as 60° F (15.6° C). Evening temperatures of 50 to 55° F (10-13° C) can be used to initiate flower bud formation.
Bud Dropping:
Common causes are over watering, exposure to sudden changes in humidity or temperature, which can happen if you grew the plant outdoors and then brought it in. Try to locate the plant in a cool area and use good watering practices.
Flowering:
Christmas Cactus needs 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness at night for 5 to 6 weeks or until buds form. They also need cool nights, under 65° F (18° C).
Keep plants slightly dry until flower buds begin to form, then water thoroughly when the surface of the soil is dry.
Year-Round Schedule At A Glance:
January – Usually Flowering
February to March – Resting (Maintain 55° F (13° C), and infrequent watering
April to May – Water thoroughly when soil begins to dry out
June to August – Place outdoors in a shady spot
September to October – Plant prepares to flower. Reduce number of daylight hours. Keep plant on the dry side with cool temperatures of 55 to 60° F (13 to 16° C) until flower buds form. Then increase water and temperature
November to December – Flowering. Water normally. Temperature no less than 55° F (13° C)
For more Gardening Tips and Gardening Advice visit our main gardening website at Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine – www.weekendgardener.net
Have a great day!
I live in Southeast florida. Can I plant the christmas Cactus outdoors? Will it survive during summer heat and humidity?
Hi Deepika,
Your weather gets so hot down there, I would not plant it outdoors.
Christmas Cactus don’t like it any hotter than 70 to 80 degrees F (21 to 26 degrees C) and prefers cooler temperatures in order to initiate flowering.
If it were me, I would keep the plant in a pot so I could move it around during the year to give it the ideal conditions it needs to thrive.
You can put it outdoors in the summer, but put it where it will get bright indirect light and some shade.
If it looks like it isn’t doing well, move it to a cooler location.
Hope this answers your question.
Hilary
My grandmother passed away in March I was given the christmas cactus, I put it outside for the summer and it froze one night now it is brown colored and not looking so good. Please help me help it. Not sure what to do to revive it.
Hi Theresa,
Well that is a bummer! Christmas cacti are a succulent plant and they react similarly to frost burn as other succulents.
I would keep your plant indoors from now on following the temperature guidelines above, and in the meantime, carefully cut back any dead, brown, or discolored tissue.
You might lose a large part of your plant because Christmas cacti are very susceptible to cold, but the root system is in place and will put out new growth in time provided the damage isn’t too extensive.
Because the top part of the plant will be reduced, make sure not to over water.
These are quite hardy plants and you have a very good chance that your plant will come back just fine.
Good luck!