by Matt Gibson
A Christmas cactus makes a lovely gift around the holidays for several reasons , whether you ’re look for a talent for a nurseryman or someone whose thumb is less than green . First , the Christmas cactus is a super well-to-do plant to care for . Second , it produces long - lasting and beautiful tubular flower in white , yellow , red , and unlike tone of pinkish and over-embellished , such as lilac and lavender . Third , spread to make raw plants from cutting is loose and has a gamy success pace , seduce the Christmas cactus a trashy natural endowment the whole family can enjoy that will make a lovely impression for year to come .
Despite its misleading name , the Christmas cactus actually is not a cactus at all — this arresting seasonal blunder is asucculent . Strangely enough , Schlumbergera ’s natural habitat is in the Torrid Zone , a stark contrast to its wintry holiday namesake . In the state of nature , the succulent do its home as an epiphyte , living high in the tree branch of the rainforest canopy in its native area of Brazil . Epiphytes grow on the surface of other plants , but they are not parasitic — so although they divvy up space , they do n’t siphon resources such as nutrients off the plants whose Earth’s surface they know upon .
Unlike most cacti ( and most other succulents , for that topic ) the Christmas cactus is not suited to thearid , desert - similar garden conditionsone might imagine . Schlumbergera in reality prefer a moist and humid environment to the dry desert grit . Though stay fresh your vacation cactus hydrated well enough may seem a mo strange at first , the Christmas cactus needs to be watered much more ofttimes than most other cactus and succulents . If you ’ve maturate desert plant before , do n’t practice their preferences as a guideline for how much moisture your genus Schlumbergera will take . Instead , keep reading for ended forethought instructions , tips for extension , and more .
Varieties of Christmas Cactus
There are several types of cacti that are connected in some way to the holiday time of year . Aside from the ever - democratic Christmas cactus , you ’ve probably also seen their counterparts , the Thanksgiving cactus and Easter cactus . Each of these festive flowering succulents get going into its blossom menstruum during the vacation that it is named for .
Most of the cacti that are sold as Christmas cacti are actually Thanksgiving cacti . They ’re marketed as Christmas cacti because they go into bloom just before the biggest commercial-grade holiday of the twelvemonth , pee them an attractive option for shoppers preparing for the holiday season . If you need a true Christmas cactus , you ’ll desire to question the trafficker carefully — and be prepared to buy one that is n’t blossom yet when you ’re making your list and checking it twice prior to the holiday .
The following tips for take the right seasonal cactus will help ensure your genus Schlumbergera succulent blooms during the holiday you have in idea . Christmas cacti have flattened leave and are adorned with rounded teeth that splay out from the edges of their leaves .. Easter cacti also have rounded leaves , but they can be distinguished from the other seasonal smorgasbord by their flower , which are similar to daisy and wide than the bloom of the Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti . Thanksgiving cacti stand up out from the rest due to their designate , as pit to rounded , teeth around the margin of each of their leaves .
Growing Conditions for Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus is best suited tocontainer horticulture . Though the genus Schlumbergera can adapt to most any ground type , like most succulent , it prefer a sandy grime to really flourish . Sufficient drain is of the essence , so ensure the container that will bear your Christmas cactus has good drainage .
water system Schlumbergera when the top level of its soil has completely dry . In addition to watering , treating your Christmas cactus to some kind of humidity discussion will ensure that it thrives . you may allow for your industrial plant with extra humidity by place a tray of water near the cactus or using a humidifier . Christmas cactus like to get some sunlight , but it does n’t do well with too much direct sun . A overnice umbrageous location is favour .
Prepare Your Christmas Cactus for Blooming
If your Schlumbergera is n’t blooming at the right sentence of yr , it either get too much igniter and not enough darkness , or it was n’t kept at the appropriate temperature . exchangeable to the poinsettia , another popular vacation plant , the Christmas cactus needs a middling strict care regime for do its thaumaturgy and flower during the vacation season . away from temperature pauperization , the Christmas cactus needs at least four week of dark for lengthy hours to flower .
During the day , keep your Christmas cactus comfortable in temperature that stay around 70 degrees Fahrenheit . During the evenings , the Schlumbergera call for the temperature to decrease to a coolheaded 55 to 65 degree Fahrenheit in order for it to produce blooms .
In late September or other October , check that to cover your Schlumbergera plant with a box or move it into a dark room , then exit it in total darkness for 12 to 14 hours per day . Once flyspeck buds start to seem on your plant , you could hold on alternating its schedule between light and darkness .
Once the buds start to get big or begin to give up , move the cactus to its proper location to show it off to maximum burden . However , you ’ll still want to verify that your genus Schlumbergera does n’t survive drastic inflammation change or extreme temperature while it ’s on presentation . Continue to fecundate and irrigate your plant on a regular basis throughout its holiday blooming full stop .
Care Instructions for Christmas Cactus
Keep your Christmas cactusindoors as a houseplantmost of the year , and give it plant food in the spring after its blooming menses . During the summertime , move your Schlumbergera plant outdoors into a shady location , and do n’t forget to keep providing it with water and fertiliser regularly .
Prune your holiday cactus around June to promote new growth and encourage the next time of year ’s flowering . In autumn , before the frosts hit , move the cactus back indoors , and begin watering it less frequently . Start the light / dark-skinned bud regimen detailed above in September . During the wintertime , make indisputable your cactus gets four to six hours of collateral sun , and keep its grime moist . It is extra significant during the wintertime month to monitor your Schlumbergera works ’s humidness . If the air in its surround gets too dry , the Christmas cactus will suffer .
How to Propagate Christmas Cactus
One of the best thing about the Christmas cactus is how easy this plant is to propagate , making it a girth to separate your specimen into a crowd of smaller cacti to give away as gift during the holiday . Cut a modest Y - forge bit directly from the radical gratuity of your genus Schlumbergera , making indisputable to trim from healthy part of the succulent . In a sand - ground soil , plant the cutting with a fourth part of its total length under the surface .
wash the raw industrial plant ’s dirt equally , then office in a spot where it will welcome plenty of collateral sparkle . To help root the cutting off , you’re able to switch off back shoots from the the second articulation of each bakshish . You will set out to see sign of fresh development within a two - workweek period . Once you ’ve spotted the new shoots , it is safe to move your baby Christmas cactus plant to another container . At this point , you should trench the sandy grunge for a loosely - jam mix made of adequate parts compost , loam , and sand .
Pests and Diseases of Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus is nimble to send away its blossoms if it ’s stressed . tension for this works could come from a mixed bag of divisor , such as temperature or low-cal changes , inadequate wet levels , want of nutrition in its soil , and other deviations from its care preferences .
Christmas cactus are susceptible to infestation from mealy bug . If a Schlumbergera flora ’s container does n’t have sufficient drain , or if the succulent is overwatered , it could develop root hogwash . If you remark this issue , only shorten out any infected areas with a clean and sanitize twain of shears , then repot your Christmas cactus in a clear container with new potting ground . Do n’t skip the sanitization , either , as sanitize your tools prevent your plant from becoming infected further with disease .
Want to Learn More About Christmas Cactus?
Check out this picture for an in - depth tutorial on how to care for your Christmas cactus : find out this video for a tutorial on how to propagate Christmas cactus : This TV has tips on how to rout Christmas cactus cuttings : This video teach you how to properly crop your Christmas cactus :
Still want more selective information ? See these helpful websites : Old Farmer ’s Almanac cover grow Christmas CactusGardening roll in the hay How cover Advice for Christmas Cactus CareGood Housekeeping covers How to Keep Your Christmas Cactus Blooming the Whole Holiday SeasonHGTV covers Christmas Cactus CareLowes cover deal for a Christmas Cactus
