Christmas cacti are certainly among the least understood of houseplants. They have a bad reputation for being difficult to get to flower, or for flowering at the wrong time.
However, once their secret is discovered, these wonderful plants will produce colorful flowers every year.
Although it’s a succulent, the Christmas cactus’s care is more reminiscent of a tropical plant. Native to Brazil, it grows in humid, tropical undergrowth.
Light and temperature
Christmas cacti need plenty of indirect light. They prefer a mild, never cold, temperature, ideally between 15 and 23 degrees Celsius.
You can also keep it outdoors if you live in an area with mild winters. If you decide to do this, remember to bring it inside during the coldest periods and avoid exposure to frost at all costs.
Irrigation
The Christmas cactus should be treated like a tropical plant: water it with plenty of water and let the soil dry completely between waterings.
It is important to let the soil dry out and avoid stagnation, to prevent the roots from rotting.
This plant prefers a humid environment, so if you live in a dry home, place the pot on a saucer filled with water and pebbles. The water will evaporate and provide the plant with the moisture it needs.
Soil and fertilizer
In their natural habitat, these plants do not grow on the ground, but in places where dirt and debris accumulate, such as the hollow of a tree or a recess in a rock where natural debris accumulates.
Christmas cacti prefer succulent-friendly, well-draining soil.
Feed your Christmas cactus with a good fertilizer when the flowering stage ends.
Flowering
These cacti have beautiful flowers, with delicate pink, fuchsia, orange, or white petals. But what do you need to do to make them bloom?
Christmas cacti flower after a dormant period of about four weeks. You can encourage this process by giving the plant what it needs to flower: longer, cooler nights.
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