Though there are relatively few natural species of the Schlumbergera with only a few colors, you can find ones with bicolored flowers. This delightful surprise often occurs due to a fascinating phenomenon called “sports or sporting.”
Sporting is essentially a genetic mutation that can happen in plants, leading to sudden changes in their appearance. In the case of Christmas cacti, this mutation causes flowers on the same plant to display two distinct colors, such as pink and white or red and white.
You can also find hybrid varieties for this. A hybrid resulting from a pink-flowered Christmas cactus and a white-flowered one might produce offspring with blooms that are pink with white tips or even have subtle streaks or patches of both colors.
10. You Can Make them Bloom Anytime!
Yes, you read that right. And yes, we’re not kidding. Remember how we said the Christmas cactus is a short-day plant and needs a 12-14 hour dormancy period for flowering?
It isn’t limited to Christmas time. If you do it right, you can trick your plant into getting blooms any time of the year. Here’s how to do it properly without hurting your plant’s health.
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