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Christmas Cactus Care Calendar: The Routine for On-Time Blooms

You’re likely here because you’re completely fed up with your Christmas Cactus looking like the Ghost of Christmas Past.

You’ve followed the “how-to” to the letter, yet still end up with a collection of green stems come December. You must also be tired of all the generic advice that leaves absolutely everything to guess.

The real issue isn’t what to do; it’s when to do it. Like pruning in the wrong month or missing the darkness treatment window. There’s no what without the when, and even the best how will fail if the timing is off.

Give up on that Christmas-canceling and utterly Scrooge McDucking advice. We’ve designed a brilliantly simple, month-by-month calendar and the honest routine that guarantees on-time blooms.

Christmas Cactus

No need to thank me yet. You must now follow this ridiculously simple schedule, tracking your cactus from its lazy, though necessary, post-holiday slump right up to the new flower-filled chaos of December.

Wilting Schlumbergera

Your cactus weathered the festive season, and like most of us, it’s hungover. It needs a two-month break to recharge before the hard work starts again. If you skip this, you risk fewer flowers next year:

  • You should clear away any dead and dried blooms and give the plant a slight trim if it looks gangly. Use clean shears and cut only at the joints between segments.
  • Drastically cut back on all watering. Allow the soil to dry out significantly, sometimes to a depth of an inch (2.5 cm) or more, before you offer it a minimal drink.
  • Withhold all nutrients. Completely stop feeding the plant for this entire period.

The downtime, we’re closed, out-of-service period is mandatory. It allows your cactus to rest and recover after the holiday showoff and conserve energy for the next growing season. What do we want? No Christmas Cactus burnout! When do we want it? In January and February!

Christmas cactus plant. Schlumbergera gaertneri

Wakey, wakey, Christmas cacti! As the sun stays out longer, your plant is ready to expand. It’s time to inspire strong and fresh early-season growth:

SEE TOO NEXT PAGE…

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