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

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December: Bloom Time

christmas cactus

You did it! As the famous florist Peter Schilling said: Watching in a trance, the crew is certain, nothing left to chance, all is working, my Christmas Cactus has successfully arrived at its glorious holiday moment. Feel free to enjoy the flowers, but do not forget to:

  • Protect the blooms. Keep the pot far away (plant pot) from heating vents, cold drafts, or any sudden temperature changes. Extreme shifts will shorten the bloom time dramatically.
  • Only water when the upper part of the soil is dry. Your cactus needs water to sustain the blooms, not drown the roots.
  • Use the same high-P fertilizer (like the 5-15-10 NPK formula) that you used to initiate the buds, but this time, water it down even more. Half the strength of your summer application can extend the flowering season.

Apart from letting you stare adoringly at your plant, this simple maintenance routine is designed to keep the blooms healthy and lasting through the holidays. Merry Cact-mas!

4 Ways to Annoy Your Christmas Cactus

Christmas cactus plant. Schlumbergera gaertneri

Now that you’re a Christmas Cactus Major, here’s your guide to not ruining everything at the last minute. No rookie mistakes for you, like:

  • Temperature Trap: Maintaining a too-warm environment in the early fall stops the plant from setting buds. Cool nights are a must. Warm pillows are yuck.
  • The Light Leak: Exposure to any light source (be it a street lamp, Netflix, or reading-in-bed light) during the night will completely wreck the crucial September/October dark treatment.
  • Late Feeding Frenzy: Over-fertilizing in the late season encourages the plant to put energy into growing more stem segments, and you’ll get leaves instead of flowers. No midnight snacks either.
  • Moving Mistake: Handling or repositioning the pot after the buds emerge is the fastest, simplest, surest way to make the plant drop every single potential flower.

Be a good plant parent, and this cactus will never desert you, even though it’s technically a jungle cactus from south-eastern Brazil, and most likely cares more about samba than carols.

Shrewd Schlumbergera Gardeners Grow Glorious Reds

Now say it fast. These cacti do not have needles, but that’s also beyond the point.

If you want them to look sharp for holidays, all you have to do is get the whats, hows, and whens together and never ever call it by its first name. Schlumbergera. Haha! Wish you a fancactus Christmas!

And if you’d like to plan another stunning holiday bloomer, check out how to schedule amaryllis planting so your bulbs burst into color right on time for the festivities!

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