If you want your Christmas cactus to flower during the holiday season, start caring for it in early November. Give the plant a dark location with a temperature between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night and bright light during the day. Reduce watering to once a week and fertilize monthly with a half-strength solution of water-soluble fertilizer. By Christmas, your cactus should be covered in buds.
Christmas cacti are beautiful, low-maintenance plants that are often gifted during the holiday season. If you’ve received a Christmas cactus with buds, there are a few things you can do to ensure it stays healthy and blooms for years to come.
Place your Christmas cactus in a bright spot out of direct sunlight. east or west-facing windows are ideal.
Water your plant thoroughly, allowing the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Fertilize monthly with a general-purpose houseplant fertilizer.
Pinch back the tips of your plant to encourage bushier growth.
Be sure to keep an eye on your plant for signs of pests or disease. If you notice anything suspicious, contact your local extension office for advice.
Should I water my Christmas cactus when it has buds?
If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom, make sure to water it regularly and keep it cool. Late spring is the best time to propagate cuttings because most holiday cacti emerge from their winter rest and initiate new growth.
An Xmas cactus should ideally get around 8 hours of bright light per day. A sunny room that gets natural indirect light is perfect. If you’re moving it outside for the warmer months, choose a spot that is mostly shaded, or gets dappled sunlight. Too much sun can cause the leaves to burn, redden, or shrivel.
Why do the buds keep falling off my Christmas cactus
Dropping buds can be a result of overwatering, temperature extremes or lack of light. Your plant was given special treatment to make it bloom at Christmas, and it was provided with perfect growing conditions during this time. Somewhere in transit, or perhaps in your home, it encountered less than ideal conditions.
If you want your cacti to look its best during and after the Christmas season, make sure to deadhead all the spent blooms. This will also encourage the plant to continue blooming. Once Christmas is over, you can continue to enjoy your cacti until it finally stops producing flowers.
When should you put a Christmas cactus in the dark?
If you want your cactus to flower, you need to trick it into thinking it’s winter. One way to do this is to move the mature plant to a dark location for at least 12 hours a day. This can be done in late September or early October.
To encourage bud set, provide bright light, temperatures between 55 F and 65 F, and 13 hours or more of continuous darkness each day.
Where is the best place to put a Christmas cactus?
You want to make sure your Christmas cactus is in a spot where it will get indirect light throughout the day. A north- or east-facing window is ideal, but as long as the plant is out of direct sunlight, it should be fine. You also want to make sure the plant is in a humid environment, as this will help it thrive.
A cactus does not need nearly as much water as most plants. In fact, you should only be watering the base of the plant when its soil is completely dry to the touch. The rest of the time, you should be misting your cactus every day with a few squirts from a spray bottle.
How long do Christmas cactus buds last
This is a note about Christmas cacti and how too much water or moving the pot can cause the buds to fall off. The plant will remain in flower for four to six weeks, with each flower lasting six to nine days.
A Christmas cactus is a succulent, so it absolutely can’t tolerate soggy feet. Water only when the surface feels dry to the touch. If the flat stems get soft and mushy, you’re overwatering. If the stems look shriveled, you’re probably under-watering.
What does a Christmas cactus look like when it’s Overwatered?
If you notice that your Christmas Cactus has yellow leaves and is beginning to go limp, it is a sign that it has been overwatered. If the soil stays continually moist, it means that the roots aren’t taking up any water, which can lead to root rot. To avoid this, make sure to only water your Christmas Cactus when the soil is dry to the touch.
Pruning your Christmas cactus will cause new growth to emerge, so if you’re looking to create a bushier, fuller plant, this is a great way to go about it. Simply trim off any leggy segments and you’ll see new segments begin to form in their place.
How long does it take a Christmas cactus to bloom once it buds
If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom, you need to give it dark, cool treatment for at least six to eight weeks. Once buds have formed, it will usually take up to 12 weeks for the blooms to appear. So be patient and give your plant the care it needs and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful blooms in time for Christmas!
This is to ensure that your Christmas cactus has a chance to go through its bloom cycle. By late fall, you should start to cut back on how much you water your plant. Let the top two or three inches of soil dry out between waterings. Additionally, make sure that your plant is getting enough light and temperature.
How do you keep Christmas cactus blooming?
If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom again in the spring, place it in an east-facing window that gets plenty of sunlight during the day and 12 hours of darkness each night. This will encourage the plant to flower again.
If you have a Christmas cactus, you can use coffee grounds to fertilize the soil and help the plant grow. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need to thrive. Just be sure not to use too much, as too much nitrogen can actually be harmful to plants.
Final Words
To help your Christmas cactus bloom, give it about 12 hours of complete darkness every day beginning in late September. Around the same time, stop fertilizing and watering as much. When the buds appear, bring the plant into a brighter area, but keep it out of direct sunlight. Resume regular watering, but don’t let the plant sit in water. Add a high-phosphorus liquid fertilizer once a week.
To keep your Christmas cactus blooming year after year, give it a rest period in autumn and winter. withhold water and fertilizer, and keep it in a cool, dark place. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again. Resume regular watering and fertilizing in spring.
