Edith on the Christmas Cactus

Editor
12/20/2019 04:01 AM (update 04/11/2023 01:49 AM)

by Edith Isidore-Mills — Now that the holiday season has officially arrived, if you look in the garden center or florist section of most stores you will start to see amaryllis bulbs, poinsettias, and a less popular plant called the Christmas cactus. It was 2005 when I purchased my oldest Christmas cactus and it is still going strong. In fact, it is blooming right now even though Christmas is still about seven weeks away. Since 2005, I've purchased five more Christmas cacti in different colors and I expect all will bloom and continue blooming off and on from now through Easter. If you see plants in garden centers or florist’s shops this time of year with glossy, jagged edged, green segments and tubular multi-pedaled flowers then you have probably found a Christmas cactus. The flowers range in color from white to red to fuchsia to pinkand even orange. Christmas cacti are not truly cacti but succulent epiphytes native to the tropical forests of South America. In their native habitat, Christmas cacti are usually found hanging from the trees. They set their roots down in the decomposed debris that collects on the branches in the dense tree canopy. As a house plants, Christmas cacti make nice hanging plants or can be placed on a table. They tend to hang over the edge of the pot but don’t droop down like pothos. Unlike true cacti, Christmas cacti like humidity. However, they don’t like to sit in a puddle of water either. The best watering regime is to only water when the soil around the plant is dry to the touch. After watering dump any water that has drained into the saucer beneath the pot. With proper care, Christmas cacti can live many years but they will only flower if placed under the right conditions from September until around Easter. During this periodChristmas cacti may have several flushes of blooms. This year my Christmas cacti started blooming just before Halloween. They are day length sensitive and will only flower if they have just experience days with at least a 12-hour dark period. Another condition required for flowering is nighttime temperatures between 55°F and 65°F. After the holidays, day length can be longer and water and fertilizer applications need to continue. Fertilize Christmas cacti once a month with a weak solution of houseplant fertilizer. In September place the Christmas cactus in a room that doesn’t receive any supplemental light after sunset and chances are it will bloom again around the holiday season and send out several flushes of blooms until around Easter or the Spring Equinox. The daylight periods length beyond 12 hours. Keep watering a lightly fertilizing though and your Christmas cactus could bloom every year for many years. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.