Is Sugar Water The Secret To A Thriving Christmas Cactus? Here's The Truth

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Keeping a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) thriving throughout the holidays is usually a breeze. These hardy tropical succulents reliably bloom vibrant pink and red flowers to match your mid-winter decorations, and with proper care, they should stay healthy all season. But if your blooms aren't popping as you hoped, you might be tempted to fall for an old myth about adding sugar water to your Christmas cactus pot. But don't do it. You'll be causing more harm than good, and there are better ways to encourage a Christmas cactus to deliver its gifts of holiday blooms.

How the sugar water idea began is a bit of a mystery. Social media is full of claims that adding some of the sweet stuff is a sure thing to encourage blooming, but these claims are unsubstantiated. According to experts, adding sugar water can actually inhibit the ability of a Christmas cactus to absorb important nutrients. It can also cause fungi and disease to grow in your soil and can attract pests like ants and gnats. In general, plants do not grow better with sugar water, but there are some key Christmas cactus care tips to ensure healthy growth. 

Careful watering is a key to a healthy Christmas cactus. Overwatering is often a plant killer; however, these tropical plants appreciate a consistently moist environment, like their native tropics. When buds start to appear in the fall, it is especially important to keep the soil moist to the touch. Too much direct light on a Christmas cactus is also bad for the plant any time of year, but too much light leading up to the holiday season is a sure bloom-killer. While your plant is prepping to put on its show each holiday season, it needs cooler temperatures and less light. In early fall, move your cactus to a darker corner of the room without artificial light, and only indirect light from a window. These conditions mimic the shady tropical rainforests where the Christmas cactus evolved. 

If you've had your cactus for a while, you might check to see if it needs a bigger pot and some fresh Christmas cactus potting soil to allow for better nutrient uptake. You'll want to save any fertilizer until spring, after holiday blooming has ended and new growth has begun. However, your soil could benefit from adding the leftover kitchen scrap, coffee grounds, to help your cactus thrive.