The Critical November Task For A Blooming Christmas Cactus In December

Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) are some of the best plants to give as gifts or bring into the home when the holiday season is on. With their pink, red, or white flowers, they bring heady cheer to drab winters. Plus, if you optimally care for Christmas cactus plants, they might live for 100 years! Sadly, forcing them to flower indoors may be challenging, but by undertaking one critical task immediately in November, you can encourage abundant blooms on your Christmas cactus to arrive just in time for the holidays. All you have to do is adjust the routine a bit, with one key aspect involving bumping up the amount of time it spends in uninterrupted darkness. Christmas cacti are short-day plants; that is, they require longer nights and shorter days to set buds. Typically, the bud-to-bloom cycle can take six to eight weeks, which is why many plant parents place their Christmas cactus in a dark area by mid-October, if not sooner.

November isn't too late to bring in the holiday cheer by the end of December. Ideally, the dark spell should be perpetual, as any light break, especially if it exceeds a couple of hours, can abort new buds. So, protecting your plant from any kind of light, whether artificial or natural, for a minimum of 13 hours is essential. Alongside this change to the daily lighting, Christmas cacti also need cooler temperatures and an adjusted watering schedule to produce healthy buds and blooms. It takes consistency and a multi-faceted approach, so you may want to set alarms and phone reminders to help if you tend to be forgetful.

While 13-hour darkness each day is a non-negotiable, it's equally important to give your Christmas cactus the feeling of a cold spell to trigger bud formation. The expected range of nighttime temperatures is around 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with daytime temperatures set relatively higher (but no greater than 80 degrees Fahrenheit). Keep your cactus in an unused cool place, like the basement. If such a spot is hard to come by, consider covering the plant with a box or black plastic trash bag or moving it to a dark cabinet for successive nights until it produces buds. But ensure that it continues to receive bright yet indirect or diffused light during the day, or it won't bloom.

Put simply, pick a spot away from any cold or hot drafts (think vents, radiators, fireplace, or doors), until your Christmas cactus produces buds. Go off fertilizer as the buds start to develop, and temper your watering. In their tropical habitat, Christmas cacti bloom after the rainy season ends. So, you must induce some water stress without leaving the plant parched to encourage flowering. Poke your finger knuckle-deep into the soil, and water if dry (or leaves appear shriveled). Once you spot the buds opening, you can move the plant to its final display location, hopefully in a room that stays cool (about 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit), or the flowers will fade fast. And after the pretty blooms make an appearance, return to your Christmas cactus' normal watering schedule to keep it thriving and enjoy the flowers for weeks to come.