Getting Christmas Cactus to Bloom Again
Does Christmas cactus blossom more than once a yr? Oh yes it does!
If you followed my beginner's plant care guide for Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera), you probably had a profusion of colorful flowers in November or December and are wondering if you have to wait some other whole year before your plant blooms over again.
The surprising answer is: Nope!
Given proper intendance under the right atmospheric condition, Christmas cactus can actually rebloom in February—and this goes for Thanksgiving cactus or whatsoever houseplant labeled but as "holiday cactus" as well.
Here's how to get a repeat flowering from your vacation cactus long after the holidays have passed.
Disclosure: All products on this page are independently selected. If you buy from 1 of my links, I may earn a commission.
Secret #1: Reduce watering.
In October, start reducing the corporeality of water your plant normally receives. Lightly h2o the topmost layer of soil (just the first inch or so), and simply when the soil feels completely dry to the touch. Too much water may crusade flower buds to fall, so the get-go inch of soil should be moist (merely never waterlogged).
The new, minimal watering schedule will force your Christmas cactus into dormancy, which is critical for getting the institute to bloom (and rebloom). This is where being a lazy houseplant gardener works to your advantage!
Cloak-and-dagger #2: Provide at to the lowest degree 12 hours of darkness.
As a short-day institute, Christmas cactus needs 12 to 24 hours of darkness every day to enter a flowering period.
If you go on your establish in an part, this is pretty piece of cake as there's a expert run a risk your function stays dark all night. At dwelling, nevertheless, it tin be a piffling tricky finding a suitable room that'south dark from sunset to sunrise with all the artificial lights we turn on in the evenings.
My suggestion if you want your Christmas cactus to bloom again? Movement it to a spot where information technology'll go at to the lowest degree 12 uninterrupted hours of darkness, like a closet or basement (where the doors stay closed).
If you don't have a space with absolute darkness in your abode, you lot can besides comprehend the institute with calorie-free-blocking fabric (like blackout curtains) around 6pm and remove it the side by side morning after 6am.
To make certain the cloth doesn't beat your plant, I recommend placing the plant under an upside-down hamper (or any similar structure that tin act as a frame) and draping the fabric over that.
Keep your plant in this wheel for approximately half-dozen weeks to promote the production of flower buds.
I'm not a morning time person, so I sometimes fifty-fifty leave my plant in darkness for up to sixteen hours a mean solar day. When this happens, I've found that new bloom buds kickoff forming a fiddling sooner—usually within a couple weeks.
Remember that wherever you store your Christmas cactus at dark, it needs to be in total darkness for a minimum of 12 hours. Be mindful of street lights, motility-sensor lights, or nightlights. (I know it sounds crazy, but it'due south all calorie-free to the found.) Practise not plough on whatsoever lights at dark, even for short periods, as it can disrupt the darkness wheel required and affect the blooming process.
Secret #iii: Proceed temperatures absurd.
The platonic temperature for Christmas cactus to flower is fifty°F to 55°F, and the room has to exist free of cold drafts and hot drafts. So keep it away from leaky doors, heating vents, and fireplaces, or any place where the temperature fluctuates a lot between warm and cold.
At habitation, I turn my heat down to 62°F at night and go out my plant near a well-sealed window, which keeps it cool enough in the evenings.
When people ask why their Christmas cacti grow flower buds that eventually fall off, the trouble is almost always acquired by drafts, warm temperatures, or too much water.
Recommended products for Christmas cactus care:
- Leaves & Soul Premium Potting Soil for Orchids, Bromeliads, and Epiphytic Plants
- Emily's Naturals Neem Oil Establish Spray Kit
- The Abound Co. Succulent & Cactus Plant Nutrient
- Cute Farms Cacti, Delicious & Aloe Fertilizer (Liquid Pump Bottle)
What to practise in one case your Christmas cactus blooms again
While creating these ideal conditions to force your Christmas cactus to blossom a second fourth dimension might experience a little intimidating, it's actually much easier washed than said.
Simply follow these tips and you lot'll become an extra testify from your Christmas cactus to brighten upward the dreary days.
The bloom this time around is much more desultory and won't be most as big as the holiday extravaganza you got, but it's beautiful nonetheless and should terminal at least a calendar month or then to take you through the residue of winter.
Flowers typically concluding about five days, and the libation your domicile remains, the longer the flowers stay in bloom. (Warm temperatures will cause flowers to fade faster—when they kickoff to wait bad, I just twist them off.)
In one case the flowers appear, gradually increase watering as yous become back to your normal intendance routine. The amount of moisture required will depend on temperature, humidity levels, lighting conditions, container size, and the mix your plant is potted in.
In general, Christmas cactus should be watered every ten days or and then in winter, and every 7 days in summertime (sometimes more than oft, if yous live in a sunny, barren climate.)
Read next: How to Care for Christmas Cactus Year-Circular And so It Can Live 100 Years (Seriously!)
Source: https://www.gardenbetty.com/christmas-cactus-bloom/