Common name - Christmas
Cactus
Scientific name -
Schlumbergera bridesii
Origin - A group of
epiphytic cacti native to the South American jungles
Light
While the Christmas cactus can adapt to low light, more abundant blooms are
produced on plants that have been exposed to high light intensity. Keep your
plants in a sunny location indoors. Plants can be moved outdoors in summer, but
keep them in a shady or semi-shady location. Too much direct sunlight can burn
the leaves. When it's time to bring the plants back inside in the fall, slowly
adjust the plants to life indoors by gradually increasing the number of hours
they spend indoors each day. If you want to grow it indoors in a south or west
window, you should shade the plant with glass curtains. No diffusion of light is
needed on the north or east. Many growers move the plants to the broken shade of
a porch or patio or plunge the pot in a shady spot in the garden during the
summer months. Christmas cactus needs shading from the sun between May and
September.
Soil
Well-drained soil is a must for Christmas cactus. Use a commercially packaged
potting mix for succulent plants or mix your own. The ideal soil for Christmas
cactus is composed of equal parts of garden loam, leaf mold and clean coarse
sand (not sand from the seashore). Add a quart of wood ashes per bushel of
mixture. One-tenth part by bulk of old dry cow manure may be added if garden
soil is poor.
Water
The plant is not a true cactus and is not quite as drought tolerant as the name
infers. However, it is a succulent plant and can store a reasonable quantity of
water in the leaves. Water thoroughly when the top half of the soil in the pot
feels dry to the touch. The length of time between waterings will vary with the
air temperature, amount of light, rate of growth and relative humidity. During
the summer, water so that the soil is continually moist. When fall arrives,
water the plant only well enough to prevent wilting.
During the month of October, give
the plant no water. Cautiously resume watering in November, but don't let stems
get flabby from over watering. If the atmosphere is dry, place pot on a tray of
pebbles. Keep pebbles moist with water in the tray.
After plant completes blooming, let
it rest by withholding water for six weeks. When new growth appears, re-pot and
top-dress with fresh soil. Resume watering to keep soil fairly moist.
Fertilizing
As tender growth appears in the spring, apply a weak solution of liquid
houseplant fertilizer at 2 to 3 weeks.
Temperature
Prefers warm temperatures, although evening temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees F
can be used to initiate flower bud formation (which normally is responsive to
day length). From October on, keep the plant where it is cool at night (60 to 65
F). Keep away from drafts from heat vents, fireplaces or other sources of hot
air.
Propagation
Shady conditions or filtered light are necessary for Christmas cactus to thrive.
You can force bloom by setting the plant in a coolish (60 to 65 degrees F)
location, where the light is low but not absent during the day. Do this soon for
Christmas bloom. Do not let the soil dry completely, but water infrequently to
keep the soil just moist. Watch for signs of buds at the ends of the leaves, and
increase humidity and light when they appear. If buds appear too soon, hold them
back by reducing the temperature.
The Christmas Cactus is easily
propagated by taking short Y-shaped cuttings of the stem tips. A well-tended
cactus will reach unmanageable size in time. To root cuttings for new plants,
cut back shoots from the tips, cut at the second joint of each tip. Place
cuttings in a moist peat and perlite, or peat and sand mixture. Water sparingly
at first to prevent rotting of cuttings. After two or three weeks, water as you
would any other cutting. When cuttings are rooted, pot them in a very loose
mixture of good potting soil.
Re-potting
Plants should be re-potted every two or three years, or whenever pot is filled
with roots and the soil appears to be depleted of nutrients. Christmas cactus
usually is re-potted in the spring, but a plant which is unhealthy because of
the root system can be re-potted at any time of the year.
Bud dropping
Common causes of bud dropping are over watering, exposure to cold drafts, a
position too close to a hot radiator or vent and lack of sufficient potash in
the soil. Water plant sparingly and feed a little liquid manure weekly.
How to get your Christmas
cactus to flower
These plants are easy to grow but are sometimes difficult to get to bloom. A
medium light intensity and a soil high in organic matter are recommended. Do not
allow the plant to dry out, water when the soil surface begins to feel dry. The
plant may be kept drier in fall. Any fertilizer may be used according to label
directions. Cool temperatures or long nights are required to induce blooming.
The plants bloom when given night temperatures near 55 degrees and day
temperatures below 65 degrees.
Or just keep the plants in total
darkness like a closet till buds develop. For holiday blooms this usually means
in late September to mid October.
During flower bud formation, stop
fertilizing and only water enough to keep the leaves from becoming shriveled.
Once buds do form then you can keep the plant in normal light and temperatures.
Keep it evenly moist and fertilize every other week with a mild fertilizer
solution.
The schedule of the
ideal life of a Christmas Cactus
January -
Flowering.
February to March -
Resting (55 degrees, infrequent watering).
April to May -
Water thoroughly when potting mix begins to dry out.
June to August - Place
outdoors in a shady spot.
September to October -
Plant prepares to flower. Reduce length daylight hours. Keep on the dry side and
cool (55 to 60 degrees F) until flower buds form. Then increase water and
temperature.
November to December -
Flowering. Water normally. Temperature no less than 55 degrees F.
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