Caring For Your Christmas Cactus

Poinsettias are lovely, but a Christmas cactus swathed in flowers of brilliant pink, yellow or white is irresistible!

Unfortunately, every year many Christmas cacti die ignoble and unnecessary deaths because their new owners don't know how to care for them properly, or assume that a cactus is a cactus.

While the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridesii) is a cactus, it has different requirements from its spine-bearing desert dwelling cousins. The Christmas cactus is a forest type (epiphytic); native to South America, it grows naturally attached to trees in jungles.

While you probably don't have a lot of jungle trees in or around your house, there are several things you need to do to keep your Christmas cactus happy in its new home.

1) Pick the right spot - The Christmas cactus needs a warm location (60 to 70 degrees F), free from draughts or excessive heat during its blooming season. (Next to a radiator or furnace vent would be a bad choice.) During the blooming season (November through January) it also needs a location that's brightly lit but shaded from direct sunlight.

2) Water your Christmas cactus according to its annual cycle. After its blooming period, the Christmas cactus goes into a dormant period (February through March). During this resting phase, you should water the plant only occasionally. Then, In April and May, resume normal watering, watering thoroughly when the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch.

June through August is the outdoor season for your Christmas cactus. It needs to be placed outside in a shady spot. Bring it back inside the beginning of September and keep the plant dryish and cool (50 to 55 degrees F) until the flower buds form, watering only enough to prevent the plant from wilting. Once the buds form, increase the watering and temperature.

November through January is the blooming period, when your Christmas cactus will need regular watering again.

3) Encourage your Christmas cactus to bloom by paying attention to the temperature. If you want your Christmas cactus to set buds, the temperature has to kept between 55 and 60 degrees for a period of six weeks (usually late September through October). If you don't or can't do this, then you'll need to give your Christmas cactus 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness each night through this same six week period. (Keeping the cactus in a totally dark place, such as a closet, for 6 weeks also works.)

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