Schlumbergera including Thanksgiving, Christmas and Holiday cacti, are among my favorite plants. Though I'll share care tips and blooming techniques for this plant, know that a Holiday Cactus blooms at will and handles benign neglect.
Holiday cacti are available from early November through the winter holidays in most garden centers. The color range is phenomenal, including white with a blush of pink, fuchsia, red, peach, and gold.
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| Light pink is our earliest bloomer this year |
Native to Brazil in South America, this tropical succulent blooms in our winter for a couple of months. Though its primary bloom time is now, don't be surprised to see a limited rebloom in early spring. It is an epiphyte that naturally resides in the crooks of branches in its native habitat.
Choose a well-draining potting soil and a container with drainage holes. Water the plants when the soil is dry to the touch. Do not let the pot sit in a saucer with water. Plants need to be evenly watered when they are in bloom, but do well with less water after flowering.
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| Sold this time of year in small, medium and large pots |
My Christmas cactus lives out on my patio in the summer with very little care. It was brought indoors with the rest of my houseplants in late September. Lower temperatures did nip at the buds, but the flowers are showing lots of color now. Once the buds set, Christmas cacti prefer lower nighttime temperatures.
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| A small hanging basket is a perfect home for Holiday cacti |
Holiday cactus are easy to propagate. Take segmented cuttings in late winter and set them aside for a few days until the cut end dries out. Plant the cutting into soil; keep humid with a plastic cover or dome sold at garden supply store with seed starting supplies. Roots should form in 2-3 weeks.
At the garden center and from our WBAL viewers, we get many questions about Christmas cacti. We try to answer some of them in this video.
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