While shopping during the holiday season, I see Christmas cactus everywhere. Their abundance of pink, red, and white blooms is quite eye-catching and hard to miss. If you’ve recently acquired one of these holiday beauties, or if you’ve had one growing in your window for a while, you may be wondering how best to care for it.
But don’t make the mistake of believing that these are desert-dwelling cacti from an arid and sunny environment. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti (two different species that bloom seasonally during their namesake holidays) are actually native to the mountainous rainforests of Brazil. They are adapted to relatively shady, cool, and humid conditions. Trying to mimic their natural environment will help you provide excellent care.
Luckily, these succulents are easy to grow and very low-maintenance. Learn how to best care for your Christmas cactus to prevent a number of common problems. Even if you do make one of these common mistakes, you can usually correct it without causing any lasting damage to your plant.
Overwatering
One of the most common mistakes people make with their Christmas cactus is overwatering. These succulents thrive on neglect and do not need to be pampered, especially with a regular supply of water. Allow the soil to dry completely between waterings, then add enough water to lightly moisten the soil without making it soggy.
Overwatering will quickly lead to root rot, which ultimately results in death. An overwatered succulent with root rot will start to wilt and droop. If you suspect you may have watered too much, remove the plant from its pot and inspect the roots. The roots will be black, soft, and mushy rather than fresh and white.
Did you accidentally overwater your Christmas cactus? If so, you may still be able to revive it. Rotten roots can’t be saved, but you can often propagate the plant by taking cuttings and re-rooting them in fresh soil.
Underwatering
While Christmas cacti thrive on neglect, it is a mistake to completely forget about your succulent, or allow it to dry up. You should let the soil dry between waterings, but don’t let it stay dry for too long. In general, you should be watering your Christmas cactus once every one to three weeks, depending on growing conditions.
An underwatered specimen looks weak and starts to wilt. The stems will be shriveled and thin. The soil will be completely dry and probably has been dry for too long, and you may realize it’s been a long time since you last watered. Thoroughly water it and see if it perks up.
Too Much Light
Christmas cacti don’t live in the desert, nor are they keen on prolonged exposure to bright, direct sunlight. Christmas cactus are native to tropical forests, where they grow among trees and other vegetation. The ideal lighting for these succulents is four to six hours of bright but indirect sunlight per day.
Too much light causes these holiday cacti to turn pink or red. They will still grow and look pretty but they may become stressed and not bloom well if exposed to too much bright light. More severely impacted leaves will become dry and shriveled. They may develop brown, dry spots that look like blisters. This may be a sign that the leaves have burned as a result of too much direct sunlight.
Giving your cactus the right amounts of day length is important as well. When they prepare to bloom, the cacti need 16 hours of darkness and 8 hours of light. Without this frequency in their dormant state, they won’t bloom.
Too Little Light
Christmas cacti live in shaded forests, not caves. Don’t leave your cactus in a room with little or no light or it will suffer. Leaves need light to perform photosynthesis and produce energy. A plant trying to grow in the dark will lack the energy needed to thrive.
Too little light will cause the succulent’s color to change. Rather than being a robust and healthy green color, it may turn pale and yellow, indicating a lack of light. If there are signs of light deprivation, simply move it to a brighter location, but don’t shock it by moving it suddenly from darkness to full sun.
Wrong Temperature
One reason Christmas cacti make such great houseplants is that they’re tolerant of a range of temperatures. There are, however, ideal temperature ranges for the growing season and the blooming season.
During most of the growing season, from spring through early fall, try to keep your plant warm but not too hot. The ideal growing season temperature is between 70°F and 80°F (21-27°C). If the temperature goes a little above or below that ideal range, that’s fine! It won’t suffer ill effects. In early fall, it’s time to turn down the thermostat a little. Starting in Late September or early October, lower the nighttime temperatures to between 55°F and 65°F (13-18°C). This will encourage flower bud formation.
Any time of the year, avoid places that are too hot or too cold. Don’t place it near a heat source or in front of the A/C. Avoid sudden temperature changes that can shock your plant, especially while it’s forming buds. Sudden temperature fluctuations during bud formation or flower will likely cause your succulent to drop its buds and flowers, or be unable to form buds at all.
Wrong Fertilizer Schedule
If you got a Christmas cactus for the holidays and don’t plan to keep it, you don’t worry about fertilizer. If you do want to keep your holiday cactus going for years to come, you’ll want to know how and when to fertilize.
All plants need nutrients to grow and bloom. They get some nutrients from the soil but after a while, they use up the available nutrients and need more energy to keep going strong. Use a balanced all-purpose houseplant fertilizer and offer a light monthly feeding during the growing season, from approximately April through September. During fall and winter, allow your plant to bloom and then rest. It will start to develop fresh pads in the spring and you can start fertilizing again.
Repotting While Blooming
There’s a good chance you’ll eventually need to repot your Christmas cactus. These plants are slow-growing and may take a while to fill a pot. The number of main stems won’t increase but the roots will eventually fill the pot and use up all the nutrients in the soil. These plants like to be snug in their pots so you won’t need to repot them more often than once every two or three years.
Repotting should be done while the plant is dormant, sometime during the cooler months, after it’s finished flowering. Don’t repot it while it’s blooming. Repotting is a stressful event for a houseplant and if you repot it while it’s forming buds or blooming, the plant will probably drop all its flowers.
When repotting, knock off some of the loose old soil around the roots. Refill the pot with fresh soil that is lightweight and provides excellent drainage. Cacti and succulent soil is ideal or a blend of cactus soil and houseplant soil. Use a clean pot with excellent drainage holes to help the soil drain effectively. After repotting, give your cactus a light drink of water to help it settle in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Christmas cacti are very long-lived plants but improper growing conditions can cause them to die. Whether you overwatered or completely neglected your plant, your plant may be showing signs of severe stress.
A plant that has been frozen probably can’t be saved, but you can salvage your plant in some other situations. If there are any healthy-looking stem sections, you can use these to propagate your plant and start a new one.
If you can offer your plant a protected location, you can move it out for the summer. You’ll need to find a spot that gets bright indirect light; don’t place it in full sun or it will burn.
Keep it away from wind and rain so the pot doesn’t blow over or become full of water. Make sure your location is safe from animals like mice or squirrels that might try to nibble on the juicy, succulent leaves.
Fortunately for pet owners, Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are considered non-toxic to cats and dogs. If your pet bites into the pads, however, it will cause obvious damage to the plant. Cats and dogs that ingest large quantities of these plants can experience digestive upset.
So if you have a cat or dog that likes to eat plants, it’s best to keep these out of reach of your pet. You don’t want your plant getting eaten and don’t want your pet to feel unwell if they eat too much.
