The Christmas cactus is a widely-loved, long-lasting houseplant that’s low maintenance once you know how to care for it. Although it gets its name from the cheery, beautiful flowers that frequently bloom around the holidays, this succulent plant can also bloom at other times of the year.
The flowers, which resemble orchids, come in a variety of colors, including red, pink, purple, orange, and white. The plant’s fleshy segmented stems are flattened leaves with a small serration on each side, with the tubular flowers blooming at the ends of each stem in late fall or early winter.
Fortunately, all Christmas cactus varieties can be started at any time of year and grown indoors as houseplants until summer, when they can be replanted or moved outside.
However, unlike most desert cacti, the Christmas cactus comes from the coastal rainforests of Brazil. In its natural environment, there is an abundance of moisture and humidity. Therefore, its care requirements differ from those of other cacti in your indoor garden.
Botanical Name: Schlumbergera x buckleyi
Common Name: Christmas cactus, holiday cactus, crab cactus
Family: Cactaceae
Plant Type: Succulent, cactus, perennial
Hardiness Zones: 10 – 12 (USDA)
Sun Exposure: Partial sun
Soil Type: Moist, loamy, well-drained soil
Soil pH: 5.5 – 6.2 (Neutral, acidic)
Height: 6 – 23 inches tall
Bloom Time: Neutral, acidic
Flower Color: Pink, red, white, purple, orange
Native Area: South America
Quick Guide: Planting, Growing & Caring for Christmas Cactus
- Christmas cacti require a little more care and attention than most other drought-resistant, desert-loving cacti but are low-maintenance once you learn how to care for them.
- Although they can thrive in a variety of lighting conditions, they do best in diffused light or partial shade.
- Although it is a cactus, this plant requires more water than most due to its tropical origins.
- Since it’s a cactus native to Brazilian coastal rainforests, it requires higher humidity levels than most other cacti.
- Make sure to follow our guide to learn exactly how to get your Christmas cactus to bloom successfully by maintaining the right lighting and temperate conditions.
Christmas Cactus Plant Care
Christmas cacti require a little more care and attention than most other drought-resistant, desert-loving cacti. The Christmas cactus is native to humid rainforests and needs regular watering to stay healthy.
The leaves are stem segments that hang from containers and hanging baskets. Flowers form at the tips of stems. So, the more stems a plant has, the more flowers it will produce.
Although the cactus typically blooms in red, it can also produce flowers in other colors, including pink, white, magenta, purple, and the less common shades of orange, peach, and salmon.
Grow your Christmas cactus as a hanging plant or in a location where it may drape to stimulate new stems. As opposed to other varieties of cacti, you won’t have to worry about touching prickly spines.
Light
A Christmas cactus prefers sun or shade, but you must avoid giving it too much of either. Although they can thrive in a variety of lighting conditions, holiday cacti do best in diffused light or partial shade.
Too much sunlight in the spring and summer might cause the plant to become pale and yellow, so make sure to only expose them to full sunlight in the winter.
Soil
The Christmas cactus doesn’t need a specific kind of soil to grow. It can grow in most soils and naturally grows as an epiphyte (air plant) in its native area. This means you can use loamy, sandy, perlite, cactus mix, or all-purpose potting soil for your Christmas cacti.
The ideal pH range for its growth is between 5.5 and 6.2, and peat moss can be added to the soil to make it more acidic.
Water
Although it is a cactus, this plant requires more water than most due to its tropical origins. Thoroughly water the plant, allowing excess water to flow through the pot’s drainage holes. You can place a play under the pot to catch the water that flows out.
In between waterings, let the soil almost fully dry out. When the leaves pucker and shrivel, you know the soil is too dry. To determine the soil’s moisture level, place your finger 2 inches into the soil. If it feels dry, water it thoroughly.
During the warm, sunny summer months, water the plant twice or thrice per week. The plant may need watering once a week if it is kept in a sunny window during the winter.
You may only need to water the plant every two to three weeks if you move it to a cooler area away from a window during the winter.
To determine the soil’s moisture level, place your finger 2 inches into the soil. If it feels dry, water it thoroughly.
Temperature and Humidity
The Christmas cactus requires a high level of humidity, particularly when grown in the dry conditions of heated winter homes. To increase humidity, spray the plant or set a tray of pebbles with water under the pot. When the water evaporates, it will increase humidity around the plant.
The Christmas cactus has some particular temperature requirements. April to September are its prime growth months, and it prefers temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during this time.
After the buds have formed, the plant needs to be in complete darkness for at least 13 hours and at temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night for this cacti to bloom.
This plant is sensitive to temperature changes and will drop its buds or blossoms if exposed to drafts from places like heating vents, regularly opened doors, and drafty windows.
Fertilizer
During the early spring and summer months, feed your Christmas cactus monthly with a diluted water-soluble balanced fertilizer. Stop fertilizing in late summer or early fall, when flower buds are beginning to form. You can go back to feeding your plant once every month after it blooms.
Pruning
The best time to prune a Christmas cactus is right after it blooms when it starts a new growth period. This will help the plant grow in more segments.
Pruning will cause the plant to branch out and produce more of its characteristic stems. After blooming and up until late spring is a safe time to prune without risking the plant’s health.
Twisting the stems of a Christmas cactus in the middle of a segment is an effective method of pruning. Alternatively, you can also cut them out with a sharp, clean knife or scissors.
You can cut up to one-third of the plant each year, or you can trim one to two segments from the end of each stem.
Overwintering
Holiday cacti are not cold-hardy and cannot tolerate frost. Some parts of California, Florida, and Hawaii fall into USDA hardiness zone 10 – 12, where these tropical plants can be kept outdoors year-round.
They can handle lows in the 60s at night, but if the temperature gets close to freezing, the plant will die. Before the first frost, bring the plant inside and keep the soil slightly dry.
The cooler temperatures should make the plants make more buds. By October, you should notice the first signs of bud development.
Types of Christmas Cactus
The hybrid plant Schlumbergera x buckleyi is also known as the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cactus.
Even though they look the same, they bloom at different times and have slightly different leaf shapes. Due to their subtle distinctions, they are frequently mislabeled at garden centers.
Let’s look at each of them in more detail:
- Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata): This plant blooms toward the end of November just in time for Thanksgiving, producing stunning flowers in a variety of colors, including red, peach, pink, purple, orange, and white. Its leaves have sharp points that look like claws on the edges.
- Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana): This specie is often crossbred with Schlumbergera truncatato form Schlumbergera x buckleyi. It blooms toward the end of December around Christmas and has magenta and white flowers. It has segmented leaves that are flattened and rounded, and there are a few notches around the edges of each segment.
- Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri): Star-shaped flower buds of this type first appear in February, and they bloom from March through May. Its round leaf segments have tiny bristles along the tips.
How To Get a Holiday Cactus to Bloom
Cool evening temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 12 to 14 hour long nights encourage blooming.
This is because your Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus needs a lot of time in the dark from September through November, when the buds are forming, to ensure that it blooms in time for the holidays.
It is okay to expose it to bright, indirect sunlight during the daytime during this time, but from dusk to dawn, keep it in a dark space that is between 50 and 55 degrees.
To do this, put your plants in a place where they will get the amount of darkness they need. This means that there should be no light at all, not even a lamp or streetlight shining through a window.
One technique to do this is to keep the plant for eight weeks in a dark basement or room with a grow light on a timer. Return the plant to its original location once buds have formed at the leaf tips.
Give Easter cactus the same care starting in late December or early January for early spring blooms.
How to Plant and Grow Christmas Cactus
How to Grow Christmas Cactus from Seed
You can collect cactus seeds from the pods (fruits) that develop on the plant. Wait until the pods become red if they are still green. Most of the time, the change happens in the fall. Get the brownish-black seeds out of the pulp and wash away the pulp.
Plant the seeds in a moist growing medium such as sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite, loamy soil, or cactus mix. To plant a seed, just press it into the soil or sprinkle a little coating of vermiculite over it.
To increase humidity in the growing environment, cover the pot with plastic wrap or place it in a clear plastic bag. Plants do best when placed on a window sill that receives indirect light.
Don’t let the growing medium become too dry. You can mist the soil surface daily, or you can water the plant securely from the bottom by placing the pot in a tray of water. Water should be able to wick upwards through the drainage holes. Take the plant out of the tray once the top of the soil is moist.
Seedlings should emerge in two to three weeks. Take off the plastic once you see the seedlings beginning to grow. When the plants are big enough to handle, move them to their own pots.
How to Propagate Christmas Cactus
One to two months after the Christmas cactus has completed blooming is the ideal time to propagate it. Avoid propagating it in the fall, when it is setting buds and actively flowering.
The original Christmas cactus plant will become fuller and bushier and produce more blooms as a result of cuttings, no matter how big or small it is.
Stem cuttings are the most effective method of propagating Christmas cacti. To start, get a 4- or 6-inch pot ready and fill it with a growing medium like a cactus mix, all-purpose potting soil, or a sandy-peat mix.
Terra cotta or clay pots work well for cactus plants. These containers are porous and will wick away excess water from the plant in case it has been overwatered which could kill it. The pot should have several drainage holes, or at least one large one at the bottom.
Cut stem parts with three to five stem segments on each with clean hands or a sterile knife or scissors. To keep the stem segment from rotting, store it in a cold, dry place for two to four days, or until the cut end callouses, i.e., dries out.
Next, insert the cuttings into the slightly moist soil about one inch deep. Three stems fit neatly into a 4-inch pot, and five stems fit nicely into a 6-inch pot. Roots should start to grow in two to three weeks.
Water the plant thoroughly, and then cover the plants and the container with a clear plastic bag and a rubber band to maintain humidity levels and help the plants grow roots. Once rooting has begun, you can take off the plastic bag. Make sure to allow the soil to dry between waterings.
Alternatively, before you plant the segment, you can also let it grow roots in a clear jar of filtered water.
For this method, place the jar in a window with indirect light and submerge the cut end in 1 to 2 inches of filtered water. After a few weeks, the stems should have roots at least 1 or 2 inches long and be ready to plant in potting soil.
Wait at least eight to ten weeks for good rooting to occur before repotting into a permanent home. New leaf or stem development is the best indicator of healthy roots.
How to Pot or Repot Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus likes to be rootbound and doesn’t need to be repotted often. Repotting every three to four years is enough for this plant.
Check to see if you notice the plant starting to look ragged or when you see a lot of roots growing out of the drainage holes. That’s a sign that it’s time for repotting.
However, keep in mind that repotting too often might be stressful for the plant and cause it to temporarily stop blooming.
For most plants, the best time to repot is when new growth appears in the spring. But for Christmas cactus, you should wait until late winter or early spring, when the flowers have died and the plant is no longer blooming. While the plant is still blooming, never repot it in a new pot.
Select a container for repotting that is just 1 to 2 inches larger in diameter than the existing one. A larger pot may hold too much moisture or attract insects and plant diseases.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases for Christmas Cactus
Fungus gnats, flower thrips, aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs are the most frequent pests that attack holiday cacti. Do not overwater your plant since overly damp and soggy soil is what attracts these pests the most.
Horticultural oil such as neem oil and insecticidal soap are typically useful in reducing an infestation. A Christmas cactus may not be able to withstand a heavy infestation and may need to be discarded, particularly if other plants are nearby.
Overwatering plants frequently causes fungus diseases, so make sure you follow the watering instructions mentioned above and avoid overwatering your Christmas cactus. Fusarium and Phytophthora are both common fungi that can cause stem rot in Christmas cacti.
Brown spots occur on the stem at the soil line as a result of Fusarium stem rot. At the soil line, Phytophthora stem rot makes the stem look wet or water-soaked. Unfortunately, phytophthora can be fatal.
If you catch the fusarium early enough, a Christmas plant might be able to recover, but it’s usually hard to save. Allow the soil around the plant to dry out, and then apply a fungicide as directed on the label.
