Christmas cactus is a plant that many individuals purchase through the vacation season when their buds are simply opening, revealing a colourful show. This colourful show leaves those self same folks wanting extra blooms however having hassle getting these cactus to rebloom for them the next years. So, what’s the key? Christmas cacti and Thanksgiving cacti have sure necessities (temperature and photoperiods) so as to set their buds!
In the course of the summer time months give your cactus vivid shade, an excessive amount of direct daylight will trigger discoloration. In the course of the hotter months you possibly can let the soil dry out between waterings. So as to begin flower formation, you have to to trick your cactus right into a dormancy interval.
As soon as September rolls round you have to to be certain that your cactus is getting a minimum of fourteen hours of steady darkness every day for about six weeks. Even a lot as a porch mild can disrupt this necessary photoperiod and forestall your cactus from setting buds. Some folks put a paper bag over the plant or place it in a darkish closet. You will need to additionally preserve the plant cool throughout this time at about 60-68 levels Fahrenheit. As soon as the buds are fashioned, the photoperiod is now not essential and the plant can come out of hiding within the closet. You will need to nonetheless watch out with temperature although, as a result of any extreme fluctuations may stress the plant and trigger your treasured buds to drop.
Now that your cactus is budding it’s best to preserve the soil evenly moist. If the soil dries out an excessive amount of or stays repeatedly soggy you possibly can see buds drop. Now you possibly can sit again, calm down, and revel in your superbly blooming Christmas cactus.
Undecided when you have a Christmas cactus or a Thanksgiving cactus? Look carefully on the phylloclades (stem segments). Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) sometimes have sharper serrations whereas the Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera bridgesii) are extra rounded.
This text was written by Savannah Atwell (Tallahassee Nurseries Greenhouse Assistant, FNGLA Florida Licensed Horticulture Skilled).
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