Here's How to Keep Your Christmas Cactus Blooming Each Winter

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If you're looking to deck out your home with festive greenery for the holidays, you can never go wrong with Christmas plants. Along with poinsettia, rosemary and amaryllis, there's one merry green you have to include as one of your indoor picks: the Christmas cactus. The winter-flowering plant is easy to care for and propagates easily. Its blooms are a vibrant shade of red, pink or purple, making it a gorgeous houseplant and a thoughtful holiday gift. To keep these plants thriving throughout the snowy season, we're sharing how to care for your Christmas cactus, from tips on blooming and growth to advice on repotting and avoiding plant-eating pests.

With that said, read on for our Christmas cactus indoor care tips to find out all the ways that you can keep your plant healthy and full of lively flowers. And whether you're a novice gardener or green thumb enthusiast, check out our ultimate plant guide for tips and tools to keep your indoor plants looking their best.

- talk about the types,

- from palomares: A Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) is a perennial plant named for its festive blooms and popularity around the holidays.

This colorful plant will show off its petals in a variety of colors such as red, purple, orange, pink, and white and is sure to brighten up any space during the holiday season and beyond.

While most cacti are native to the desert, this cheerful houseplant is native to the Brazilian coastal rainforests and has specific care needs. However, if tended to properly, the Christmas cactus can live well after the joyous season and bloom year over year. In fact, it can live up to 20 years. And, if you have any furry friends at home, this plant is pet friendly.

How to Pot

According to Palomares, you should choose a planter that has a drainage hole at the bottom to allow water to move easily throughout the soil, promote good circulation and avoid root rot." If water gets trapped within the pot it can be fatal to the plants.," he says. "Their new home should be larger than its previous container - about three-six inches bigger depending on its size and the length of its roots." Some of his tips:

• Give the roots a trim if they seem excessive.

• Treat your Christmas cactus as a mini compost and add in organic matter that would typically be tossed out.

• "Be sure to wait a few days after it had its last drink of water," he notes. "Then tap the top of the pot so the plant slides out easily. Keeping as much of the original soil as possible, place your plant in the new planter, filling the sides in with additional soil as needed and compacting it as you go."

Take Note: "If using soil from the garden, check if the soil contains any spore or critters to avoid bringing them into your home, as they can contaminate your other houseplants, says Palomares. "Also, do not supplement with fertilizer until after 6 weeks of repotting."

What You'll Need

Before you get started, stock up on these Christmas cactus care essentials.

Christmas Cactus Plant

Cactus Soil Mix

Indoor Watering Can

Potash Potassium Fertilizer

Succulent Plant Food

Indoor Watering Can

How to Care for a Christmas Cactus

A lack of water and dramatic temperature swings can cause flower buds to drop more rapidly. Maximize your specimen's blooming period by paying attention to these six key factors:

• Soil: Use a quality soil rich in humus and other nutrients.

• Temperature: Maintain an optimal climate of 65 degrees.

• Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist while your plant is blooming, misting it frequently.

• Light: Place the cactus in an east-facing window for moderate light and some direct sun.

• Fertilization: Apply a high-potassium fertilizer every two weeks once buds form.

• Transplantation: Repot your cactus each year after flowering.

Where to Put Your Christmas Cactus

"As a perennial plant, the Christmas cactus will flower year over year for you to enjoy if cared for properly," Palomares says. "When the holiday season is over and its flowering season begins to wind down in January, it is best to keep your Christmas cactus in a cool, but humid spot in your home." He notes that Christmas cactus grow best in tempartues that range from 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% - 60% humidity. "It is best to also keep them away from heating and cooling vents to avoid drying it out," he notes.

Common Christmas Cactus Pests

While Christmas cacti are typically low-maintenance plants, they aren't immune to pests and diseases. If you find your plant has been invaded by pests, Gardening Know How shares ways to avoid some of the most common types.

• Mealybugs: These insects typically infect indoor plants. They have cottony masses that make them easy to detect and can attract mold if left alone over time. Pick them off with a toothpick or use a systemic insecticide formula to get rid of them.

• Spider mites: While you may be unable to detect these tiny insects on your cactus, their webbing on the leaves makes their presence known. These dust-liking creatures can be removed using insecticidal soap spray.

• Fungus gnats: Not only are these insects tiny, but they also fly and love soggy soil. You may notice a loss of leaves if the infestation is large. If insecticidal soap spray doesn't work, fill a clean pot with fresh and well-drained potting mix before repotting.

How to Encourage More Blooming

Keep plants cool (around 50 degrees) following their blooming period. Water them to keep the soil just barely moist, and be sure to withhold fertilizer. When new growth begins, use the following strategy to encourage blooming: House the plants in an environment with a temperature between 55 and 65 degrees, and alternate between giving them 10 hours of light and 14 hours of total darkness for four to six weeks after the growth appears.

Palomares also recommends holding off on watering your plant in eerly October. Once the buds begin to set, then give it a weekly drink again until flowering stops. "This colorful plant should also be misted every few days while in bud form and bloom season," he says. "Once flowering stops in January, a twice-monthly watering schedule is recommended throughout the rest of the winter to avoid over-watering."

When buds appear, introduce the plant to warmer temperatures and begin regular culture, as described above. Plants should bloom in about six weeks.

How to Repot a Christmas Cactus

Your festive greens only need to be repotted every three to four years. Take notice if the roots start to grow out of the container's bottom or if its overall appearance looks weary.

Tip 💡: Never repot your Christmas cactus while it's blooming.

• Choose the right container. Pick a pot that's slightly larger than your older one. Make sure it has a drainage hole at the bottom, since your Christmas cactus will rot if it lacks air.

• Make sure your potting mixture is lightweight and well-drained. Never use soil that comes directly from your garden, says Plant Care Today, since it could contain bacteria and viruses that would harm your plant.

• Repot your Christmas cactus. After the gentle removal of your plant, massage the roots to remove old soil, then place it inside the new container so the "top of the root ball is about an inch (2.5 cm.) below the rim of the pot," according to Gardening Know How.
  

• Water your plant moderately and put it in a shady location for two to three days, as an excess amount of direct sunlight can damage the leaves.

How to Prune a Christmas Cactus

Prune your Christmas cactus using a sharp, sterilized knife or scissors.It's recommended to trim off one or two parts from the end of the stem every few years. "If flower buds on the Christmas cactus are shriveling up, I recommend plant parents look out for additional signs to see what their cactus might need," Palomares says. These are the signed he says to look out for:

• "Any stems that have softened or that are yellowing are an indication of too much water," he notes. Make sure the soil is well-drained so water will move freely. "The plant should also be potted in a container with drainage holes, so that the roots don’t sit in pooled water and develop root rot."

• "Stem wilting or wrinkling can also signify dry soil," he says. "If that is the case, then give the cactus a full drink of water."

• You may notice bus loss if the plant lacks enough humidity or receives too much water. However, "flower buds can fail to develop and bloom if the light and water it received before early October (when watering stops) was insufficient," he notes.

How to Propagate a Christmas Cactus

"Propagating a plant is a great way to produce new plants to add to your space or give as gifts to friends and loved ones," Palomares says. Here are his steps to the process:

1. Start by cutting parts of the plant that include at least two flat stem segments and then further cut the segments at the joints. Overnight, the ends of the sections will scab over.

2. Place the sections, standing upright, in a container filled with perlite or coarse sand that has already been watered.

3. Place the container in a space that receives bright light. Within six to eight weeks, the cuttings will begin to root.

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