Popular indoor plants include the false Christmas cactus (Schlumbergeratruncata), which is ideal for giving as a present to friends and family at this time of year. I have three, and despite the fact that I consider myself to be a lousy gardener, they are doing well despite, or perhaps even because of, my neglect. Actually, these plants don’t require much care to thrive. Although it takes a little more labor to get them to bloom around Christmas, the result is definitely worth the extra work.
Water: Despite having the popular term “cactus,” these plants are not cacti like our heat- and drought-loving cacti and succulents. Being a tropical plant, the False Christmas cactus has greater water and humidity needs.
The plant will droop and drop leaves, blooms, or buds if the soil is kept excessively dry.
When the top inch or so of soil feels dry, deeply water the area until water drains from the bottom of the container.
In order to avoid the water running down the inside of the container and out the drainage holes without wetting the soil, you should repot or water very gently if the soil has become hard and compact.
Food: Fertilizing should only be done when a plant is actively growing or flowering.
Use a loose, permeable soil, especially a mix for succulents. Repot your plant in a slightly larger container with new potting soil if the dirt is compacted and tight around it.
Place in bright, indirect light for the greatest blooms while growing indoors. Although there will be fewer blossoms, the plant will still thrive in low light. Avoid places that are drafty, cold, or near a heat source. If the house is very dry, you can add a little more humidity to this tropical plant by placing it on a saucer filled with stones and water that has a diameter larger than the base of the container.
Plants should be moved outside once the nights start to get warm. Stay out of the sun. Red leaves are a warning that your plant is getting too much sun. TIP: Allow the plant a week or two to adjust when shifting it from the inside to the outside or vice versa. The plant can be startled by a sharp shift in temperature, light, or wind.
Place the cactus in the dark for 12 hours each day, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., starting in mid-October, for six to eight weeks. An alternative strategy would be to refrigerate the plant starting in early November at 50 to 55 degrees.
Following Bloom Care After the flowers have faded, pinch back stems to produce a thicker, bushier plant.
What distinguishes Christmas cactus from counterfeit Christmas cactus?
My mother used to refer to her Christmas cactus as a Thanksgiving cactus since it would be fully bloomed by the end of November when I was a child. I was a good boy and never questioned or challenged Mom. Mom was correct, and that was twenty or so years and a couple advanced degrees later. Schlumbergera truncata, the well-liked plant that is currently showing up in garden centers for the holiday season, is also known as the Thanksgiving or false Christmas cactus.
We must delve farther into the passionate love affair with the Christmas cactus in order to overcome this deceit. When we turn the clock 177 years back to 1840s England, we find William Buckley, a committed gardener, and his experiment of a Schlumbergera hybrid between two species. He combined S. truncata with S. russelliana to produce the S. x buckleyi hybrid, which was known as the real Christmas cactus. As you read this at home, you might be tempted to quickly explore the internet. If you do, you might find some outdated literature that refers to this cross incorrectly as S. bridgesii, which would add another degree of dishonesty. There are certainly some older works of literature that use Zygocactus as the genus.
You need to know a few more things at this point because you are horrifiedly staring at your fake Christmas cactus and unsure of where to look for the real one. You need to know a little bit about botany and it is difficult to pick out the imposters. The Schlumbergera’s “leaves” are actually flattened stalks known as cladophyll (phylloclades by some botanist). The faux Christmas cactus will have stems with an open branch habit and soft points or teeth around the borders. These points are simply a part of the stem that is heavily lobed; they are not spines. False Christmas cactus flowers will be cheerful and vibrant in hues of pink, white, peach, and salmon. They will be held for around 5 to 7 days at the tip of the stems, pointing slightly upward. Additionally, the blossoms will appear somewhat horizontal or flat. The stems of the genuine Christmas cactus will significantly arch downward and have a closed habit. The stems will have rounded edges with tiny, discernible points or nubs. The blossoms of a genuine Christmas cactus will be more spherical than those of an impostor, point downward, and follow the stem’s orientation. Reds, pinks, and carmine will be the colors.
You might come across the Easter cactus Rhipsalidopsis gaeteneri, a close relative of Schlumbergera as you go out on your quest to find the genuine Christmas cactus. You’ll be relieved to learn that they are rarely provided and have little financial significance in the garden retail sector. Additionally, as their name suggests, they bloom in the spring. However, if you do come upon one, what’s another plant, right?
Last but not least, I’m sure you read this article and only glanced at the genus name since, like me, you find it difficult to say (shlum-BER-ger-uh), and I doubt that did anything to assist. Just some quick information The Cactaceae family of real cactus includes the Schlumbergera, which thrives in environments that we typically do not connect with cacti. They inhabit trees like orchids and are found deep within South America’s tropical rainforest.
Wishing you luck on your exploration and do let me know if you add a genuine Christmas cactus to your collection.
A true Christmas cactus is what?
Weihnachtskakteen Schlumbergera bridgestii “Christmastime is a rare time to find true Christmas cacti for sale. The branches of these plants drop downward like pendants, and their leaf segments are smooth and scalloped. The plant is more fragile than the Thanksgiving Cactus, making shipping more challenging.
Schlumbergera truncata, the Thanksgiving Cactus Around the holidays, this is the plant that you will probably find for sale being marketed as a “Cactus of Christmas. In contrast to the “real Christmas Cactus,” which has scalloped leaves, these plants’ leaves have pointed “hooks” that set them apart from their closely related relatives. As opposed to the Christmas Cactus, which has more pendulous branches, its branches arch UP before hanging down.
Tropical plants with South and Central American native ranges include Christmas cactus. Although they are not true cacti, they do grow in a setting resembling that of epiphytic orchids in the forks of tree branches, where they thrive in decomposing leaves and other organic matter that gathers there. Can you picture seeing these in full bloom high in the trees?
Your Christmas cactus will most likely be in bud and bloom when you get it home. If at all feasible, place the plant in bright light in a humid environment to avoid bud drop. As the water evaporates, placing them on a saucer or tray with pea gravel and water will enhance the humidity around the plant. They won’t grow as well if you position them near a door, heating ducts, a fireplace, or other drafty spots.
Water less regularly during the flowering period and for approximately a month after it, letting the soil dry in between applications, than you would in the spring and summer. When you do water, keep in mind to water WELL.
What three varieties of Christmas cacti are there?
Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus, and Easter cactus are the three popular holiday cacti, each of which is called after the season in which its blooms occur. All three are straightforward to cultivate and have comparable growth patterns and maintenance needs.
Today’s holiday cactus variations are available in magenta, pink, scarlet, as well as yellow, white, orange, purple, salmon, and apricot, however these well-known cacti are typically only available in red-hued hues. The Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are tropical rain forest species, while the Easter cactus is indigenous to Brazil’s natural woods. All three are endemic to Brazil.
Are genuine Christmas cacti uncommon?
In this blog, I’ll discuss how to distinguish between Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti as well as share a link to a video I made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon in which I go into greater detail about the distinctions between Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti as well as Easter cacti.
Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are epiphytic cacti that normally grow in tropical rainforests hanging from trees where they receive more moisture and shade than their desert sun-loving siblings. They are members of the Schlumbergera cactus family.
Schlumbergera cacti usually flower from mid-October to late-January, but it’s not uncommon for these cacti to bloom at other times of the year as well, especially if they’re cultivated indoors with artificial lighting.
Schlumbergera buckleyi, the real Christmas cacti, flower later than Schlumbergera truncata, the Thanksgiving cacti that are more frequently seen for sale. Schlumbergera buckleyi (Christmas cactus) blooms from early December to late January, while Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving Cactus) blooms from early October to late December.
The Thanksgiving cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, is also known as the crab cactus because of its stem segments’ crab-like edges (see diagram below). Because of this, Schlumbergera truncata is frequently called the crab cactus.
Schlumbergera truncata, also known as the Thanksgiving Cactus, comes in a wide range of colors thanks to the numerous hybrids that are currently on the market. This cactus is the one that is most frequently seen for sale around the Christmas season and is also mistakenly referred to as the Christmas Cactus when it is actually a Thanksgiving Cactus.
Schlumbergera truncata has blooms that are more upright and do not hang down like Schlumbergera buckleyi.
The actual Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera buckleyi, has stem segments that are flattened and have smooth, scalloped edges rather than teeth ( see diagram below ). These days, this cactus is extremely infrequently offered for sale in garden centers and nurseries, and if you have lately purchased a cactus marked as a “Christmas Cactus,” it is almost always a truncata and not a buckleyi.
The actual Easter Cactus is Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, and it likewise has stem segments that are highly spherical with scalloped edges, hairy coverings at the tips of each segment, and frequently red edges ( see diagram below ) Easter cacti typically bloom from March to April and their flowers are also significantly smaller.
Here is a video I did for my Cacti and Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon where I go into great detail on how to distinguish between Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter Cactus.
In the coming days, I’ll be creating a blog post and a video on how to take care of Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti, so keep an eye out for them.
From the entire Emerald Isle, I’m sending you all my love, happiness, and an abundance of PLANT POWER.
How can I make the artificial Christmas cactus bloom?
Understanding the Christmas cactus bloom cycle—little water, dormancy, light, and temperature—will help you force a Christmas cactus to bloom.
Start by minimizing how much water the plant gets. This often occurs sometime in the fall, usually in or around October or the beginning of November (in most places).
Just enough irrigation should be reduced to keep the soil moist. Only water until the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so of soil feels dry to the touch. The plant will be able to go into dormancy as a result. A Christmas cactus needs to be dormant in order to blossom.
You must relocate a Christmas cactus such that it will experience 12 to 14 hours of darkness in order to further force the plant to bloom. While Christmas cactus can tolerate bright, indirect light during the day, it needs at least 12 hours of complete darkness at night to promote bud formation.
In addition to dark surroundings, your Christmas cactus needs cool temps. It should be between 50 and 55 degrees F on average (10-13 C.). As a result, confirm that the location can satisfy the needs for both light and temperature.