Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus, and Easter cactus are the three most popular holiday cacti, each called after the season in which the blooms occur. All three are simple to cultivate and have comparable development patterns and care needs.
Although traditional holiday cactus colors include red, magenta, pink, and scarlet, as well as yellow, white, orange, purple, salmon, and apricot, today’s holiday cactus types include magenta, pink, and scarlet, as well as yellow, white, orange, purple, salmon, and apricot. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are tropical rain forest plants, while Easter cactus is native to Brazil’s natural forests, despite the fact that they are all native to Brazil.
How do you tell the difference between a Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus?
The Christmas season has arrived, which means not only holiday decorations but also seasonal plants! This is the time of year when there are a lot of attractive holiday plants to pick from, whether you buy them from a florist or a nursery, or you grow them yourself. The Christmas cactus is one of the most popular plants to give or receive at this time of year. Is it a cactus for Easter or Thanksgiving?
The shape of the leaves is the distinction between the three cacti. On the edges of the leaf of the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumgera truncata), there are exceedingly sharp and claw-shaped projections. The leaf projections of the Christmas cactus (Schlumgera bridgesti) are more scalloped or tear drop shaped. The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertnerrii) features a leaf with highly rounded margins that are centered.
What are the different colors of Christmas cactus?
One of the most vivid flowering houseplants is the Christmas cactus. When the days become shorter, this easy-care shrub explodes into bloom, putting on a spectacular show during the holiday season. Christmas cactus comes in a broad range of hues, including pink, red, crimson, orange, gold, cream, and white, as well as bicolors, which are flowers that reveal many colours at once.
This easy-to-grow floral houseplant has been a favorite holiday plant for years. In fact, for many families, a magnificent Christmas cactus has become something of an heirloom, with the plant being passed down down the generations.
Christmas cactus are magnificent holiday plants when they’re in bloom, with their bright blossoms dangling from their stalks like jewels. Christmas cactus has jagged foliage that gives it its common name: crab cactus, when it isn’t in bloom the rest of the year.
Note that the Christmas cactus is also known as the Thanksgiving cactus or the zygo cactus.
Send us an email if you have any questions concerning your Christmas cactus. One of our professionals will gladly assist you!
Is a Zygo cactus the same as a Christmas cactus?
Is a Christmas Cactus a Zygocactus? The Zygocactus is a Thanksgiving Cactus, despite the fact that some growers advertise it as a Christmas Cactus. The flowers of the zygocactus emerge in October or November, although it often blooms until far beyond Christmas, earning it the nickname “Christmas cactus.”
Do you water a Christmas cactus from the top or bottom?
Remember that Christmas cactus plants demand moist soil rather than the dry dirt preferred by most other succulents. When the top inch or two of soil on a Christmas cactus is dry, water it. Fill the pot saucer with stones and water to just below the tops of the pebbles (the pot should not be sitting directly in water) to assist improve the humidity around your plant. As the water evaporates, the air will become more humid. (See below for watering suggestions if you’re attempting to get your Christmas cactus to rebloom.)
How long will Christmas cactus live?
With good cause, the Christmas cactus may be found all over throughout the holiday season. It’s a blooming succulent that’s easy to care for, has beautiful blossoms, and may survive for up to 100 years if properly cared for! That’s correct! This plant can last for decades, giving your holidays a splash of color for generations. That’s a fairly good return on investment for a plant as simple and low-maintenance as the Christmas cactus!
What does a true Christmas cactus look like?
Our grandmothers grew Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), a long-lived plant. I have a plant that was grown from a cutting my mother-in-law received almost 70 years ago! Because they are so easy to root, they are the ideal pass-along plant. Pinch off a small amount of hair “Make a Y-shaped piece from one of the branches and place it in a sterile soil or vermiculite planter. It won’t take long for it to take root.
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) blooms from mid-November through late December, and occasionally into January. It gets its popular name from the square shape of its leaf segments, which have pointy hooks on one end and pincers along the sides “Crab cactus,” as in “crab cactus.” Hummingbirds pollinate its 2 to 3 inch long, satiny flowers, which are endemic to Brazil.
The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) blooms in the spring and then again around Halloween in the fall. It has pointed pink or red petals on its flaring, trumpet-shaped flowers.
Many of the plants for sale are hybrid crosses of Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), which come in an array of exotic hues such as orange, purple, yellow, red, pink, white, and two-tones.
More Ways to Tell a Christmas Cactus from a Thanksgiving Cactus
- The Christmas cactus features magenta-colored hanging blossoms that bloom during the holidays. Flowering occurs from late November to early February.
- Flowers on the Thanksgiving cactus face outwards, and the plant comes in a variety of hues. Unlike the Christmas cactus, this plant blooms closer to Thanksgiving. It may begin to bloom in late October or early November.
- Flattened stem segments with smooth, scalloped edges distinguish the authentic Christmas cactus.
- With two to four pointed teeth, the Thanksgiving cactus has an extremely toothy stem.
- The stems of the Christmas cactus drop down like a pendant, whereas the stems of the Thanksgiving cactus grow erect at first and later arch.
Because it blooms around American Thanksgiving, most nurseries and retailers sell the Thanksgiving cactus (not Christmas cactus). The Christmas cactus is also more difficult to export since the stems are more delicate and frequently break.
Caring For Your Holiday Cactus
The Christmas cactus is unlike any other cactus. The desert cactus is well-known, but the Christmas plant is a forest cactus, an epiphyte that thrives in decomposing leaf litter found in the forks and branches of trees in South America’s tropical rain forests.
- Even though the circumstances in our homes are nothing like those in their original rainforests, they manage just fine in regular household temperatures of 65° to 70°F, with a drop to 55° to 60°F at night. When the temperature drops below 40°F, they’ll need to be protected.
- Give these cactus acidic, well-draining soils because they prefer the forest floor. Add perlite, vermiculite, and orchid bark to a cactus mix.
- They want bright light but not direct sunlight, so a window facing east or west is ideal. When the leaves turn yellow, it indicates that they are exposed to too much light. If you’re going to place them outside during the summer, make sure they’re beneath a shade tree or on a patio. Not in direct sunlight.
- Allow the plants to dry between waterings by watering when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry. Do not overwater them; this is the leading cause of their death in our houses. Neglect is preferable to overwatering! You could purchase a hydrometer to assist you in determining when to water. Do not allow them to sit in water since they will decay if they become too wet!
- Optional: Use an all-purpose fertilizer like Miracle Grow Tomato water-soluble fertilizer to feed them (1 tablespoon to a gallon of non-chlorinated water). While the plant is actively developing, feed it twice a month (usually spring and summer).
How to Keep Holiday Cactus Blooming
Short days and mild nights are essential for your holiday cactus to bloom. For at least 1 to 2 months, they require 13 hours of darkness and nights between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I leave some of my plants outside all summer and bring them in for the fall and winter when the nights begin to drop below 50°F. They normally begin to bud and bloom shortly after that. My kitchen plants aren’t given any extra care, and they thrive just as well. What a strange coincidence!
Plants flower best when they are little potbound, so only repot if they are overcrowded. They are non-toxic to cats and dogs, unlike many other seasonal plants, so don’t be scared to bring one home for the holidays!
Why is my Christmas cactus blooming in June?
“What went wrong with my grandmother’s Christmas cactus that is about to bloom? Mary Ann
Hello, Martha. In addition, I have a “I have a “Christmas” cactus flowering right now, and I’m dubbing it my Winter cactus because of the blossoms. In Missouri, these hardy tropical plants require a little assistance to bloom on time. They have meteorological triggers in their native Brazil that cause them to blossom in December, the start of the South American summer.
If it originated from your grandma, your cactus could be an older, authentic Christmas cactus. The majority of cacti on the market now are Thanksgiving cacti, which explains why they bloom around late November.
Look at the green fronds to see what kind of cactus you have. Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) have pointed, jagged edges, whereas the original Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) has smooth, round edges.
Because I had it outside on my back porch last fall, it began to bloom. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are known as “short day plants,” as they require fewer daylight hours and/or cool night temperatures to generate bloom buds. The shorter days and chilly nights of autumn prompt the plants to start producing buds.
Place your Christmas cactus indoors in a cool, bright setting with daily temps of 65-70° F and evening temperatures of 55-65° F to ensure that it blooms when you want it to. Plants will blossom in around 5-6 weeks if they are exposed to colder night temperatures of 55° F, independent of the day length.
What color is a true Christmas cactus?
Sections of light green color that turn red. Flowers that grow horizontally. You’ve located a True Christmas Cactus when you notice a 6 mature height x 9 wide, 2 long mid green section with rounded edges rather than notches and a downward blossom.