Bright and indirect light are both beneficial to our White Christmas Cactus. These cheerful wintertime flowers look lovely when placed in a pot of a vibrant color and cheer up indoor spaces. The petals of the flowers face downward and are vibrantly colored. There are many various colors available for Christmas cacti, including yellow, red, white, pink, salmon, and bi-color.
The White Christmas Cactus grows nicely indoors in a space with direct, strong light, such as a window sill in the east or the north. The White Christmas Cactus can tolerate low light levels, but it will blossom more rapidly in bright light. When exposed to ambient temperatures of anywhere between 65 and 75 degrees F and bright, indirect light, the flowers, which are dazzling white, bloom profusely.
The plants prefer to remain in a dryer environment. During the holidays, White Christmas Cactus is stunning, offering a sophisticated white hue with vibrant green foliage. The Christmas Cactus makes a sweet hostess gift when you go to a party or get-together. They bring color and are simple to maintain, making them a wonderful addition to any home.
When may Christmas cacti be purchased?
In the late fall and winter, Christmas cacti are typically bought already in bloom or at least budded. Avoid drastic temperature changes when transporting your Christmas cactus since they can cause some of the buds to fall off. For optimal results, place in a light window and maintain the soil just moist enough. During the winter flowering season, fertilizer is not required.
Christmas cacti require as much light as possible once the last blooms have faded and prefer to be maintained on the cool side during rest periods (February – March and July – August). The plant needs to be transferred to a normal room temperature once the flower buds begin to appear in the fall.
At the start of the growth period, these cacti should be repotted every three to five years. It’s important that the soil flow easily, so always use a light soil (commercial cactus soil is acceptable).
The right amount of water, food, and relaxation must be given at the right times. Additionally, the length of daylight and the temperature of the environment will affect flowering.
The plant needs to rest when flowering is finished. Sparingly water it; do not let the stems to shrivel. If at all feasible, relocate the plant to a cool, well-lit area.
From the first of April, begin watering more frequently. Now that winter is over, the cactus will begin to flourish once more. The tips of each stem will have fresh shoots that may be seen plainly. If necessary, pot in April, and then feed a few times throughout the following months. Use a regular cactus soil that allows water to drain freely. If the soil is excessively damp, the weak roots will decay.
Christmas cacti can be placed outside in a light spot once the weather warms up. Avoid direct sunlight because certain types’ stems might become sunburned. I prefer bright, dappled shade.
This time of year is ideal for taking cuttings if you wish to. Placing good stems with two to four segments in damp sand makes propagation simple.
Reduce watering and let the soil completely dry in between waterings so that it doesn’t shrivel.
If you have your cactus outside for the summer, you can leave it there until the temperatures at night fall below fifty degrees (this period of cool nights and shortening days will encourage lots of flower buds). Restart increasing watering as soon as there are any indications of blossom buds. When growing blooms, the cactus must never become dry or be moved around excessively, as this will cause the buds to fall off the plant.
Mid-fall is when you should start to notice little, spherical buds emerging at the tips. When buds are growing in September and October, a few fertilizer applications may be beneficial for an old, huge plant.
It is diagnosed as needing more water. Give it a good soak in a basin of water or the sink, and after about 30 minutes, let it completely drain.
The roots are rotting, thus that is the diagnosis. Either the soil composition is incorrect or the plant has been overwatered. Take good cuttings and establish new plants because the plant cannot endure much longer.
The plant has either experienced too much movement or not enough water during the period when it establishes its buds, according to the diagnosis. More care should be given to it; observe the results. The next bloom cycle might be all that’s necessary for you to witness its splendor.
This year, give a Christmas cactus a try! The plant you purchase now might end up as an heirloom tomorrow!
Do Christmas cacti come in a variety of colors?
One of the most vibrant flowering houseplants is the Christmas cactus. When the days become shorter, this low-maintenance plant blooms and puts on a spectacular display over the holiday season. Christmas cacti come in a broad range of hues, including pink, red, crimson, orange, gold, cream, and white, as well as bicolors, in which a single flower displays many hues simultaneously.
This easy-to-grow flowering houseplant has been a beloved holiday decoration for many years. In fact, a lovely Christmas cactus has evolved into something of a family heirloom, being handed down down the decades.
Christmas cacti are magnificent holiday plants when they are in bloom, with their vibrant flowers shining like diamonds at the ends of their stems. Christmas cacti display jagged foliage when not in flower the rest of the year, lending credence to one of their other common names, crab cactus.
Nota: The Christmas cactus is sometimes referred to as the Thanksgiving or zygo cactus.
Questions about Christmas Cactus? Send us an email if you have any inquiries concerning your Christmas cactus. An expert from our team will be pleased to attempt to assist!
Christmas Cactus Growing Instructions
For the most blooms, grow Christmas cacti in direct sunlight. It may also grow in low or medium light, however the darker it gets, the less blossoms this beautiful houseplant produces. Christmas cacti can tolerate direct sunlight on their leaves inside.
When the top inch or two of the potting mix get dry, water the Christmas cactus. In comparison to fall and winter, spring and summer are when it prefers a little more water.
Christmas cactus should be fertilized with a houseplant-specific fertilizer in the spring and early summer. For information on how much fertilizer to use and how frequently to apply it, refer to the instructions on the product container.
Christmas cactus requires ordinary to high humidity because it is native to tropical rainforests. While Christmas cactus can handle low humidity levels, you might discover that it thrives and blooms more when the humidity is higher.
The Christmas cactus thrives at ordinary temperatures, although milder fall temps of roughly 55F (13C) can encourage it to bloom.
What shades are there in Christmas cacti?
Many owners of Christmas cacti are debating whether to let their plants to bloom.
A large number of Christmas cacti are in bloom across the stores during the holiday season. They have vibrant red, pink, yellow, orange, white, or purple blossoms. The typical gardener can’t help but grasp one or more of them in vibrant hues and dash for the checkout.
But eventually, reality sets in, and you want to not only keep it alive but also want it to bloom in the next years. Why, you might even be giving your heirs a massive, spectacular Christmas cactus.
Why is the white on my Christmas cactus?
Your Christmas cactus contains mealybugs if they are nesting in the crotches of its branches or are scattered throughout its leaves like bits of cotton wool. Even though the insects are only 1/10 inch long, they appear bigger due to the fluffy white wax covering their delicate, grayish or yellowish bodies. Under this shield of defense, the females lay their eggs. Adults and nymphs cling to the plants to draw sap. They emit a clear, gooey waste known as honeydew while feeding. Outdoor plants’ honeydew frequently draws spores of sooty mold that cover the leaves and stems with black fungus. Christmas cacti become shriveled and misshapen when heavily fed mealybugs. Additionally, it weakens their resistance to illness.
How should a white Christmas cactus be cared for?
Maintain a comfortable temperature of 65 degrees. Watering: Mist your plant frequently when it is in bloom to keep the soil equally moist. Light: For moderate light and some direct sunlight, place the cactus in an east-facing window. Once buds start to grow, fertilize every two weeks with a high-potassium fertilizer.
How do a Christmas cactus and a False Christmas cactus differ from one another?
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.
How often does a Christmas cactus bloom each year?
Whichever one you have, it’s possible for them to bloom more than once a year. For Your Reference, Here Are A Few Of Our General Houseplant Guides: Watering Indoor Plants: A Guide.
Can Christmas cacti be kept inside?
The common Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), which blooms in the winter, is a lovely complement to almost any interior space. It is a superb contender for holiday gift giving because it is not only simple to maintain but also easily multiplies. Let’s examine how to grow and maintain a Christmas cactus.
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.
Red
The contrast of the red and green makes for a dazzling effect that is ideal for the holiday season. A particularly lovely plant with purple buds that bloom crimson and white is the “Dark Marie plant.” Similar to the “Kris Kringle plant,” which has real red blossoms, it blooms early. In contrast to the others, Kris Kringle becomes more erect. Thor Carmen plants have a robust root system, develop quickly, and bloom later.
Yellow and White
The petals of these flowers could contain hints of various hues, like gold. The “White flowers with pink filaments and pink centers can be found on Thor Britt. The “White Christmas bears tiny, creamy-white blossoms. The “Christmas Gold has purple buds that turn into gold flowers with dark purple filaments and blush centers as it blooms. Next, the “Large gold blossoms may be found on the yellow variant Gold Charm. Comparatively speaking, it grows more quickly than the other plants.
Orange
The color orange is ideal for autumn, and fortunately, a variety of oranges blossom between October and November. Purple buds on the “Malindi cactus develop into vibrant orange flowers. The “Xmas Fantasy” is more pink in color with purple undertones. Purple also adorns the stamens. Similar to “Malindi, the “Madslome plant has a creamy white core and a somewhat darker blossom. The “Peach Parfait,” which blooms a bit later in the season, is another plant to take into account. The peach- or orange-colored flowers feature purple stamens.
Purple and Pink
The majority of Christmas cacti variations come in pink and purple colors, with shades ranging from the palest shade of pink to the deepest, darkest purple. The variety “Nicole” has lavender blooms with creamy white centers that bloom late in the season. And finally, there is “Thor Rit,” a trailing cultivar that thrives in a hanging container. Large and vibrant pink blossoms cover the plant. The “Dark Eva plant” blooms quickly. The flowers are white with a lovely lavender tip, and the buds are a deep purple color. Then “Thor Tina” is similar to “Thor Rit in that it trails, but it blooms later and has pink blossoms instead.