The Christmas cactus should be treated like a tropical plant: water it with plenty of water and let the soil dry completely between waterings.
It is important to let the soil dry out and avoid stagnation, to prevent the roots from rotting.
This plant prefers a humid environment, so if you live in a dry home, place the pot on a saucer filled with water and pebbles. The water will evaporate and provide the plant with the moisture it needs.
Soil and fertilizer
In their natural habitat, these plants do not grow on the ground, but in places where dirt and debris accumulate, such as the hollow of a tree or a recess in a rock where natural debris accumulates.
Christmas cacti prefer succulent-friendly, well-draining soil.
Feed your Christmas cactus with a good fertilizer when the flowering stage ends.
Flowering
These cacti have beautiful flowers, with delicate pink, fuchsia, orange, or white petals. But what do you need to do to make them bloom?
Christmas cacti flower after a dormant period of about four weeks. You can encourage this process by giving the plant what it needs to flower: longer, cooler nights.
Keep the plant in darkness for about 12-14 hours a day. If you don't have a dark place to put it, you can cover the Christmas cactus with a cloth or box.
The plant will also need cooler temperatures, between 10 and 12 degrees.
Once your Christmas cactus begins to produce buds on the ends of its segments, you can put it back in its place.
Christmas cacti tend to drop buds if disturbed too much. Be sure to water the plant regularly, keep it away from direct heat, and avoid moving it.
By ensuring the plant stays dormant, it will produce beautiful flowers every year
Important: This website does not provide medical advice, nor does it suggest the use of techniques as a form of treatment for physical problems, for which a doctor's opinion is required. If you decide to apply the information on this site, the site assumes no responsibility. The site is intended to be informative, not exhortative or didactic.
