Key Takeaways
- Christmas cacti thrive in sandy, well-draining soil and prefer to stay slightly pot-bound.
- Water only when the soil feels dry; too much or too little water can damage the plant.
- Provide indirect sunlight, moderate humidity, and stable temperatures (70°F daytime, 55–65°F nighttime).
- Avoid direct heat sources and sudden light or temperature changes to prevent bud drop.
- To encourage blooming, give the plant 12 hours of darkness daily for 3–4 weeks in early fall.
- Keep soil slightly moist during blooming, but avoid letting the pot sit in water.
- Fertilize after blooming and during active growth using diluted houseplant or succulent fertilizer.
- Christmas cacti can be propagated from stem cuttings planted in cactus or succulent potting mix.
- Seasonal care matters: fertilize in spring, move outdoors in shade during summer, bring indoors before frost in fall, and provide indirect light in winter.
- With proper care, Christmas cacti can bloom around the holidays and remain healthy year after year.
Christmas Cactus Care Tips
- Keep the plant pot-bound in sandy soil.
- Water only when the soil is completely dry. Over or under watering can lead to root rot or wilting.
- Provide some humidity to the environment.
- Don't worry if some of the buds drop off — it's natural for the plant to lose a few.
- Keep the temperature above 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and from 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
- Keep the plant away from direct heat sources, like a fireplace or heating vent.
- Make sure the plant gets enough indirect sunlight but keep it out of direct sunlight. Too little light can lead to wilting while direct sunlight can burn the leaves.
- Maintain the correct light/dark schedule. Interruption of the dark periods noted above can prevent flowering.
No matter what regimen you use or how strictly you adhere to it, the bloom time may vary based on the plant variety. Whether or not your Christmas cactus blooms right on time for the holidays, you still have a treat to look forward to.
Yearly Plant-Care Schedule for a Christmas Cactus
- Spring: Fertilize after flowering.
- Summer: Move outdoors to a shady area. Maintain water and fertilizer while the plant is actively growing. You can encourage flowering by stopping fertilizer application at the end of summer.
- Fall: Move indoors before the first frost. Maintain drier soil. Start the budding regimen above in September or early October.
- Winter: Put the plant in a location where it will get four to six hours of indirect sunlight. Keep the soil moist and don’t let the air get too dry.
How to Plant a Christmas Cactus
The Christmas cactus, sometimes confused with the similar looking Thanksgiving cactus, gets its name for the time of year it blooms. The Christmas cactus blooms from January to February and Thanksgiving cactus from November to December. There’s also an Easter cactus that blooms during spring. But you can make your house plants bloom any time by controlling the environment they grow in.
For the flowering cacti to bloom in time for the holiday, it needs extended darkness for at least four weeks prior. Follow the steps below to propagate and plant a Christmas cactus from an existing mature plant.
Take a Cutting From a Mature Christmas Cactus
If you want to propagate and plant a Christmas cactus, start with a mature plant a couple months after the plant has bloomed. Clip a section between two of the leaf segments that is up to five segments long. Place the clipping in a cool, dry place for a couple of days.
Potting the Christmas Cactus
Plant the Christmas cactus cutting about an inch deep in a potting mix of sand and peat moss — or a mix designed for cacti and succulents — and water the growing well. To maintain humidity and help the rooting process, secure a plastic bag over the plant. Make sure the cactus planter has bright light but keep it out of direct sunlight. Roots should develop in a few weeks. At that point, you can remove the bag and begin feeding the young plant with a diluted fertilizer solution.
Steps to Help Your Christmas Cactus Bloom
Here’s what you need to know for a colorful, bountiful Christmas cactus blooming season.
Step 1: Move the Mature Christmas Cactus to a Dark Location
In late September or early October, place the holiday cactus in a dark room or keep it covered (under a box or bag works fine) for at least 12 hours a day.
Step 2: Move the Christmas Cactus Back Into the Sunlight
When the tiny buds appear (after three to four weeks), the light/dark schedule can cease.
Step 3: Regulate the Temperature
As the buds on your Christmas cactus get bigger, move it to your desired location. Avoid extreme light or temperature changes, which can cause the unopened blossoms to drop. During this period, the Christmas cactus does best in temperatures ranging from 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4: Keep Watering Your Christmas Cactus
Water just enough to avoid wilting and only when the top part of the soil is dry. Set the plant on a tray of pebbles with water to allow it to collect humidity from the air, but don’t allow the pot to sit in water. After budding, keep the soil moist throughout the container. You don’t need to fertilize the plant during the blooming period.
Step 5: Begin Feeding the Christmas Cactus
After blooming, fertilize the plant every month beginning when you see new growth at the end of winter or the first of spring. Feed a Christmas cactus with a 20-20-20 or 10-10-10 plant food diluted with water to 50% strength. When your Christmas cactus is done blooming, fertilize it monthly with a diluted magnesium sulfate solution of one teaspoon to one gallon of water. Don’t apply the fertilizer the same week you add the plant food.
If you prefer, you can feed your Christmas cactus with a plant food formulated for succulents. Follow the instructions on the product label.