With vibrant blooms, these plants are holiday favorites. Here’s how to care for them
During the dark dreary winter months, we can be starved for the whimsy of bright, cheerful flowers. Houseplants help fill that niche for color. One popular winter flowering houseplant is known as the Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus.
Several species of holiday plant all belong to the genus Schlumbergera. They are long-lived and tolerant of most conditions. This makes popular Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus easy to grow in the home and flower year after year.
Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus plants are similar in appearance, but each have unique characteristics. To tell the two species apart, look at the stem or leaf structure. Christmas cactus have smooth stem segments. Thanksgiving cactus have a hook-like appendage on each segment.
The Thanksgiving cactus are the most common as they bloom in November or December. This is why it they often are mistakenly called the Christmas cactus. The flower colors include white, pink, red, lavender and salmon. The true Christmas cactus bloom slightly later, from December through March. The flower color is rosy red. Both have similar growing requirements.
Holiday cactus are native to the hot, humid jungles of South America. They are epiphytic plants, which means they live on a host plant, but they are not parasitic. They can be found growing in the crotches of trees for support. Nutrients are derived from the heavy jungle rains. In the home these plants are not demanding.
Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus depend on short day length and cool temperatures to initiate the set of flower buds. An ideal place to force Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus into bloom is in a spare bedroom or dark location where no artificial lights are used. Shorter autumn days tend to act as a trigger for bud development for yearly blooming.
The plants should receive bright light during the day for best growth. Keep the plants a bit on the dry side until the flower buds start to appear. Once the buds have set, the plants can be moved into other locations, as short days are no longer needed. Keep the plants on the cool side to avoid flower bud drop and prolong the blooms. Hotter temperatures cause the flowers to fade more rapidly, and cooler home temperatures keep them blooming longer.
Year-round care is easy. These require well-drained soil. Even though they are a member of the cactus family, they do like a little more moisture. Fertilize on a regular basis to promote good growth and flower set. Fertilization is not required during the fall and winter.
Holiday cactus plants do best when they are somewhat root-bound. They do not require repotting very often. Repot when flowering declines in spring or when not in bloom so as not to impact flower bud production.
If you have not grown holiday cactus plants, they are widely available on the market. What better way to celebrate than with a home-grown decoration? Pick one up and enjoy the bright flowers during the winter and start your own living holiday tradition.
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Have a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.
