Never keep your Christmas Cactus in these Spots if you want to enjoy its stunning white to scarlet holiday blooms!
What’s the point of caring for Schlumbergeras if you don’t get to relish their timely blooms at the end of the year? Among various factors, where you keep your holiday plant makes a huge difference. We show you spots to avoid if you want your Christmas cactus to bloom.
Never Keep Your Christmas Cactus In These Spots
1. Keeping Very Close to Heating Vents or Radiators
Native to the rainforests of Brazil, Christmas cactus flourishes in tropical conditions of high humidity and shade. Growing as epiphytes beneath the dappled canopy of trees, the plant cannot stand dry, arid weather.
Hence, keeping it close to heating vents or radiators exposes it to heat and dryness, stressing the plant and curbing buds from forming. Dry air and high temperatures from these spots can also disrupt your plant’s dormant period, which is essential for flowering.
2. Spot With Direct Sunlight
In its natural habitat, the Christmas cactus gets indirect sunshine that filters through the thick treetops. Placing it in a spot with direct sunlight, such as on a sunny windowsill, can scorch its leaves and affect blooms, as your plant will prioritize survival over reproduction.
Choose a spot with bright, indirect light instead to encourage bud formation and seasonal blooms just in time for year-end holidays. However, a few hours of gentle morning sun is welcoming!
3. Near Drafty Windows or Doors
Hot or cold drafts from windows and doors can create inconsistent temperatures, which doesn’t sit well with this stability-loving plant. Christmas cactus needs consistent temperatures to enter its flowering phase.
Cold drafts, in particular, can shock the plant during winter, causing bud drops and no blooms. Pick a spot sheltered from extremities, humid, cool, and with soft sunshine, for your plant to thrive and produce its gorgeous short-lived blooms.
4. Close to Electronic Devices
Sometimes, even if you get the right spot, keeping your cactus near smart home devices and lights can hamper its bloom cycle. These emit heat and light that interfere with the natural light-dark cycle the Christmas cactus needs to bloom.
During the pre-bloom phase, which starts in late summer or early fall, your plant will require about 12-14 hours of darkness daily. Artificial light can interrupt this critical period and prevent your plant from initiating the blooming process.
5. Outdoor Locations Exposed to Frost
This winter bloomer enjoys moderately low temperatures but not frost. If you keep it outdoors, where it is exposed to extreme dips and frost, your plant won’t survive.
Avoid placing it outdoors in fall or winter when temperatures drop below 50 F (10 C) as extreme cold shocks the plant and damages tissues, which is far from ideal for blooming.
6. Next to Fruit Bowls
This might sound surprising, but placing your Christmas cactus near ripening fruits can hinder its blooming. Fruits release ethylene gas as they ripen, which can prematurely age the plant’s buds, causing them to drop before blooming.
7. High Traffic Areas in Your Home
Your Christmas Cactus will thrive when placed in the most undisturbed spot. Placing it in a high-traffic area, such as doorways, hallways, or crowded corridors, will be a disaster. These places will result in frequent brushing or bumping that can disturb the plant.
This disturbance causes stress that often leads to bud drop and flower loss. The delicate foliage of the Christmas cactus is prone to breakage when jostled too much, so be sure to find an undisturbed spot where your plant can grow peacefully.
