Here are 10 Things Every Christmas Cactus Owner Should Know to keep your plant healthy year-round and show off its stunning holiday colors!
Do you think you know your Christmas cactus well? Think again! This cheerful holiday plant holds a few surprising secrets.
Read on to learn why it’s technically not a true cactus, the unusual way to encourage those stunning blooms, and how to ensure your plant thrives for years to come. These are things every Christmas cactus owner should know!
Things Every Christmas Cactus Owner Should Know
1. It’s Not a Cactus
Did you know this? The Christmas cactus is not actually a “cactus” in the typical sense.
When the plant was first discovered, it was mistakenly classified as one due to its similarities with cacti–those serrated edges. The name stuck, even though it was later found to be an epiphytic plant that grows on trees naturally in South America.
Fun Fact: The Christmas cactus belongs to the Schlumbergera genus and was named after Frederic Schlumberger. The man was a 19th-century French horticulturist with a remarkable cacti collection near Rouen, France.
2. Your Christmas Cactus Could be an Imposter
There are many types of holiday cacti, majorly three, all of which look pretty similar–the Christmas cactus, the Thanksgiving cactus, and the Easter cactus. Each of these are named after the holiday or festival during which they bloom.
One of the easiest ways to tell them apart is by looking at the edges of their segments. The Thanksgiving cactus has pointed, claw-like edges, while the Christmas cactus has smooth, rounded edges. The Easter cactus has rounded edges with tiny bristles at the joints. Why don’t you check which one you’ve got?
3. It Needs a Dormany Period for Flowering
If your Christmas cactus hasn’t flowered, you’re doing something wrong. And we know the answer! As a short-day plant, it needs a photoperiod.
You need to give it this dormancy period to “recharge” and get ready to bloom. During this time, the plant will be tricked into thinking it’s fall, leading to bud formation and flowers.
To do this, you can shorten their daylight hours by moving them to a darker spot in the evening, like a closet, for about 12-14 hours each day for 6-8 weeks.
Doing so will mimic the shorter days of autumn they experience in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May, which signals to the cactus that it’s time to start preparing for blooms. Pretty neat, right?
4. Propagating One is Surprisingly Easy
Who wouldn’t want a lovely blooming Christmas cactus on a plant stand? If that sounds like you, we have good news. There is not one, not two, but five different ways you can propagate them at home.
Not only can you expand your collection, but these also make adorable gifts for friends and family with green thumbs! And did we mention you can also propagate a Christmas cactus in water?
5. They Can Turn Purple!
Christmas cacti are beautiful plants that thrive in bright, indirect light. But if you give them too much direct sunlight, their stems and leaves will turn purple.
We’re not kidding! It happens because they are not used to intense sunlight (they are found under large trees in rainforests and grow in dim, filtered daylight), which can cause stress to the plant. In response, the plant produces anthocyanins–pigments that give the parts a purple color.
Anthocyanins are actually beneficial to the plant because they help protect it from the harmful effects of UV radiation. However, if your Christmas cactus is turning purple, you need to move it to a location where it will receive less direct sunlight before it goes in stress.
6. You Can Grow Them Outdoors
Since the Christmas cactus is a day-length-sensitive plant, it is quite exposed to temperature changes and light conditions. Therefore, any location with direct sun will cause it to burn. But that doesn’t mean you can’t flaunt it outdoors!
Just monitor the temperature, ensuring it is a steady 65 F (18 C) or higher during the day and does not fall below 50 F (10 C) at night. If suitable, you can move your plant outdoors in the shade. Don’t forget to watch it for a few days for successful acclimatization and any signs of stress.
7. Christmas Cacti Live Quite Long
While many indoor plants have short lives, Christmas cacti can outlive you! If you meet all their requirements in terms of care, they can live for decades. Don’t believe us? Here’s the story of a specimen that is over 145 years old!
Obviously, there are a lot of things at play that can harm a plant’s life cycle, but its average lifespan of 20-30 years is still pretty decent.
8. They Can Grow on Rocks!
You may know that the Christmas cactus is an epiphyte, meaning it can grow on trees. But did you know it’s also a lithophyte like some orchids?
It means they can grow on rocks or spaces that have minimal soil. The root systems of Christmas cacti are so strong that they can hold onto small organic matter, enabling them to thrive on cliffs and crevices and absorb nutrients from rainwater and air. How cool is that? Here are more Christmas cactus facts that will blow your mind!
9. Christmas Cacti Can Produce Bicolored Flowers
Though there are relatively few natural species of the Schlumbergera with only a few colors, you can find ones with bicolored flowers. This delightful surprise often occurs due to a fascinating phenomenon called “sports or sporting.”
Sporting is essentially a genetic mutation that can happen in plants, leading to sudden changes in their appearance. In the case of Christmas cacti, this mutation causes flowers on the same plant to display two distinct colors, such as pink and white or red and white.
You can also find hybrid varieties for this. A hybrid resulting from a pink-flowered Christmas cactus and a white-flowered one might produce offspring with blooms that are pink with white tips or even have subtle streaks or patches of both colors.
10. You Can Make them Bloom Anytime!
Yes, you read that right. And yes, we’re not kidding. Remember how we said the Christmas cactus is a short-day plant and needs a 12-14 hour dormancy period for flowering?
It isn’t limited to Christmas time. If you do it right, you can trick your plant into getting blooms any time of the year. Here’s how to do it properly without hurting your plant’s health.
Bloom-Boosting Tip: Speaking of flowers, if you want more blooms on your Christmas cactus, you can try some great hacks! From using sugar water to following these tricks, your Christmas cactus will bloom with tons of flowers!
How many of these things did you already know as a Christmas cactus owner? Do you think we missed out on any? Do let us know in the comments below!
