Schlumbergera × buckleyi, commonly known as Christmas Cactus or True Christmas Cactus, is a popular cactus with flattened stems divided into leaf-like segments and beautiful fuchsia-like flowers. No other plant seems to be equal for its odd beauty or the number of questions from frustrated owners about its care. With a Christmas Cactus, the million-dollar question is not how to grow it but how to make it bloom.
Light
Place the plant in a bright place away from direct noonday sun and drafts. Try to make this spot almost permanent, as the Christmas Cactus does not like to be moved. Choose an east or west window as the best location for the plant. A south window with some shading is the next best.
Intense artificial light on it at night will retard the bloom. If you must turn on the lights where the plant is, cover it with a double sheet of newspaper, sheet, or towel. Watering at this time, when the buds are formed, is decreased. If the plant receives no artificial light from sundown to sunrise, it will justify its name by blooming approximately at Christmas.
Watering
Being a jungle plant, it needs more moisture and shade than most other cacti. But the term "more moisture" is relative. The soil should be moist but not too much so. Never set the plant in a saucer of water. Too much water causes the roots to rot. Let the soil dry out occasionally well down into the pot to prevent the soil from going sour.
Weeks without water would not harm it. In fact, too much care is dangerous to the plant.
Fertilizing
New leaf growth starts in the spring. When it does, you can start fertilizing it about every two weeks with a good liquid fertilizer, following the directions on the package.
Potting and repotting
The soil itself should be a little richer than used for other cacti, but avoid lime or bone meal since the plant likes slightly acid soil. A mixture of 2 parts good cactus potting mix, 1 part coarse builder's sand, and 1 part peat moss is excellent.
Use a pot not much larger than the diameter of the plant. Put in a handful of soil. Set in the plant, spreading the roots. Now fill the pot to within a half-inch (1.3 cm) of the rim and press the soil down firmly with your fingers.
Late spring is the best time for repotting, should that be needed. Transfer the plant into a pot that is one size larger than what it is now. Then set it in the shade outdoors for the summer.
Beauty Sleep
When nights start to cool in early fall, bring the plant inside and give it a 30-day nap. Place it in a cool, dim location, and do not water it for about a month. Then gradually expose it to full sunlight and increase the water supply over what it had outside.
Christmas Cactus is a short-day plant. As the days get shorter, buds are formed. This is when most mistakes are made that delay blooming or stop it altogether.
Source: plantcaretoday.com
Links
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