I absolutely love holiday cacti and I was gifted one by a good friend several years ago it’s been a joy to watch it grow and bloom. Holiday cactus care could not be easier and they are very low maintenance. There are three different kinds of holiday cacti: the Christmas cactus, the Thanksgiving cactus and the Easter cactus. You can discern the difference by the leaf shape.
Do you have a Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter Cactus
The Christmas cactus has elongated leaves with more scalloped edges. The Thanksgiving cactus, which is the one I have, has more elongated leaves with pointed claw like edges. The Easter cactus has more rounded edges close to the midsection of each leaf. Most of the blooms are pink, but there are red, yellow, white and purple blooming holiday cacti as well.
As the name implies, these cacti bloom around the holiday for which they are named. The Thanksgiving cactus blooms in early fall, the Christmas cactus about a month before Christmas and the Easter cactus blooms in early spring. The first year of having your cactus it will likely bloom a the correct time, because the grower has simulated the perfect conditions for blooms. The subsequent years, you will need to be sure the cactus is in the right light conditions for blooming.
Holiday Cactus Care
The holiday cactus is not a typical succulent or cactus. It actually comes from Brazil and prefers humidity as opposed to arid desert conditions. Water your cactus when the top 1″ of the soil feels dry; do not overwater it and do not allow the pot to sit in a saucer of water. You may feed your cactus using water soluble fertilizer once a month, however, avoid fertilizing your cactus while it is blooming. Be sure to use an indoor plant fertilizer; I prefer the Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food Concentrate. Trust me, you do not want to use fish emulsion fertilizer to feed your indoor cactus.
The holiday cactus actually likes to be a little root bound. I repot my cactus every two years to a slightly larger pot using cactus potting soil.
How to Get Your Cactus to Bloom
The holiday cactus is a short day bloomer, which means it sets blooms when exposed to longer night time hours and cooler temperatures.
Approximately six to eight weeks are needed for buds to form. If you have a Thanksgiving cactus start the reduced light hours around the early part of October; if you have a Christmas start the reduced light hours around mid October. The Easter cactus takes a bit longer to form buds; start the process for blooms approximately 14 weeks before Easter.
Place your cactus in a dark, cool space for 12-16 hours each night. Place the cactus in an unused room of your home that’s fairly dark, under a cabinet or in a closet. Once buds begin to form you can set the cactus out in indirect light in your home to enjoy; keep the cactus’ soil moist during blooming but do not apply fertilizer.
Holiday cacti can be long lasting houseplants when properly cared for. They are not too fussy and are so beautiful year around.
