The “Holiday” Cactus

One of the most delightful plants that we use to decorate for the holidays is the holiday cactus. And yes, despite the fact that these plants don’t possess spines, they are true cactuses. The holiday cactus produces exquisitely beautiful flowers on an easy to grow plant that should become a permanent part of your container plant collection. With proper care, they will produce their gorgeous flowers for you during the holidays year after year. Many people know this typ of cactus as the “Christmas” cactus, but in fact there are 3 other species that we can refer to as a “Holiday” cactus.

1. Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate): Showy flowers bloom in late fall, usually around Thanksgiving; it has crab claw-like appendages on its flat stems with pointy, jagged stem edges.
2. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera russelliana): Often bred with S. truncate to form Schlumbergera x buckleyi, this species flowers around the end of the year near the Christmas holiday; blooms are reddish or pink, and it has smooth, rounded edges on stem segments.
3. Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri): Blooming in early spring, this variety starts to reveal star-shaped flower buds in February and flowers from March through May; it has bristles on the edges of its leaf segments.

The reason these plants don’t look like typical cactuses has to do with where their ancestors lived in nature. They do not live-in deserts, but come from the rainforests of Brazil. In their native habitats, these plants are epiphytes, and they spend their lives perched up in trees with their roots in pockets of decaying organic matter lodged in cavities along branches. This explains much about how we need to care for these plants to keep them healthy.

The original species used to develop holiday cactuses are Schlumbergera truncata, the Thanksgiving cactus and Schlumbergera russelliana, the Christmas cactus. The Thanksgiving cactus is distinguished by sharp teeth along the edges of the flat stem joints, while the Christmas cactus has rounded scallops on the edges of its flat stems. Breeders have, however, crossed these species together and the plants you purchase these days are not true Thanksgiving or Christmas cactuses, but are generally hybrids of the two and may have teeth, rounded scallops or something in between.

For this reason, we have adopted the name “holiday cactus” to refer to these plants that will bloom anytime from November through January. Breeding has produced more robust, upright plants that are easier to grow with larger flowers in a greater color range.

When you purchase a holiday cactus this year, choose one that has the flowers, such as red, magenta, pink, rose, lavender, white, salmon, pale gold and orange. Choose a plant that has mostly large buds that show color and a few open flowers.

It is very common for young flower buds to drop from a plant once you get it home. There are several reasons that this may occur, primarily involving rapid changes in the plant’s growing conditions.

To minimize bud drops, try to place your holiday cactus plant in a brightly lit location, such as by a window, so that it gets plenty of light. Avoid heat sources, such as radiators, hot air ducts and fireplaces. Instead, choose a location that tends to stay cooler, especially at night. Also, don’t allow the plant to dry out when it is in bloom. This is a sure way to cause a bud drop. Water is often enough to keep the plant evenly moist. Each flower generally lasts about five to seven days, and the plants remain in bloom for two to three weeks.

When these plants are finished blooming, they should not be discarded. After flowering is finished, allow the soil in the pot to feel dry when you stick your finger in it before watering. If you display the plant in a location other than a bright window, move the plant to a window. There is no need to fertilize.

Come spring, you may continue to grow your plant indoors or move it outside for the summer. When placed outside, the plants may receive some morning sun, but shade for most of the day is preferred. In their native habitat, they receive excellent light since they are up in the trees off of the jungle floor, but they still receive some shade from the upper canopy.

Watering is very important. You must not water too often and keep the soil too moist. Remember, the ancestors of these plants grow in a situation with excellent drainage in the trees, and they will not tolerate their roots being kept constantly wet. The result of excessive watering is root rot, the most common reason these plants die.

You can help reduce the chances of over watering by growing your plants in loose, fast-draining potting soil rich in organic matter. Use a light potting mix when repotting your plants.

And speaking of repotting, you should do it as seldom as possible. Given that their ancestors grew in small pockets of organic debris in tree branches, it is not surprising that the plants prefer to grow in smaller pots. Only repot your plant if it is no longer stable in the pot it is currently growing in and tends to constantly fall over. Then, choose a pot only slightly larger than the one in which it was growing. To help with the stability of these sometimes-top-heavy plants, you can choose to grow them in heavier clay pots rather than plastic, although either works well.

During the summer growing season, fertilize your plant with your favorite slow release or soluble fertilizer following label directions.

Here’s how to make them bloom again. Holiday cactuses are triggered to bloom by long nights over 12 hours in length and/or chilly nighttime temperatures below 65 degrees. This is easily achieved by leaving or placing your plant outside in late September where it will receive naturally long nights (do not place the plant in a location where porch lights, flood lights or street lights shine on it) and chilly night temperatures in October and early November. Bring the plant inside if nighttime temperatures fall below 40 degrees.

Beginning in September, allow the soil to dry out more before watering and stop fertilizing. When you begin to see the little buds forming at the tips of the branches, water is often enough to keep the soil evenly moist but, does not keep it constantly wet. Move the plant indoors when the buds are about an eighth of an inch long and place it in a window for display.

Holiday cactuses are not only easy and reliable to rebloom, but the plant and the display will get larger and more spectacular each year. These wonderful, long-lived plants are sometimes even passed down from one generation to another. With good care, you may even pass along yours someday.[1]