What you will find on this page:
Inducing Christmas Cactus Blooms
A Christmas cactus in its natural habitat does not climb trees like other jungle cactus.
They therefore require bright but filtered light.
Holiday cactus can be grown in just about any soil medium. But a mixture of
40% perlite and 60% peatmoss (PH 5.0 to 6.0) is best.
In the plants natural habitat, rainfall veries from 17 inches per month from December to March,
to 3 inches in a month in the dry season. For this reason they require moisture almost all of the time.
It is a good idea to let your plants dry out slightly between watering, so air can penetrate the roots, but never let them dry out completely.
Holiday cactus can be lost to underwatering as well as overwatering.
Fertilize your plants at least once a month with a well balanced fertilizer like 10-10-5. For Christmas cactus, stop fertilizing (September) 1-2 months prior to the short day period (light span less than 12 hours). Resume fertilizing after the blooms are over. Easter cactus can be fed all year except during their blooming period.
Inducing Christmas Cactus Blooms
There are two methods that you can use to induce blooms. The temprature method
and the photoperiod method.
Temprature method: Keep nighttime tempratures around 55-60 degrees. Anything above or below this range will result in growth only-- NO BLOOMS.
Photoperiod: A short night time period (less than 12 hours of darkness)at tempratures above 60 degrees will initiate flower buds.
This should take 3-4 weeks. Using either method, once flower buds appear, you may resume your normal growing habits. Remember: cooler or higher temps during
any stage of bud FORMATION will delay flowering an additional two to four weeks. (This section applies to only Christmas cactus and not Easter cactus. Easter cactus do not require this treatment to induce blooms.)
Stem cuttings can be taken at anytime, the cutting must consist of more than one stem sections. Your cutting should resemble a "Y" for the best results. You can start fertilizing your cuttings after they have rooted, about 2-3 weeks after you have potted your cuttings.
Pinch back two stem segments in May or June to increase branching.
Problems with pests are few but they can be devastated by snails, or caterpillers. DO NOT USE DIAZINON products on your plants it can cause stunting and distortion. Watch out for fungus rot, use a good fungicide to prevent. Root mealy bug, when found, should be treated by submersion of the plant in an insecticide such as Malathion or Cygon 2E. Submerge the pot until no more air bubbles are seen. This insures that the root system is saturated, and the root ball is thoroughly treated. Repeat as necessary.
