Caring for Your Christmas Cactus and Poinsettia
Just because Christmas is over, it doesn't mean your Christmas cactus and poinsettias have to be retired. With a little information and care, you can keep these beautiful plants thriving year after year.
Even after the holidays are over, your Christmas cactus and poinsettia plants don’t have to be retired. With a little information and care, you can keep these beautiful plants thriving year after year.
Caring For Your Christmas Cactus:
Place your Christmas cactus in a warm, well-lit room away from drafts and direct sunlight, which can burn the leaves. Remember that Christmas cacti are not true cacti, and do need regular watering. Be careful not to oversaturate it, though. When the soil becomes dry, it’s time to water again. Because it is a tropical plant, your Christmas cactus will enjoy humidity. If the air is dry where you live, keep a plate or bowl of water nearby. The evaporating water will add moisture to the air.
In the summertime, you can place the plant outdoors in a shady location and feed it a basic houseplant fertilizer about once a month. Move it back indoors before the first frost. To encourage the plant to bloom in time for Christmas, keep it in a closet or other dark location for 12 hours each night. A cool room, such as a basement, is ideal because temperatures of about 50-60° F promotes flower growth.
And don’t forget about your poinsettias! These tips will help keep them blooming long after the holidays are over.
Caring For Your Poinsettias:
For the rest of the winter, keep your poinsettia in a warm, well-lit room away from drafts, and water it regularly. The soil should be kept moist, but never wet. Water it just until the water begins to drain out, and don’t allow the pot to sit in the water.
Once the nighttime temperatures reach 55° F, transplant your poinsettia into a larger pot with a loose, fast-draining soil, and set it outside in indirect sunlight. Fertilize about once every two weeks.
Once the weather becomes consistently warm, in about mid-April, or May, Cut the poinsettia back to about six inches. Continue to prune it throughout the summer to prevent it from becoming sparse and spindly, but do not prune it once September begins.
Move the plant indoors before the first frost, and keep it in a dark closet each night for at least 14 hours. Take it out in the morning and leave it in indirect sunlight for up to 10 hours. These long, dark nights will promote blossom growth, giving you a festive plant in time for next Christmas.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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Mine is starts to bloom right now, the secret is to stressed them, do not water it for a long time.
I have placed my cacti is the dark 12 hrs and brought it out during the day ( but not direct sun) I have been doing this for over a month and it does not look any different and will not bud. How do I get it to bud and bloom?
I have had my Christmas cacti for about 20 years now moved to different places and it still blossoms at least 2 to 3 times a years at one time it blossomed every other month it is so big don’t know where to put it when company comes I get afraid it will get broke I almost killed it for I did not know you could not put them in bigger pots found out they love to be close an hug each others roots every one loves it trying to grow more but it is hard to do love my cacti its all most done blossoming now hope it blossoms for Christmas again my daughter has a baby one I trying to bring back for her this year it also has 3 blossoms on it so she will have hers back soon we are all happy
Simply place the piece that falls or breaks off in another pot of dirt and they usually start a new plant. I treat them just like any other house plant. They’re very easy to start
My Christmas Cactus is over 30 years old. We have many descendants sitting on various stands and sills. The oldest is in a sun room that is about 68 degrees Sept thru June, it starts blooming in Nov. and continues till Easter. The 2 that are kept warmer in a west facing room look a little sad and rarely have more than a couple of blooms. We have on in our cabin, the heat wasn’t even on till last weekend and she has blooms all over her. The cabin is just north of Gaylord, we’ve had several weeks with sub freezing temps, 6″ of snow last weekend.
I live in Sayre PA, I am not from here, I moved from Lynchburg, VA two years ago. I’ve had several Christmas cacti in the past and I always kept them indoors in bright light near a cool window in the fall. I had some lovely blooms too!
Currently, I inherited a Christmas cactus and because I’m not native to this part of the country, I need advice. It has always been on the front porch (see below for details) but I put it under the carport all summer out of direct sun and it has a lot of new growth now. A week or so ago I put it in the enclosed front porch with walls to walls windows of bright northeastern sunlight because I the squirrels kept hiding their walnuts in the soil. This porch does not have heat or air conditioning or shades. Today I noticed a couple tiny buds and I am ecstatic! But here is my dilemma, the night temps are steadily dropping and the day temps are staying 60-40s. But next week it will probably frost and then I’m sure it’ll be even colder. Where do I put my pretty plant to ensure it’ll bloom? Leave it on the front porch? Bring it inside to a brightly lit bedroom where temps are 65ish? And as far as watering, I haven’t had to water it too much because it isn’t in a draining pot so I don’t want to saturate it too much, it stays damp. Please help me figure out where to keep it! Oh and where to keep it after it blooms too!
Thank you so much for the help, love and light to you all. Carrie.
I live in northeastern Alberta, Canada. I have a Christmas Cacti that I cannot get to bloom. I bought it 3 years ago at Christmas, it was in full bloom. Now I cannot get it to bloom. I had it on my deck all summer that faces east, brought it in and kept it in a bedroom with very little sun and still no blooms. What am I doing wrong.
Hi Joyce Pankew: try limiting the amount of water the plant receives. The soil should be slightly moist — only water when the top layer of soil is dry to the touch. This will enable the plant to enter dormancy. Dormancy is critical for getting a Christmas cactus to bloom. Then move it to a spot where it will receive about 12-14 hours of darkness. Indirect light during the day is Ok, just make sure it gets at least 12 hours of darkness at night. Next, it also need cool temperatures of about 50-55 F. to encourage dormancy and blooming. Good luck!
I have my mother’s Christmas Cactus which is over 50 years old! It begins blooming in mid November through May. Also have my Aunt’s which sometimes blooms into July! Have given away many plants from my Mother’s. And a tiny Poinsettia I purchased at our local Lowe’s 3 years ago is now in full bloom!
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Honest to goodness, I have a Christmas cactus in WATER!!! That’s all! No dirt, just water and she blooms every Christmas. Wish I could post a photo on here. It blooms a beautiful salmon color. I nave two others in water only also. My plant that stays inside is in the dining room window all year round. Lots of sun. I Love my cactus! She’s big and beautiful!!
I received my Christmas in 1957. The lady that gave it to me just passed away at 106. Just last year I had to repot it It was huge. It sits on my front porch from May to late September.