How to grow Christmas cactus? A detailed guide to cultivation methods

Christmas cactus, also known as crab claw cactus, crab claw orchid and fairy finger flower, is a plant of the genus Schlumbergera in the cactus family. It is tender green, with new stem segments tinged red; the main stem is round and easily becomes woody, with many branches in a segmented form; the areoles bear bristles, and flowers are borne on the areoles at the top of the stem segments. Common cultivated varieties include bright red, pink, apricot yellow and pure white. It gets its name because the joints connecting the segments resemble the secondary claws of a crab. The leaf-like stems are flat and multi-segmented, thick and fleshy, ovate, bright green, with a truncated tip and coarsely serrated edges. Flowers are borne at the top of the stems, with the perianth opening and reflexed; flower colors include light purple, yellow, red, pure white, pink, orange and bicolor, among others.

Morphological characteristics

The leaves of Christmas cactus are tender green, with new stem segments tinged red; the main stem is round and easily becomes woody, with many branches in a segmented form; the areoles bear bristles, and flowers are borne on the areoles at the top of the stem segments. Common cultivated varieties include bright red, pink, apricot yellow and pure white. Because the joints connecting the segments resemble the secondary claws of a crab, it is called crab claw orchid. In Christian Western countries, because it blooms right at “Christmas,” it is also called “Christmas cactus.” The segmented stems of Christmas cactus often become pendulous because they grow too long, so it is also often made into a hanging plant for decoration. Christmas cactus blooms right at Christmas and New Year's Day; the plant has a trailing form and the flower colors are bright and lovely, making it suitable for decorating windowsills, entranceways and exhibition halls, lively and dazzling, instantly brightening the whole room. However, because of cultivation methods, some Christmas cacti are regulated to bloom in October. The flowers are delicate and graceful, radiant and charming, bright and moving, and are especially loved and praised by people. In Japan, Germany, the United States and other countries, Christmas cactus has already been produced on a large scale and has become one of the main indoor potted flowers in winter. China began introducing Christmas cactus in the 1980s.

Christmas cactus is an epiphytic small shrub. The leaf-like stems are flat and multi-segmented, thick and fleshy, ovate, bright green, with a truncated tip and coarsely serrated edges. Flowers are borne at the top of the stems, with the perianth opening and reflexed; flower colors include light purple, yellow, red, pure white, pink, orange and bicolor, among others. Flower breeders have all conducted extensive cross-breeding research.

Growth habits

Christmas cactus is a short-day plant; it likes scattered light and avoids blazing sun; it likes moisture but fears waterlogging. In its natural environment, it often grows epiphytically on trees or in moist valleys, so the cultivation environment requires semi-shade and humidity. In summer, avoid blazing sun and rain; in winter, it requires warmth and sufficient light. The soil needs to be a fertile mixed soil of leaf mold, peat and coarse sand, with a pH of 5.5-6.5. The suitable temperature during the growth period of Christmas cactus is 18-23°C; the flowering temperature is preferably 10-15°C, not exceeding 25°C, with 15°C being best maintained; the winter temperature should not be lower than 10°C. Christmas cactus is a short-day plant, so it can only form flower buds and bloom under short-day conditions. In its place of origin, Christmas cactus is pollinated by birds; when cultivated indoors, artificial pollination is required for it to set seed normally.

Cutting propagation

1. Cutting substrate: nutrient soil, river sand, peat soil and other materials used for cuttings. For home cuttings, it is difficult to obtain an ideal cutting substrate due to limited conditions; it is recommended to use a prepared and sterilized cutting substrate; medium-coarse river sand can also be used, but it must be rinsed several times with clean water before use. Do not use sea sand or river sand from saline-alkali areas; they are not suitable for the growth of flowering plants. In early spring or late autumn (when the highest noon temperature does not exceed 28°C and the lowest night temperature is not lower than 15°C), during the peak growth season, cut off a leaf or stem (with 3-4 leaf nodes), let the wound dry, then insert it into the substrate, and spray the cuttings and substrate lightly with water; as long as the substrate is not overly dry or waterlogged, roots and new shoots will soon grow. From late spring to early autumn, when temperatures are relatively high, cuttings are extremely prone to rotting, so it is best not to take cuttings then.

2. Potting: When potting small seedlings, first place a 2-2 cm thick layer of coarse-grained substrate or ceramsite at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, then sprinkle a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer on top as a base fertilizer, about 1-2 cm thick, then cover with a layer of substrate about 1-2 cm thick, and then place the plant in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. The substrate used for potting can be one of the following. Garden soil: cinder 3:1; or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (mushroom residue) 4:1:2; or one of paddy soil, pond mud, or leaf mold. Or peat + perlite + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; garden soil + cinder = 3 parts + 1 part; peat + cinder + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; sawdust + vermiculite + medium-coarse river sand = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part. After potting, water thoroughly once and place it in a slightly shady environment for a week of care.

3. Humidity management: It likes a relatively dry air environment; if rainy weather lasts too long, it is susceptible to infection by pathogens. It fears rain; keep the leaves dry at night. The optimal relative air humidity is 40-60%.

4. Temperature management: The optimal growth temperature is 15-32°C; it fears high temperature and stuffiness, and enters a dormant state when the summer heat exceeds 33°C. It avoids cold and frost; the overwintering temperature needs to be kept above 10°C, and it also enters a dormant state when the winter temperature drops below 7°C. If the ambient temperature approaches 4°C, it will die from frost injury.

5. Summer management

① Strengthen air convection so that the heat inside the plant can be dissipated;

② Place it in semi-shade, or provide it with 50% shade;

③ Mist it appropriately, 2-3 times a day.

6. Winter management

① Move it indoors to a place with bright light for care;

② Outdoors, it can be wrapped with plastic film to overwinter, but the film must be opened every two days at the warmer noon time to let it breathe;

7. Light management: In summer, keep it in semi-shade for care, or when given 50% shade, the leaf color will be more beautiful. In spring and autumn, because the temperature is not very high, it should be given direct sunlight to help it carry out photosynthesis and accumulate nutrients. In winter, keep it indoors in a place with bright light for care. If it is usually kept indoors for care, it should be placed near a southeast-facing door or window so it can receive light, and after every one month or one and a half months, it should be moved outdoors for two months of care; otherwise the leaves will grow thin and yellow, and the new branches or petioles will be slender with elongated internodes, in a state of leggy growth.

8. Fertilizer and water management: It has a very strong drought tolerance and can grow even under arid environmental conditions, but this does not mean not watering or fertilizing it; its root system fears waterlogging. If water accumulates in the flowerpot, or if it is watered and fertilized too frequently, root rot is easily caused. The principle for fertilizing and watering it is “alternate dry and wet; when dry, dry it thoroughly; do not water if not dry; when watering, water thoroughly.” When fertilizing and watering, avoid getting the plant wet during the day:

① Spring and autumn: These two seasons are its peak growth seasons. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”——clear water——“Hua Bao”——clear water, with an interval of about: 2-4 days for outdoor care, and 3-6 days for indoor care.

② Summer: During the high-temperature period in summer, it often enters a dormant state and has little demand for fertilizer and water, and may even need controlled fertilizer and water. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water——“Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water, with an interval of about: 3-5 days for outdoor care; 4-7 days for indoor care. The interval should be shorter on sunny days or during high temperatures, and longer on rainy days or during low temperatures, or no watering at all. Try to schedule watering in the early morning or evening when the temperature is lower. Also mist the plant frequently.

③ Winter: During the winter dormant period, the main task is to do a good job of controlling fertilizer and water. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”—>clear water—>clear water—>“Hua Bao”—>clear water—>clear water, with an interval of about 7-10 days. Try to schedule watering at noon on sunny days when the temperature is higher.