Give your Christmas cactus proper shade, and it will bloom year after year without fail
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) is an evergreen perennial flower that generally blooms during the winter holidays. Its flowers are delicate, graceful and dazzlingly bright, making it especially loved and sought after by Chinese people, and it has gradually become an excellent indoor potted flower for the depths of winter in recent years.
The Christmas cactus is also a very easy flower to grow; usually a single leaf segment can propagate a whole large pot. Friends who struggle to grow Christmas cacti usually do so because of overwatering -- watering too frequently easily causes root rot, making blooming even harder. If you want your Christmas cactus to bloom every year, be sure to remember the care tips below.
First of all, it should be noted that the Christmas cactus is a succulent in the cactus family (Cactaceae). Its leaves are thick and fleshy and can store water, so it does not need much moisture.
Light: Since it belongs to the cactus family, it needs to be placed in a spot indoors with plenty of light. If there is not enough light, the Christmas cactus will produce fewer flowers and fewer new branches.
Watering: You need to be restrained when it comes to watering. On the one hand, use room-temperature water, and water thoroughly each time, but leave longer intervals between waterings -- always wait until the soil surface is dry before watering again.
Fertilizing: Since it is a semi-desert plant, it does not need much fertilizer. At most, fertilize three to four times a year in the months after spring, and use a very dilute fertilizer (do not fertilize once flower buds appear).
When growing it indoors, note that the room temperature must not be too warm; cooler temperatures at night are fine, but it should absolutely not be placed near a heater or air conditioner. If you want your Christmas cactus to produce more flowers, proper pruning is very necessary. Christmas cacti grow quickly, and during care, a single node sometimes produces 4 to 5 new branches; these should be cut off promptly, leaving 1 to 2. If there are many thin, small flower buds on the stem segments, remove some of them as well, which can make the flowers uniform in size and produce more abundant blooms. After the Christmas cactus finishes blooming, promptly remove the spent flowers, cut the 3 to 4 stem segments below the flower shorter, and thin out the aged stems to improve ventilation and aid later care.
How do you make a Christmas cactus bloom more easily?
If you want a Christmas cactus to bloom, the first requirement is sufficient light; after spring, place it in a spot with plenty of indirect light. Once flower buds form, do not move the pot around casually, or the buds may drop. To get your Christmas cactus to bloom on schedule, you need to give it a proper "dark treatment" in October, ideally with 13-14 hours of darkness each night, which you can create by covering it with a cardboard box or black cloth. When the Christmas cactus senses that the nights are long and the days are short, it knows it is time to bloom.