The holiday cactus is a winter plant that becomes more colorful when it’s cold. The bold blooms can make for an unexpectedly welcoming sight in the middle of winter, and these plants have been loved by many people around this time since ancient times!
The holiday cactus is a beautiful plant that’s grown indoors for the winter months. It blooms and grows like any other type of houseplant until summer, when you can finally put it outside in its natural habitat, and it will bloom with superb flowers in winter.
Holiday Cactus Care
Cacti are plants that you might be more familiar with because of their cuddly appearance. However, the holiday variant is quite different from what most people would imagine – it comes in subtropical rainforests and needs regular watering to survive!
The leaves hang down from hanging baskets or pots; they’re actually stems which boast flowers at either end (leaves).
This means there will always be new color each time your plant blooms since these festive ones come in shades like reds, pinks and purples too- not just one specific type as other types usually do .
To encourage more stems, grow your holiday cactus as a hanging plant or place it somewhere where the stem can drape. Don’t worry about rubbing up against it- they don’t have thorns!
Light Requirements
The holiday cactus is a plant that can be found in many homes for the holidays. It prefers to grow under partial shade or with a diffused light, but it has been known to adjust during seasons when their conditions change drastically.
Actually, bright summer sun exposure makes this beautiful flowery herb pale & yellow!
Soil
Soil is not much of a factor for holiday cacti. It will grow in most pots, but it prefers soil conditions with pH levels between 5.5 and 6 that allow optimal growth rates to happen.
Water
Though the holiday cactus is, in fact a type of succulent plant with tropical origins, this guy craves more water than most.
Make sure to thoroughly wet its soil and allow excess runoff through drainage hole before watering again–you will know if it’s too dry when leaves start puckering up or get shriveled away from their stems.
This usually indicates an insufficiently moist environment for plant growth.
Temperature and Humidity
The holiday cactus needs ample humidity, especially when grown in the dry conditions of heated homes. To ensure good humidity levels, mist or place a tray full pebbles sitting at water beneath this plant for added moisture!
The holiday cactus is a bit picky about the temperature. For its peak growth months (April to September) it likes balmy temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit but once buds are set, low nighttime temps of 55 – 65 with at least 13 hours darkness is needed for this plant.
Fertilizer
To make sure your cactus gets all of the nutrients it needs, give it a monthly feeding. You can do this by making an diluted water soluble fertilizer which will provide food for the plant throughout spring and summer months when most blooms are taking form.
When you see flowers starting to bud on any plants in bloom season just stop fertilizing them until next year’s cycle has started!
Prep Your Holiday Cactus to Bloom
- In mid-October, it is necessary to minimize your watering. Simply moisten when the soil is dry about an inch below ground level and therefore stop fertilizing it.
- Cacti are finicky about their environment. Make sure you keep the temperature at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit for optimum growth and care.
- The best way to get your Holiday cactus plant started is by limiting the amount of light it receives, and then providing at least 12-14 hours total darkness for bloom. You can also provide artificial lights if necessary; however these should not be given during daylight because they’ll scorch leaves!
- Once you see flower buds beginning to form, move your holiday cactus out of the darkness and near a bright window. Make sure it is not in direct sunlight or too cold will cause them drop their precious petals!
The flowers of this flower should open within a couple weeks. Each petal will remain in full bloom for six days, and the plant may continue to produce new blooms until seven-ten more weeks after its first one!