Growing Christmas Cactus: Tips at a Glance
Christmas cactus is a popular succulent houseplant with bright pink or red flowers that will bloom on command for the holidays if you give it filtered sunlight and well-drained soil.
- Type Cactus
- Life Span Long-lived perennial
- USDA Zones 9-11
- Light Bright, not direct
- Water Well-drained soil
- Where to Plant Enjoys humidity
- Design Tip Red, pink, white
- Companions Succulents
- Peak Season Winter flowers
Christmas Cactus: A Field Guide
Don’t let the cactus classification fool you: Schlumbergera loves the rain forest. A native of Brazil, the Christmas cactus enjoys the shade and humidity in that country’s coastal mountains. What makes it a cactus, actually, is the tiny areoles from which flowers grow.
As a houseplant, the Christmas cactus prefers cool nights (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit) and more than 13 consecutive hours of darkness to coax it to bloom. Turn off the light or put it in a closet to get things rolling. Sometimes Schlumbergera will surprise with blooms again in early summer.
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