Christmas Cactus Blossoms

Setting the Stage for this....
Once you find the right setting for a Christmas Cactus in your home, sometime between October and April your home will be graced by some of the loveliest flowers.

Christmas cacti aren’t particularly fussy, but they do know what they like:

· A brightly lit area.

· Temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees for best growth and bloom.

· Water when soil is dry to the touch. Don’t let it sit in extra water.

· Share with family and friends (or rescue broken joints) by simply place the bottom of a joint in sandy soil. Keep it moist and out of direct sunlight. It will take root within three weeks.

· When the flowers are done, feed with an all-purpose, water-soluble houseplant fertilizer once a monthly until you see new flower buds starting.

…and they don’t like cold drafts or rapid changes in temperatures. This will cause the loss of flowers and flower buds until next year.

To encourage your cactus to rebloom, try to induce a mini cold-snap right in your home. Here’s how:

· Give it nighttime (only) temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees (brrr);

· Or if temps are between 60 and 70 degrees, then twelve hours of nighttime darkness (even a dark corner or lightly covering with a dark cloth for those hours will do);

· Or fifteen hours of nighttime darkness if temps are above 70 degrees.

Enjoy a Merry Christmas ...and a more colorful winter... with your Christmas Cactus!!