A plant expert with an inclination to the Christmas cactus shares 3 tips for yearly winter blooms.
Newsweek's Bob Stirling finds that being around plants helps him relax and find peace.
He has served as a horticultural advisor for the Royal Horticultural Society for over 12 years, and during that time, Christmas cacti, also known as schlumbergeras, have become one of his favorite indoor plants for the winter.
A Christmas cactus is considered an epiphytic plant, which means it develops on trees in South American humid tropical rainforests in crevices filled with organic material.
A Christmas cactus is special because the water inside quickly drains due to its exposed location in the tree canopies.
Additionally, unlike other terrestrial cacti, it doesn't grow on the ground.
Christmas cacti as well as other terrestrial cacti face the same difficulties in capturing and storing rainwater in their fibers to survive, despite having different habitats.
Christmas cacti, also known as the Thanksgiving cactus in America, bloom in November and December in the northern hemisphere.
1. Light and Temperature
Christmas cacti respond to the dwindling daylight hours in autumn by blooming.
According to Stirling, a Christmas cactus won't bloom if kept in a space with artificial lighting, like a sitting room.
Due to the plant's tendency to confuse artificial light with natural light and "suppose" that the days are not getting shorter, buds are not likely to form.
A Christmas cactus must therefore be grown in a space with no artificial lighting to bloom, ideally on a window ledge with enough natural light that does not receive summer sun.
Stirling advises placing a Christmas cactus on a west-facing window with no screen or a south-facing window covered in netting.
2. Watering and Draining
Christmas cacti require more frequent watering because their roots don't dry out for as long in nature as regular terrestrial cacti.
It is best to use room-temperature rainwater or filtered water created by a reverse osmosis filter to water a Christmas cactus.
Christmas cacti, like the majority of other epiphytic plants, prefer an acidic compost, so water quality is crucial.
The pH of the compost may be unsuitable for the health of the plant because tap water has the potential to be alkaline.
Stirling would suggest using ericaceous compost to repot a Christmas cactus because it has a low pH balance.
Adding more perlite in a ratio of 3:1 parts ericaceous compost to perlite can also help to improve drainage.
Read also: 5 Invasive, Aggressive, Troublesome Plants to Watch Out For in a Virginia Garden
Christmas cacti are typically hardy plants, and Stirling has discovered that the main factor in determining whether they survive is how well they are watered.
Christmas cacti should only ever receive water when the potting soil is almost completely dry.
When watering a Christmas cactus, it is always preferable to wait until the organic material is almost completely dry.
A Christmas cactus' roots may rot if the soil is kept overly wet by frequent watering.
Allow any extra water to drain from the hole at the bottom of the pot before throwing it away right away.
Christmas cacti in Stirling have developed rotting roots as a result of being left in excessive moisture for an extended period.
However, occasionally the plant can be saved by taking cuttings from the healthy tops of the stems.
According to Almanac, Most succulent-specific potting mixtures work well for Christmas cacti growth.
The potting soil's ability to drain effectively is crucial.
3. Plant Food
During the growing season, which runs from April to the end of September, Christmas cacti profit from being fertilized with a typical houseplant fertilizer.
Stirling advises waiting until the following April to stop feeding the Christmas cacti after that.
This is because the northern hemisphere's low light levels during the fall and winter prevent plant growth, Newsweek reported.
Once buds start to form, Good Housekeeping advises applying a high-potassium fertilizer every two weeks.
Related article: Expert Shares Hardiness Zone Map Cheatsheet for These 10 Best Winter Flowers
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