December Flower of the Month

Christmas Cactus

Schlumbergera bridgesii

Last year a member of my garden club brought in her beautiful Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) to a club meeting to show. This lovely plant cascaded over the edges of its container and sported hundreds of beautiful blossoms. They were white bordered with pale pink edges. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. My friend Sara shared her growing tips with everyone.

During the summer Sara keeps her Christmas cactus on her enclosed carport in bright light, but not direct sun. She feeds it her favorite Cactus Juice occasionally. If it grows more on one side than the other, she turns it to encourage uniform growth on each side. As night temperatures drop to 55 or 65 degrees F. and the days become shorter, usually at about the beginning of November, it begins to grow knobby-looking buds at the ends of the leaves. Along about Christmas, it will be in full bloom. Before the weather gets too cool, Sara brings her cactus inside and places it near a window in a cool room. This placement is necessary, she says, to keep the cactus from dropping its buds.

 Sara cautioned that 12 to 13 hours of darkness are required for maximum blooms. Since street lights, interior lights, or even car lights can disrupt the dark period, it may be necessary to place the plant in a dark closet or throw a blanket over it for the required number of hours.

She also pointed out that proper watering is essential to the well-being of Christmas cactus. Some people think that because it is a cactus that it is tolerant of excessively dry soil. Since this plant is a tropical type cactus, it is not as drought tolerant as desert cacti. It is, however, a succulent plant and can store a considerable amount of water in its leaves. Water thoroughly when the top half of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch. Discard excess water, and do not water again until the soil is dry.

Christmas cactus blooms best when kept somewhat potbound. Sara knows, however, that when the plant begins to dry out and/or wilt frequently that it is time to repot the plant into a slightly larger container. Repotting may be necessary about every three years. Well-drained potting soil is necessary as the cactus may rot in a heavy, wet mix.

 I was the lucky recipient of a cutting from Sara’s cactus. She simply pinched of a couple of shoots and handed them to me. They were fine out of water for a while, since the cut ends need a bit of time to dry before being placed in the rooting medium. When I got home, I stuck them in a well-drained potting mixture and watered sparingly at first to keep the cuttings from rotting. After two or three weeks, I began to water as I would any other cutting. When they were rooted, I potted the cuttings up in a loose mixture of good potting soil.

 Some club members grow Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) that has two to four pointy teeth along the edges of the sections and prong-like projections at the ends of the stems which remind one of a crab’s claws. It blooms around Thanksgiving. Others have Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) that can be distinguished by the rounded teeth along the segments. The Easter cactus flowers primarily in the spring and sporadically throughout the year. All of these cacti have similar cultural requirements, and they decorate some of our most important holidays.