Learn easy Tricks to Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom Before Thanksgiving with simple care tips for healthy, vibrant flowers on time.
Want your Christmas cactus to bloom before Thanksgiving? With a few easy tricks, you can encourage early flowers. By giving the right light, water, and care, you can enjoy bright, beautiful blooms just in time for the holiday. Follow these simple tips for a festive, flowering cactus.
When Does Christmas Cactus Bloom?
Christmas cactus plants start to form flower buds when they get about 12 hours of darkness each day. The long winter nights are perfect for them and for other winter-blooming plants like poinsettias. Most garden plants are different—they bloom when nights are short and summer days are long and sunny.
If your Christmas cactus gets only 10 to 12 hours of light each day, it will start to grow flower buds. Turning on a light for a few minutes at night won’t stop the buds from forming.
Tricks to Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom Before Thanksgiving
Watch the Calendar
Watch the calendar when planning for blooms. A Christmas cactus needs about eight weeks to form flower buds. If you want it to bloom around mid-December, start giving it less light around mid-October. The flowers usually last four to six weeks, brightening your home through Christmas and into January.
Reposition the Plant to an Infrequently Used Room
To give your plant 12 hours of darkness, move it to a room that isn’t used often at night. A guest room, office, or quiet basement with a sunny window works well. Just remember, the plant still needs some daylight to make food, so don’t keep it in total darkness all the time.
If you don’t have a room that stays dark for 12 hours, you can cover your Christmas cactus with a thick blanket each day. This helps give it the darkness it needs to form flowers.
Keep an Eye on the Temperature
Christmas cactus plants bloom best when daytime temperatures are between 65°F and 70°F, and nights are between 55°F and 65°F. They can handle some changes, but try to keep them in a cool place for the best results.
Water When the Topsoil Is Dry
Check the soil every few days. If the top feels dry, give the plant a good watering and let the extra water drain out. When the plant is growing flower buds, water it a little more often than usual.
Monitor Flower Buds
Watch for flower buds growing at the tips of the stems and note when they appear. After about eight weeks, when the buds are full and showing color, move the plant to a nice spot where you can enjoy the blooms. Keep it away from drafty doors or heaters, as sudden temperature changes can make the buds fall off.
Preparing for Next Year
After your Christmas cactus stops flowering, keep it in a bright room and water it when the top inch of soil is dry. The plant will grow slowly while resting, then start making new leaves and grow faster in spring as the days get longer.
When new growth appears in spring, feed the plant with liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength every four weeks from May to August. Strong summer growth helps the plant bloom well next holiday season.
