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When You Think Holiday Plants, Think Christmas Cactus

When You Think Holiday Plants, Think Christmas Cactus


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With the overwhelming popularity of the poinsettia, it might seem that there are no other Christmas flowers.

Standing in the wings, the sometimes unnoticed Christmas cactus might be saying, "Pick me, pick me."

Few plants that will bloom inside our homes have a more exotic blossom.

Like many tropical blossoms, these have an exotic shape with the potential to produce massive numbers of red, pink, lavender, peach or white flowers that open in daylight and close in the evening.

Christmas cactuses are epiphytes, meaning in the wild they grow on tree trunks where the roots absorb rainwater. They cannot tolerate temperature extremes or intense sunlight. Christmas cactuses can produce a massive number of exotic blossoms in red, pink, lavender, peach or white.

Although we often refer to these plants as Christmas cactus, it is more correct to call them holiday cactus, as they are referred to as Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus or Easter cactus, depending on when they bloom in the Northern hemisphere.

I try not to delve too much into the naming of these plants. In addition to their holiday monikers, common names include orchid cactus, yoke cactus, claw cactus, linkleaf cactus or crab cactus.

Even the scientific classification is confusing.

The plants have long been called Zygocactus, but the current taxonomy has several closely related species placed in the genus Schlumbergera.

Like many other plants, we commonly grow cultivars that were first hybridized in England many years ago Hybridizers continue to try to develop new cultivars.

The plants come from areas in Latin America from mountainous rain forest areas. They are epiphytes, meaning that they are air growing. They grow on tree trunks where the roots absorb water from frequent rains, and they take nutrients from the decaying plant and animal matter.

These are very different than the desert cacti that grow here in the West.

They cannot tolerate temperature extremes or the very intense sunlight that most cacti prefer.

Although these plants have some exacting requirements, they can be very successful interior plants.

Readers have shared instances where they heirloom plants that have been in their family for decades.

As mentioned, the plants are not desert plants. To grow them successfully, give them bright but indirect light.

Intense, direct sunlight will burn the leaves and stunt their growth.

The plants also need more humidity than other cactus. They prefer humidity of 50 percent to 60 percent, and this level is hard to achieve in most homes.

Add humidity with a pebble tray or a humidifier. Remember these plants come from tropical rainforests, and to grow them successfully, they need similar growing conditions in our homes.

Since they are epiphytes, they need a well-drained growing mix.

Attempting to grow them in a poorly drained pot or in poorly drained soil goes against their genetics.

Remember, these plants normally grow with their roots on the outside of tree trunks.

The most frequent question I get is, "Why won't my plant bloom?"

There are many reasons, but even when the plants get the right light and humidity, they still might not bloom.

Here are some suggestions to make the blossom appear each season.

These are short-day plants, meaning that they need a long uninterrupted night to set blossoms. To induce flower bud formation, give the plant 13 or more hours of continuous darkness starting October 1, with plenty of bright light during the day.

Christmas cactuses are epiphytes, meaning in the wild they grow on tree trunks where the roots absorb rainwater. They cannot tolerate temperature extremes or intense sunlight.__Christmas cactuses can produce a massive number of exotic blossoms in red, pink, lavender, peach or white.

Do this for six weeks to get the plant to set flower buds. Christmas cactus can also create flower buds when they are exposed to cooler temperatures of 50 degree to 57 degrees F for six to eight weeks.

Watering cycles can also affect flower bud formation, so allow the soil to dry before adding more water.

Commercial growers get Christmas cactus to bloom at a specific time by growing them in cool greenhouses with 50 degrees temperatures. The plants get 12 to 14 hours of total darkness each day and they are watered sparingly.

If you do not want to be a full-time plant nurse, I suggest putting your plant in a room where you turn down the heat and leave the lights off at night. It is a little less exacting but much less taxing and if your plant does not bloom for the exact holiday, you can still enjoy the blossoms.

After you get the buds to form, you have to implement other precautions.

The joints on the flower buds are fragile, and the buds drop very easily.

Put the plant where you want it to bloom as soon as the buds form.

Moving or turning the plant causes the buds or flowers to twist toward the light, and they often twist off the plant.

Who knows? This might be the year to add a family heirloom plant to your collection. Their exotic blooms are certainly worth cultivating.

Written by: Larry A. Sagers Horticulture Specialist Utah State University Extension Service Thanksgiving Point Office

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