![]() ![]() R educe fertilizer applications and water in the fall as you prepare to force the plant to bloom in winter. Plants should be brought inside as soon as nighttime temperatures dip below 60 F. Too much direct light can burn leaves or turn a reddish color. Holiday cacti can be placed outside during the summer but should be kept away from intense heat and direct sunlight. Wait until new growth begins in late winter or spring to apply a half-strength balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, on a monthly basis. Do not allow the soil to become wet or waterlogged, but do not let it dry out either. Photo by Lindsey Kerr, MSU ExtensionĪfter the plant has finished flowering for the seaso n, care for it as you would other houseplants. A red flowering holiday cactus spotted at a local grocery store. Smartphone calendar notifications can serve as reminders to remove the plant from darkness and when to replace it. How does one provide 13 hours of continuous darkness a day? Some cactus owners throw a blackout curtain or blanket over their plant, move it into a closet or cover it with a box. Flower buds may also drop if the plant is exposed to drastic changes in temperature, like during the trip from a nursery to a customer’s car on a cold December day or if a radiator heats up near the plant’s location in a living room. If the continues period of darkness is interrupted by light, even for a short amount of time, the plant may drop its flower buds. For flowers during the winter holiday season, l ong nights should be started in late September or October an d continued for eight weeks. ![]() To encourage bud set, provide b right light, temperatures between 55 F and 65 F, and 13 hours or more of continuous darkness each day. The secret to good flower bud production involves controlling temperature and how much light the plant rec eives or, more accurately, how much light the plant does not receive. In addition, the temperature s in southeast Brazil do not typically vary more than 20 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the year.Ĭonsequently, altering the amount of light and the temperature of a holiday cactus ’ environment stresses the plant and can encourage it to bloom. Because their native region is tropical and located close to the equator, the amount of light the cacti receive from season to season does not change as dramatically as it does on North America. H oliday cactus bloom in their native environment near the end of the rainy season. Cacti at a local big box store bloom red, fuchsia and cream. They should receive enough moisture that the potting material does not dry out but does not remain wet. In the house, they can be grown in west-, north-, and east-facing windows (south-facing windows are too bright). They prefer bright, indirect light or filtered light. They prefer to be potted in humus-rich soil and to be a little “pot boun d, ” similar growing conditions to that of i nside the crook of a tree branch in a tropical or sub-tropical climate.Īs with most plants, mimicking their natural habitat is key to getting a holiday cactus to thrive. As you can imagine, a plant that grow s naturally in the branches of tropical trees, t hey suffer when exposed to dry conditions and direct sunlight. Native to southeast Brazil, plants in this genus grow on trees or rocks in habitats that are shaded with high humidity. Their needs are very different from what most gardeners think of when it comes to cactus. Flower colors range from white to pink to red to salmon to soft purple s or lavender. The Schlumbergera commercially available are hybrids, crosses between different species to achieve desirable flower colors and habits. Common names include Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, crab cactus, Easter cactus and holiday cactus. Holiday cact i belong to the genus Schlumbergera. H oliday cacti require a little more involvement on the part of the gardener to have them flush with flowers this winter season. Every year, Michigan State University Extension horticulture educators and Ask Extension receive calls and emails about how to care for these cacti after the holidays.Īs home gardeners, n ow it is the time of year we need to start preparing these plants if we want them to bloom again. Many of us have succumbed to holiday cacti in the past or been gifted one during a previous winter holiday season. It’s difficult to resist the displays of pink, white or red blooms just in time for the holidays. It’s that time of year again! Grocery stores and plant nurseries are overflowing with brightly flowering holiday cact i. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |