How to Care for Holiday Cactus Plants

Among the flowering plants that symbolize the season, the holiday cactus plant stands out for its beautiful blooms, as well as its resilience and endurance.  Because they can live for so long, holiday cactus plants often become part of family traditions, being passed down from generation to generation.  

Holiday cacti belong to a group of mountain cactus plants which include Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter cactus. All three are native to Brazil, the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are tropical rain forest plants, while the Easter cactus grows in Brazil’s natural forests.   

While sometimes labeled Zygocactus, this older scientific name has been reclassified as Schlumbergera truncata, referring to the group of plants commonly known as holiday cactus.  

  

Each kind of holiday cactus typically flowers around the holiday it’s named for. Thanksgiving cactus is in bloom now, followed by the Christmas cactus later in the season, Easter in the spring.  Their bell-shaped blooms in shades of red, pink, orange, or white will add a cheerful note to your indoor garden during the holidays.   

An easy way to identify the type of cactus is to look at the end of the stem. Thanksgiving cactus leaves have claw-like edges while the Christmas cactus is rounder. Thanksgiving cactus flowers tend to bend upward, while Christmas cactus flowers tend to hang down.

The recent introduction of hybrid cacti tends to blur the line between Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, but if you have a plant that came from a cutting of your grandmother’s fifty-year-old cactus, it’s one or the other.   

  

Holiday cactuses need bright, indirect light and will do best in a cool, bright spot out of direct sun. An east-facing window is ideal. Holiday cactus bloom on their own in response to shorter days and cooler temperatures. Daytime temperatures in the low 70°s and nighttime temperatures in the 50⁰s to 60°s will help promote blooming.    

  

Holiday cacti don’t like drafts, so place them away from heating vents, fireplaces, ceiling fans and doors that open outdoors. 

 

From April to October, feed your cactus every two weeks with water-soluble fertilizer such as Schultz 10-15-10.   

Holiday cacti have a shallow root system, so it’s important to know when to water them. An effective way to check the soil moisture level is to stick your finger into the soil. If the top inch or so is dry, then it’s time to water. Another way to tell if it’s time to water is to stick a pencil in the soil. If the tip comes out clean, it’s time to water. When you water, thoroughly enough so the water comes out the drain holes. Let the plant sit for a minute or so, then remove any excess water from the saucer. It’s important that the plant does not sit in water.   

Holiday cacti like high humidity and an easy way to increase humidity is to place small rocks in a saucer, add water and set the plant on the saucer. Make sure the pot is sitting on the rock, not in the water.   

Holiday cactus plants prefer to be root-bound and can easily go for three or four years without repotting. When it’s time to repot, choose a pot one size larger and use potting soil that drains well.  Spring is a good time to repot holiday cacti.   

With a little care, your holiday cactus will produce healthy foliage and beautiful blooms for many years to come.