Christmas Cactus Can Live Generations

It’s downright tingling to watch the tightly closed buds of your Christmas cactus start to show a little color. Each day you peek, hoping they won’t open too soon.

Quite possibly your Christmas cactus is one handed down from your mother or grandmother because these plants live for generations. They also seldom need repotting if the proper soil is used. In fact, an old plant resents repotting.

Christmas cactus likes normal room temperatures, indirect bright light and a rich porous soil for succulents, or use two parts plain potting soil with one part clean, coarse sand or vermiculite.

They like to be outdoors in the summer, preferably in light shade and never direct sun; feed weak mixture every 3-4 weeks. Keep the plant evenly moist but not soggy while it is growing; water sparingly when you bring it indoors.

To set buds, keep the plant outdoors during the short, cool days of September and October; bring in if frost threatens. About mid-October, give plant long, uninterrupted dark periods and cool temperatures, 50-55 degrees, to initiate flowering. If buds drop, the plant needs a lower temperature or more humidity; misting the plant helps.

After blooms drop off, prune the plant by pinching off sections of each stem with your fingers to encourage dense branching. You can root these pieces in moist vermiculite to create new plants that can be shared with friends.