How To Get The Best Blooms From Your Christmas Cactus

The Schlumbergera, also known as the holiday, Christmas cactus, or the Zygocactus. You know its that festive time of year again when you see their glorious buds bursting over the store shelves.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Cactus a.k.a Zygos

Schlumbergera is such a show off during the holiday season. No wonder it is one of the most popular display plants.

There are many hybrids of this plant which provide a profusion of colourful blossoms to work their horticultural therapy magic to lift the mood in the room.

This is a plant that gives off such positive energy that you find yourself just concentrating on its the blossoms which cascade over the container like a floral waterfall. You will want to keep it that way.

For the purpose of this article I will include both the Thanksgiving and the Christmas Cactus as the care is the same.

The Schlumbergera truncata bloom in November through to December and is known as the Thanksgiving cactus as this coincides with American Thanksgiving. Its edges have a crab like structure hence one of its common names, Crab’s claw cactus. The blooms arch and reach up and out.

The Schlumbergera x buckleyi is the true Christmas cactus as it blooms later, its stems have smooth edges, and its flowers droop down. Both plants often marketed as the same holiday plant and often became interchangeable.

Classification

Scientific name: Schlumbergera

classification: Rhipsalideae

Order: Cactus

Origins

In their natural habitat these plants grow in shady areas with high humidity. It is a native of South Eastern Brazil where it is called Flor de Maio or May Flower. This epiphytic cactus grows in trees at high altitude.

One of the most important things to remember when caring for tropical plants is their original natural habitat. Where does it come from?

Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil

This beautiful succulent hails from the Atlantic forest of Brazil and likes moisture.

The Atlantic forest of Brazil is a unique repository of biodiversity for the area. It is set along the Eastern coastline of Brazil and encompasses parts of Argentina and Paraguay.

It is one of the moist forest areas of the Neotropics and the second largest after the Amazon rain forest.

These ecosystems are crucial for the survival of local communities and Indigenous peoples, who are both the most effective stewards of the land and some of the most vulnerable populations to the impacts of the climate crisis.

-Biden Administration Report: PLAN TO CONSERVE GLOBAL FORESTS: CRITICAL CARBON SINKS

Indoor Care

To be honest I have had different experiences with this plant. I had one for years which I basically just watered and was rewarded with prolific blooms. The abundant flowering was phenomenal, continuously giving in season. It had good light and we lived at a higher than usual altitude, which after researching, I understand is a plus for this plant. Unfortunately, it did not survive a move to a different house.

The current succulents bought from a local grocery store were such problem children that after the leaves drooped and dropped, the plant was down to one stem. We had the talk, new fresh tropical soil was added for good drainage, and the promise of into the garbage if things did not improve.

When I put it by the window and gave it the same watering schedule as the other plants, a miracle happened. New shoots began to emerge. From one scraggly branch, a cascade of colour returned.

Key to Best Blooms

This plant is perfect for hanging baskets and pots, especially the Schlumbergera x buckleyi which has flowers stems which point downwards. It is good practice to transplant your zygos to a bigger container every two years. Use only one size up when repotting as zygos like to be snug in a pot.

Water

As a succulent it stores water and adapts to indoor conditions well. It is not a desert cactus. Water like a normal plant and provide good drainage. The leaves will indicate if the plant is not happy with spots, or the buds dropping off. Usually an adjustment to the soil will do the trick.

Light

Living in an area which is a Dark Sky Preserve has its benefits, especially with this plant. This plant requires total darkness to initiate and protect its flowering period. The night sky here is primordial canopy of darkness as close nature as possible.

On the bay window the plants are beneath the stars, a visible milky way, and far from light pollution, where the length of the day initiates the call to bloom. This plant reminds us that darkness is just as important light for plants.

In a Dark Sky community the light pollution is greatly reduced or completely eliminated in an effort to protect and encourage ecosystems which have lost habitat to night light pollution.

Too much bright light can also cause discoloration of the stems. If this happens you make adjustments until you find the right spot.

Propagation

The zygos is so easy to propagate from cuttings. This is best done in spring or summer. Detach two joined segments at a time and put in soil. Some recommend leaving the detached segment to seal after detaching but both ways seem to work well.

Long Life

Given the right conditions this plant could live up to 30 years. So be encouraged and patient. The zygos rarely disappoints.

Share your experience with this plant in the comments.