Holiday Cactus Plant – Thanksgiving / Christmas | 4-inch

The Holiday Cactus ‘Schlumbergera bridgesii’  This cactus produces small, flat stem segments that are roundish in nature, with minor serrations on both sides. They flower from the end of these segments. The flower produces a unique, tube-shaped “double flower” appearance, with the “outer” flower being formed by shorter leaves that curl back near the flower’s base, and the “inner” flower being formed further up the flower, near the stamen. They bloom from mid-November and January.

If temperatures are kept steady near the 68°F (20°C) mark, flowering can continue for eight weeks or more.

To induce flowering for the coming year, place your Holiday Cactus in a dark room for 12-14 hours on fall nights. For best flowering results, pinch off any plant segments less than 1 cm long in early September.

When grown as house plants, Schlumbergera cultivars are said to be relatively easy to care for. McMillan and Horobin describe in detail their cultivation in both commercial and domestic conditions. Their specific recommendations include:[34]

Growing medium: Free-draining, humus-rich, somewhat acid growing media are used for commercial production, such as a mixture of peat or leafmould and an inert material such as grit, sharp sand or polystyrene beads. It is recommended that plants should be grown in relatively small pots; half-height pots are suitable.

Watering: They are more tolerant of drought than many house plants, but can be damaged by both under- and over-watering. Keeping the growing medium just moist throughout the year avoids either extreme.

Light: They can be damaged by exposure to more than small amounts of sunlight. Members of the Buckleyi Group, such as the old-fashioned Christmas cactus with pendant flowers, are more tolerant of high light levels than members of the Truncata Group, such as most of the modern cultivars. Too much light causes stems to take on a reddish colouration; however, very low light levels will prevent flowering. Day length is important in controlling flowering; continuous darkness for at least 12 hours is necessary to induce bud formation. A period of about 8 days with 16 hours of darkness at 16 °C (61 °F) has been shown to cause flower buds to form. Lower temperatures slow this process. The advice sometimes given to withhold water to produce flower buds has been shown to be incorrect.

Check our Thanksgiving Cactus Plant Care article for a complete care and growing guide.