Garden Inspiration

The Festive Christmas Cactus.

Posted by

Ali Barwani

30 October 2024

On 14 December 2022

The Festive Christmas Cactus.

Ali Barwani tells you what you need to know about this popular Christmas houseplant.

Introduction:

The Christmas cactus, or Schlumbergera, is a classic festive flowering houseplant that produces masses of beautiful brightly-coloured blossoms from November to January.

The plants are made up of flattened, leaf-like pads (called cladodes). These segments are joined together in ramifying chains. The vibrant flowers are produced at the pad joints and tips.

There are several species in the genus Schlumbergera. The different species, hybrids, and cultivars that flower around Christmas are collectively referred as Christmas cacti even though some may look slightly different. Most Christmas cacti on sale now are hybrids of Schlumbergera truncata. The old-fashioned magenta-flowered Christmas cactus your grandmother might have had growing in her parlour is likely to be S. x buckleyi – and if you want one of those you normally must ask for a cutting from a friend or relative.

Did You Know? In 1858 the French botanist and author Charles Antoine Lemaire named Schlumbergera in honour of Frédéric Schlumberger a collector of cacti and succulents.

In The Wild:

Unlike the archetypal desert varieties of cactus, the Christmas cactus hails from the coastal tropical rainforests of south-eastern Brazil where they grow up in the branches of trees and on shady rock slopes. Hence, they enjoy high humidity, indirect sunlight, and warm temperatures. Th

Did You Know? In Brazil they are known as ‘Flor de Maio’ (May Flower) because this is the time of year they flower in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Britain, Christmas cacti produce their unique tubular flowers during the winter period. You will rarely see named cultivars for sale, but varieties are available in white, many pink shades, yellow, orange, red or purple.

Top Tip: Christmas cacti make ideal indoor plants for homes with pets or young children because Schlumbergera are non-toxic to humans, cats, and dogs.

Christmas Cacti Care:

Christmas cacti require more water than classic desert cacti. They tolerate underwatering better than overwatering – but will drop their flower buds if they are kept dry for too long.

Watering is simple if you follow the rules. Regularly check the compost using a finger or a moisture meter until you find that the top 2cm of the compost has dried out – then give your plant sufficient water to make the compost just damp. Be careful not to overwater as this can cause rotting. Never leave them standing in water for any time.

Heed this advice and they will be easy to look after and will provide spectacular colour during the festive period. Looked after correctly, they will re-flower every year for several decades. Daniel, the Deputy Manager at our Alexandra Palace centre, has a magnificent specimen with a woody base that has been in his family for over thirty years and is now almost three feet in width.

Christmas cacti are much easier festive plants to care for than poinsettias.

To Learn About Poinsettias:

https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/poinsettias-their-story-and-5-care-tips-for-success/

Post-Flowering Christmas Cactus Care:

To keep your Christmas cactus in peak condition, you need to allow it to rest after it has finished flowering. All you need to do is place it in a cool room and reduce the watering.

Later in the year, your Christmas cactus can be placed outside in a shady spot for summer – remembering to protect them from slugs and snails!. Summer is also the time to give your cactus a high-potash liquid plant feed every two weeks. If you prefer to keep your Christmas cactus inside all year round, the best indoor location is a bright spot, out of direct sunlight, away from draughts and not near a radiator. They love humidity and benefit from sitting on a saucer of damp gravel – keep the gravel wet but don’t let the water reach the bottom of the pot. Mist them regularly.

At the end of summer move your plant to a cool spot inside the house and reduce the watering. This second rest period together with the shorter days will initiate winter flowering. Once the buds become visible move your plant into its final flowering position. This is important because once the buds are fully formed, they are prone to falling off if the plant is constantly moved back and forth.

How To Propagate Your Christmas Cactus:

If you accidently break a piece off, or want to take a cutting, propagation of new plants is a doddle. Any broken or fallen sections or taken cuttings (short segments taken from a stem tip) can be pushed into a small pot filled with standard cactus compost. Place the pot in bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist but not wet. Your cuttings should produce roots in just a few weeks. Simples!

Repotting Your Christmas Cactus:

Christmas cacti grow well in small pots. They do not need re-potting if they are still producing new growth and are flowering – if this is the case, then leave them in the pot they are in. Christmas cacti may need re-potting every one to two years if they become pot-bound. Re-potting should be done at the end of March. Pot-on using a standard cactus compost into a pot with drainage holes that is only around 2cm larger in width. I like to add ⅓ potting grit to the new compost to help sharpen the drainage.

Grower Tip: Christmas cacti thrive and display superbly in hanging pots and baskets.

Did You Know? Christmas cacti have been grown in Europe since the early 19^th century. They were popular for providing autumn and winter colour in ‘stoves’ (heated greenhouses) and grand houses.

In Conclusion:

There is only a narrow window in the year when Christmas cacti are available for sale in shops and garden centres. These cheerful houseplants make great Christmas gifts for friends, neighbours, and teachers! Not bad for a plant that is inexpensive and easy to care for!

Christmas cacti are intriguing and beautiful. So why not get a Christmas cactus as your festive houseplant this year? Who knows, it could become part of your family’s Christmas traditions for many decades to come!