If you’re looking for an easy indoor plant, look no further than the Christmas cactus.
Although it’s a little bit different from its namesake, this unique succulent is perfect for the home or office.
In fact, we’ve even seen it used as part of a wedding bouquet before.
Christmas cactuses are wonderfully simple plants.
It’s a flowering plant that’s also called the “holiday cactus”. Let’s face it, though, holiday cactus just doesn’t have the same ring to it as a Christmas Cactus.
In addition to its stunning blooms, this plant can be useful for the holidays because it’s one of the few plants that bloom during wintertime.
The Christmas cactus hails from Brazil.
That makes it even more surprising that it refuses to put off blooms until the coldest of winter months.
They come in a wide range of varieties, and their flowers will be more colorful than your typical poinsettia.
They grow best in bright light.
This is not an entirely difficult bloom to grow and an indoor gardener shows us exactly how it’s done.
And the first thing he emphasized is that this plant should be kept in a bright, well-lit room as it thrives in bright but indirect light.
This “cactus” is actually an epiphyte.
This means that this plant thrives in the “cracks and crevices of other plant life.”
A confined root system is vital.
In other words, the holiday cactus should be grown in small pots instead of big ones.
Additionally, it enjoys nice drainage- so you should ensure that you only use well-draining soil such as that found in cactus potting mixes.
For maximum gains, these blooms should be watered about two to three times per month.
Over-watering is counterproductive.
When the Christmas cactus is not in bloom, simply place the plant in a well-lit room.
The ideal temperature is about 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and only watered once a week.
Around mid-September, it’s time to prepare them to bloom.
Much like its name, this plant actually blooms during the holidays.
Move the plant to a cool area.
The optimal temperature is about 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, the plant will have some trouble blooming to its full potential.
After about 6 to 8 weeks, in the right conditions, you should expect this Christmas cactus to start showing off some blooms.
And the flowers are mesmerizing.
To help them bloom even more, these flowers actually need about 12 to 15 hours of darkness.
While they don’t necessarily need complete darkness, the room should be really dim.
If you don’t have a room that’s dark enough, fret not.
You can simply get yourself a large paper bag, rip the sides to make some more room, and use it to cover your cactus.
Take note though that this paper bag method only works when the plant has no flowers yet.
Once that plant blooms after about 6 weeks, take the paper out of the way.
And that’s it. If you want to learn more tips and tricks about growing a Christmas cactus, you should definitely take the time to watch the tutorial.
This flowering plant can surely make your holidays brighter and better.
See how to get maximum gains on your Christmas cactus blooms in the video below!
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