If the temperature fluctuates drastically or there are sudden drafts, the flower buds may drop, killing your holiday flower dreams!
4. Keep it HumidChristmas cacti generally prefer a high humidity range
How can you keep it cool and humid at the same time? We’ll tell you how. Christmas cacti generally prefer a high humidity range of 50-60% indoors to help the buds stay intact and open at the right time. Anything less can hinder flowering and lead to bud drop.
Place your container in a drip tray filled with small stones and water, but make sure the bottom of the pot does not touch the water directly. You can also keep a bowl of water close to it in a closet. As the water evaporates gradually, it will help boost the humidity around the plant.
5. No Fertilizers for Your Christmas Cactus
Sounds extreme, but stop fertilizing your Christmas Cactus entirely from the end of September to ensure winter blooms! It is warming up or already in its flowering in this period, and fertilizers will likely distract and divert it into growing more foliage instead of the much-awaited blooms!
For example, nitrogen promotes leaf growth at the expense of flower or fruit development. Fertilizers can also interfere with the natural balance of plant hormones that regulate budding and flowering, which can delay or prevent flowering completely.
What To Do After Christmas Cactus Blooms?What To Do After Christmas Cactus Bloom
Christmas cactus is one such succulent that can bloom multiple times under the right circumstances, as long as you know how to care for it. It can take up to twelve weeks before the buds fully grow into flowers, each lasting about a week!
After the flowering period ends, treat your Christmas cactus normally. For instance, gradually get back to more watering, bring back dappled sunshine for more hours into its life, and do other regular houseplant things.
Keep the soil slightly moist and fertilize monthly with a balanced 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer. The best time to do this is from late winter to early spring when new growth begins. With the above-mentioned tips, you can get your Christmas cactus to bloom on time every year!
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