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I have several Christmas cactus plants in my home and would like to enjoy seeing their beautiful blooms in December this year, especially around Christmas time. So after a little research, I discovered how this is done and want to share what I learned with you.
You can make a Christmas cactus bloom for Christmas by keeping it in a cool, dark place for 12-14 hours/day for 6-8 weeks. Only water the plant if the first inch of soil is dry. Otherwise, water should be limited during this time. This needs to be started in the middle of October.
It was interesting to learn that there are actually two methods you can use to make your Christmas cactus bloom. Most people tend to use the first method, but I thought I would include the second one here too.
How Do You Make a Christmas Cactus Bloom at Christmas?
The first method is the most popular method people use to make their Christmas cactus bloom. It is easy to follow and all it requires is a cool, dark room and some time. If you don’t have a whole room to devote to this process, a closet will work as long as it is cool.
I remember trying this method once years ago and found that it does work. So now that it is fresh in my mind, I will be trying it again this year.
Method 1. The Most Popular Way to Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom in Time for Christmas
1. Cut Back on Watering Your Christmas Cactus
Cut back on watering your plant starting around the first week of October to the middle of October.
If you start it by this date, the chances are it will bloom in December, around Christmas time since the whole process from start to finish takes around 8-12 weeks.
You should withhold water until it is almost dry and only water it (sparingly) when the top 1 inch of soil (2.5 cm) is dry to the touch.
Cutting back on the water helps it get into a state of dormancy.
2. Keep Your Christmas Cactus in a Cool, Dark Room
You need to keep it in a cool room. The temperature should be between 50-60 degrees F (10-16 degrees C).
The room should not be frequently used during the day since you will also need the room to be dark.
You will need to keep it in the dark room for, at minimum, 12 hours each day… but ideally, 14-16 hours per day is better.
A dark space like a closet will work perfectly, as long as it is also cool.
Do not expose it to any light at all during the time it’s in the dark!
3. Expose Your Christmas Cactus to Bright, Indirect Light for 8 Hours Each Day
In my research, I found that some people recommend a period of uninterrupted darkness each day for your plant and a period of exposure to light each day.
4. Follow Steps 1-3 for 6-8 Weeks to Trigger Your Christmas Cactus to Bloom
You should keep doing this for 6 to 8 weeks or until buds start to form. Six to eight weeks is the general time period needed to trigger these cacti to form flower buds.
Some plants will form buds quicker than others.
5. Bring Your Christmas Cactus into a Warm Room and Water It
Once this time period is done — or when the buds start to form, whichever comes first, bring the plant out of the dark and into a warm room with lots of indirect light.
Water it well.
6. Your Christmas Cactus Should Bloom in Time for Christmas
Your plant should bloom in another few weeks or so, just in time for the holidays. This will vary from plant to plant, but the flowers will generally bloom around that time.
An Alternate method :
In my research, I learned that there is a second method that some people use. It seems that this second method is not as widely used as the first but is worth trying if you have a cool enough place to store the plant.
This method requires a slightly cooler room and a longer period of time. It also eliminates the need for complete darkness.
If you want the plant to bloom by Christmas using this method, you should start in the early to the middle part of September.
Method 2. This is an Alternate Method to Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom in Time for Christmas.
1. Cut Back on Watering Your Christmas Cactus as you did in Method 1
Cut back on watering your plant starting around the first week of September.
You will be starting the whole process earlier in this second method, but the Plant should bloom in time for Christmas just as it should in the first method.
2. Keep Your Christmas Cactus in a Brightly Lit, but Cool Room
You will need to store your plant in a brightly lit room, natural lighting is best. Nighttime temperatures should be cool; temperatures should be between 45 and 55 degrees F (7-13 degrees C).
45 degrees F seems to be a little on the cold side, it would be preferable to keep it around 50-55 degrees F, but this was the temperature range found in my research.
If you don’t have a room cold enough in your house, don’t worry. You can keep your plant outside during this phase, just be sure that it gets indirect sunlight only and that you don’t leave it outside when the temperatures get too cold.
3. When the Buds Form, You Should Bring the Plant into a Warmer Environment
When you bring it into a warmer environment, the temperature should be above 55 degrees F (13 degrees C). A normal indoor room temperature is perfect.
4. Your Christmas Cactus Should Bloom Around Christmas
As in the first method, Your Christmas cactus should be blooming around Christmas time.
This video does a good job explaining how to get a Christmas Cactus to bloom.
What Triggers a Christmas Cactus to Bloom?
The perfect combination of lighting conditions, cool temperatures, and less water are what trigger a Christmas cactus to bloom. When these conditions are met, which is usually in the Fall, buds will start to form and the plant will bloom.
When the plant is allowed to get slightly dry and is exposed to cooler temperatures along with a lack of light, it is put into a state of dormancy.
The lack of light is important to this process. Usually, the plant needs to have somewhere between 12-16 hours of uninterrupted darkness.
This combination is the trigger that causes a Christmas cactus to form flower buds.
Once the plant is warmed up, exposed to light again, and watered, the buds grow and bloom. Without these conditions being met, the plant will not bloom.
Why is my Christmas Cactus Blooming Late?
Your Christmas cactus might be blooming later than expected if the required period of dark, 12-14 hours of dark per day, during the dormancy stage is interrupted. If that is the case, the buds didn’t form at all or formed later than expected.
The Christmas Cactus needs to go through a dormancy period, which you start by limiting water to the plant. After this, it needs at least 12-14 hours of uninterrupted dark each day. Some say that it should also have 8 hours of light each day, during that time. Another condition needed is that the temperature should be cool, 50-60 degrees F (10-16 degrees C).
If these conditions are not met or interrupted in any way, your Christmas cactus may not bloom or may bloom later than expected.
Even when the required conditions to cause your plant to bloom have been met, there is always a range of time until it blooms. And that range can be slightly different for each individual plant. It all depends on your plant’s health, and its growing conditions.
How Often Can You Force a Christmas Cactus to Bloom?
You can force a Christmas cactus to bloom several times a year if the correct conditions are met. However, if you force it to bloom too soon after it had already finished a blooming cycle, there will be fewer flowers for your effort.
For example, if you force it to bloom in February when it had already finished a blooming cycle in December, there won’t be as many flowers on the plant.
It would be less stressful on the plant if you give it some more time before making it bloom again. And if you do give it more time, it would also have a better flower display.
So even though you can make your Christmas cactus bloom several times a year, it would be better for the plant if you limit the blooming cycles to just a few times a year.
Should a Christmas Cactus Be Watered While Blooming?
You should water your Christmas cactus when it is blooming. Water it when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. You want the soil to get partially dry in between watering, but not too dry. But you also don’t want to overwater your plant since that will cause it to develop root rot.
A Christmas cactus enters a blooming cycle after a period of dormancy. During that dormancy, water is limited. It is important that you water the plant after this dormancy to encourage the buds to bloom.
You need to continue to water it about once every 2-3 weeks, depending on the time of year. It will dry out faster in the summer and need to be watered more often. And it needs to be watered less often in the winter.
The best way to know when it needs to be watered is to touch the top of the soil. If it is dry, then it needs to be watered.
You don’t want to overwater it either because that could lead to root rot. It’s best to let the soil dry out some between watering.
We have a number of posts on how to get different types of cacti to bloom indoors, such as Bunny Ear, Old Man, and Old Lady cactus.
Where Can I Find a True Christmas Cactus?
There are so many people that mislabel Christmas Cactus plants, even in greenhouses or garden centers. Often what you end up buying is called a Christmas cactus, but in reality, it is a Thanksgiving cactus.
We have an article about how you can tell the difference between a Christmas cactus, a Thanksgiving cactus, and an Easter cactus, here.
If you want to get a cutting to propagate a true Christmas cactus, check this out on Amazon.
Interesting Facts About Christmas Cactus
| Scientific name | Schlumbergera buckleyi | The Schlumbergera Genus has between 6 to 9 known species. What is known as the Christmas Cactus, the Thanksgiving Cactus, and the Easter Cactus are three of these species. |
| Family | Cactaceae | The Christmas Cactus is in the cactus family. |
| Lifespan | 20-30 years | |
| Origin | Brazil | The Christmas Cactus is native to Brazil. It comes from the Brazilian rainforests and thrives in humid and cool conditions. It’s an epiphytic plant; which means that it grows on trees (in a non-parasitic way) and on rocks. |
| Toxicity | It is not toxic to cats and dogs. |
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