Horticulture Hotline 12/19/16
Bill Lamson-Scribner
This time of year, I usually get asked questions about the
Christmas Cactus. How do I take care of a Christmas Cactus after it
blooms? What should or should not be
done to keep it blooming the following year? I was given this beautiful plant.
How do I keep it alive?
Christmas Cactus, one of the plants called Holiday Cactus
which include Thanksgiving Cactus and Easter Cactus, can provide a great show
of tubular flowers over the holidays.
Once they have finished blooming let them rest until April, when you
will want to start fertilizing them regularly through the summer and into fall. Keep them in a cool room with a good amount
of sunlight. Although they are a cactus,
they are a tropical cactus, meaning that they are not as drought tolerant as
the desert cactus. They should be
watered when the top half of the soil in the pot feels dry. Be careful not to over or under water the
cactus.
Over the summer (any time the nights are above 45 degrees –
which also could mean all winter!), keep them outside without a lot of direct
sun. If they get too much direct sun you
will notice their leaves turn red. During the summer, you can also encourage more
flowers by pruning a few sections of each stem.
You can then place these pieces in vermiculite and they will root very
quickly, giving you some holiday gifts.
After your new plants have rooted, grow them out in a standard succulent
potting mix.
Christmas cactus, like the Poinsettia is a short-day
plant. This means it flowers once the
days start to get shorter. Beginning
mid-October, you want to keep your cactus in a dark area for 15 hours away from
street, car or any other lights that may disrupt this dark period. You will also need to keep the night
temperature below 70 degrees. A
Christmas Cactus is unique in that if you lived in the right area you could get
it to flower just by maintaining cool temperatures (50-55 degrees) for about 6
weeks.
Once the Christmas Cactus begins to bloom, keep it in a cool
well lit room away from any heat or vents, drafts or fireplaces. Be sure to let the plant dry out in between watering;
however, not get too dry or the flower buds might drop. If you water them too much, they will drop
off as well.
The Christmas Cactus has very few pests. If you have stored it outside during the
summer, you might want to clean it with an insecticidal soap prior to bringing
it into your house. This will keep any
mealybugs or scale from hitch-hiking a ride into your home. The largest problem they have seems to be the
same as any cactus; they are either over or under watered. Using a good succulent potting soil and
getting your finger dirty will help you avoid this problem.
Bill Lamson-Scribner
can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply.
Possum’s has three locations 481
Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant
(971-9601), 3325 Business Circle
in North Charleston
(760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd,
in Charleston
(766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at
http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden
Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The
Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.
