#schlumbergera

But there was pressure to keep it alive 😅 because my grandma managed it for so long, and...

Note: I am writing an ongoing series about plants that have been easy for me to grow in my environment. I live in Southern New England (Zone 5b), where we have relatively hot, very humid summers and cold, drier winters due to indoor heating. I do not have good indoor light and rely extensively on grow lights, as well as putting my plants outside during the warmer months. Your experience will vary based on your own growing conditions. You can see my basic tips for growing houseplants here.

The first thing I did when I got confident in my houseplant skills was take cuttings of my Mother's 50-year-old "Thanksgiving cactus," which was originally a cutting of my Grandfather's old cactus, given to her the day she and my father got the keys to their first house. If you've been following along for a while, you might know by now that I'm obsessed with flowering plants. I'm even more obsessed with plants that flower in the cold, dark months when nothing grows outside.

Holiday cactus make me remember I'm real at a time of the year when I feel myself slowly wasting away. They are also surprisingly easy to grow and easy to bloom with a few unique tweaks to their plant care.

For the purposes of this post, I am referring to the "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas" cactus, both members of the Schlumbergera genus. I believe that the so-called "Easter" cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaerntneri) may be quite similar, but I haven't cared for one for long enough to be sure. The care for some of the other genera of jungle cactus (Rhypsallis, Epiphylum, Discocactus) will likely be quite similar, but I cannot speak to each individual species.

Magically, I associate holiday cactus with cheer (flowers during the holidays), solace (flowers during the holidays), resilience (cacti store water), and protection.

The Basics

The biggest mistake most people make with the Schlumberga genus comes straight out of the name: because they are cacti, people assume that they are from the desert and need similar care to their spikier cousins. The Cactus family (Cactaceae) comprises a wide range of plants native almost exclusively to the Americas, which can be divided into two categories: arid cacti and jungle cacti. Both of our two holiday cacti fall into the "jungle" side of the cactus family; they need to be watered FAR more often than one would assume a "cactus" would.

So far as I understand it, the Schlumbergera genus comes from the cloud forests of Brazil, where they grow on trees semi-epiphytically. We can assume from this that they prefer warm, humid environments (rainforest conditions) and need chunky substrate mixes that mimic their natural environment, with less "soil" and more bits of moss and bark in crevices. Because they are native to the Southern hemisphere, they bloom in our late autumn to early winter, which would be their natural spring and summer.

We can also assume, given their prevalence and longevity among the houseplant community, that they are not particularly picky plants.

Most "holiday cactus" you will find around are cultivars, many of them mixed species crosses; these days, they are distinguished by when they bloom, either in November or December.

One of the cool things about jungle cacti is that they are considered leafless plants; they grow entirely out of flattened green stems, called cladodes, that perform photosynthesis for the plant. Older specimens start to cork, creating a bush-like structure that holds the plant upright.

Species: Schlumbergera sp., Schlumbergera truncata, Schlumbergera buckleyi Nicknames: Holiday Cactus, Thanksgiving cactus/crab cactus, Christmas cactus Pet Safe: Yes

Buy or Trade

Holiday cacti are very easy to propagate, and you probably know somebody who's got one, so I say "trade". Better yet, take a cutting from the one your grandparent has been growing for years and make caring for it part of your ancestral veneration! But if you don't have that, ask around in your local planty group or at a local plant swap, somebody has got some they are willing to cut for you.

That said, you can definitely get a cheap starter plant of the "Thanksgiving cactus" during the holiday season. There are so many colors to choose from - pinks, reds, oranges, whites, and mixes of these - choose the color bloom that fits your aesthetics.

Knowing the Difference

Many people have a so-called "Thanksgiving cactus" that they think is a Christmas cactus - either because it was mislabeled as one or because they didn't know the difference. The two are close cousins and look quite similar. The main way to tell the difference, aside from the timing of their blooms, which can be unreliable, is to compare their cladodes. Schlumbergera truncata cultivars, the so-called Thanksgiving cactus, are also called the crab cactus because their cladodes have "claws". Cultivars of Schlumbergera buckleyi, the Christmas cactus, have cladodes that are more round and smooth.

There are also subtle differences among the flowers. Truncata cultivars tend to have flowers that swoop up, while Buckleyi cultivars have flowers that hang more pendulously.

Although the Easter cactus has cladodes similar to those of the Buckleyi cultivars, its blooms are entirely different, making it easy to distinguish.

Potting Requirements

Because holiday cacti are epiphytic in nature (growing in trees rather than terrestrially on the ground), they require a very specific type of substrate to truly thrive. These guys want a lot of aeration, way more than any of the other plants I've covered so far.

They are pretty easy-going, so they will grow in nearly anything, but for longevity (and consistent blooming), a chunky soil mix is best. Amend a standard potting mix with some extra perlite and orchid bark, or choose an Aroid potting mix for your holiday cactus.

The chunkier your mix, the more often you'll have to water, but that's good for epiphytes. Because they are from wet environments, jungle cacti are used to getting watered often, but they don't want wet feet. A peat-heavy mix (most likely what your plant will come home in if you buy it from a garden center) is not going to do your cactus any favors.

Holiday cactus don't grow crazy roots; in the wild, they would just grasp on to whatever cracks and crevices they can find. They don't need to be repotted often. Choose a pot that is no more than 1" larger than your root ball when you pot up your cactus friend.

Light Requirements

Holiday cacti can grow in a lot of lighting conditions, but do best in as much bright, indirect light as you can give them. Unlike their arid cousins, they aren't full sun plants, but they do appreciate a lot of light, especially during the summer. If they are getting a lot of light, they will sun stress a beautiful red or purple color; this is fine as long as they are not crisping up, although it will also require a lot of water.

The more light they get in the summer, the more they will bloom during the holidays. And that's why we grow these beauties, right?

Watering

Like most epiphytic plants, holiday cacti like to go mostly dry, then get thoroughly watered, and repeat. This takes some finesse and can vary greatly depending on the season and growing conditions. The good thing is that this is a very resilient plant that will forgive you for most mistakes. Air on the drier side, especially in the beginning, because, as cacti, these plants do store some water in their cladodes.

Some sources say that you should force drought on your cactus in the autumn to induce blooming, but that isn't a technique that I personally follow or recommend. In fact, once buds begin to set, it becomes essential that you keep up with watering. Plants spend a lot of energy when they are making flowers, and most need consistent water to help them continue to photosynthesize.

Pruning

Holiday cacti don't need much pruning, in general. You may wish to prune to change the size or shape of your plant, or to remove spent blooms. When you do want to prune, cut between the cladodes of your plant with a clean pair of shears. Each cladode can form a whole new plant, so keep them for propagation!

Propagation

Growing new holiday cacti is as easy as it comes. You can propagate an entire vine or single cladodes; generally, a small number (2-4) works best for me. You can plant the cladodes directly into a chunky soil mix, watering frequently until they are rooted, or stick them in water and pot them up when they have good water roots. Soil propagations work better in more humid conditions, whereas water is easier overall because you can see the progress of your roots.

Fertilization

Most epiphytes don't require much fertilizer, as they are more likely to get trace minerals from the air than from their roots. You can water with a diluted fertilizer once or twice during the growing season, or spray regularly with an epiphyte fertilizer, like an orchid spray. Orchid sprays and other spray fertilizers are often optimized to encourage blooming.

Blooms

A lot of the internet suggests stressing your holiday cacti to encourage blooming (through heavy pruning, leaving them in a closet, or letting them go dry), but I do not recommend these methods. With stress, it's too easy to go too far. We want blooms, not a dead plant.

I use the cold-weather/natural-light method to induce blooming. Holiday cactus begins to set blooms around the equinoxes, and there is a theory that this is triggered by the balanced nature of the time - 12 hours of day, and 12 hours of night. You can replicate this by placing them outside in late September or by putting them near a window that does not receive artificial light at night. That means no lights on in that room, so place your cactus with care. You can also put them under a grow light that is on for 12 hours a day, so long as there is no supplemental light during the dark hours.

Once they have set blooms, you can return them to their normal locations. From there, make sure you water them consistently, and enjoy!

Putting It Together: How I Grow My Holiday Cactus

As mentioned above, I have two holiday cacti: a "Thanksgiving cactus" that I grew from cuttings of my mother's 50-year-old plant and a "Christmas cactus" that my mother-in-law gave me, which is a cutting of her Grandmother's plant. The Christmas cactus was neglected but quite old, with a distinctly corked base.

The only difference between these two plants is the size of the pot: my Christmas cactus was only one plant, whereas my Thanksgiving cactus is many cuttings, so in a much bigger pot. Both are potted into terracotta and in an extremely chunky mix to help with root aeration.

Both plants live outside on my covered East-facing front porch during the warm months, where they get early morning sunshine and bright, indirect light throughout the rest of the day. During this time, I water them frequently, every 5-7 days depending on the temperature. The plants definitely dry out during this time because it's hard to keep up with watering when things get really hot, but I try to catch them before they wrinkle or show any signs of distress.

I keep my jungle cacti outside far longer than the rest of my tropical and semi-tropical plants. I want them to experience the darkening nights and drops in temperatures. Since I started doing this, they've started setting more blooms. I generally bring them inside as the temperatures on my porch consistently drop below 50F at night.

During the darker months, both of my holiday cacti hang in my east-facing windows. I live in Southern New England, so the darkest days of the winter are very dark; I have supplemental grow lights in the room, but the plants are 4' and 8' away from them. This works fine; they bloom when they should, then sit happily for the next couple of months until I put them outside again in late spring.

They are my cheerful winter friends, and I cherish the weeks of color they bring into my life.

Other plants in this series: Snake Plants, Pothos, African Violets