Red Christmas Cactus

The red Christmas cactus is a preferred houseplant and for a good reason. When they flower, they generate colorful, tubular blossoms in beautiful red shades. These lovely flowers, their lengthy bloom time, and easy care makes them a remarkable plant. Someone in your household or on your friend's list would likely adore this vibrant red addition to their home during the holidays.

Unlike numerous varieties of other cacti, the Red Christmas Cactus and their family members do not reside in dry environments. Their natural behavior is one of an Epiphyte living in tree branches in the tropical rainforest of Brazil. In other words, they like a damp climate, not a dry one, so it's important to water these cacti more frequently than most succulents.

As quickly as the leading inch of soil in the container feels dry to the touch, soak the soil till water runs through the pot's drainage openings; discard water in the tray so the plant doesn't sit in water. It's especially vital to water well while the plant is flowering.

From spring through very early fall, feed every 2 weeks with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. Throughout the fall and also winter, feed the cactus monthly.

Prune these beauties in June to motivate branching and much more flowers. Simply removed a couple of sections of each stem. If you wish, position the cut sections in damp vermiculite to make even more plants-- they root easily. If your cactus is not blooming, it may be because of the amount of daylight they're getting or the temperature.

To set off blooming, evenings need to be a minimum of 14 hours long as well as days in between 8 to 10 hours for 6 weeks. If you have strong indoor lighting in the evening, you might need to cover your cactus.

Flowers will just develop when the temperature is between a cool 50 to 55 ° F (10 to 13 ° C).

If the cactus drops its buds one winter, don't stress: it should grow the following year.