Caring for your Christmas Cactus from Ellerslie Gift & Garden:

A wonderful winter flowering houseplant, the Christmas Cactus is native to South America and available in a large range of colours. Choices include an impressive variety of cheerful red, purple and orange shades as well as appealing pinks and rich cream shades. The pendulous stems of this plant help make it a superb selection for hanging baskets.

FLOWERING REQUIREMENTS

To flower properly, the Christmas Cactus desires:

• Bright Light,
• Night Temperatures from 12 - 18C (55 - 65F)
• Long Nights (several hours of darkness)

LIGHT: Medium to bright light. Full sunlight can be beneficial in midwinter, but full sun during the summer can make these plants look pale and yellow. Good flower bud production involves control of both temperature and darkness.

WATER: Water thoroughly with lukewarm water and allow the top third of the soil to become dry between watering sessions. These cacti tend to be far more tolerant of dry, slightly under watered conditions, than if they become waterlogged, especially during the winter months. Reduce watering from fall through spring.

TEMPERATURE: 21 - 26C (70 - 80F) during the growing season, (late spring through early fall). Do not let temperatures rise above 32C (90F) once the flower beds are set in autumn. Continuous warm temperatures can cause the flower buds to drop or fall off.

FERTILIZER: Fertilize plants monthly from the time new growth starts in late winter or early spring, and also throughout the summer - using a one half strength, good quality, water soluble fertilizer. Use less fertilizer during the fall as well as early winter.

SOIL AND CONTAINERS

Your Christmas cactus will flower better if you keep it somewhat pot bound. And we are happy to report that repotting is not necessary very often - only about once in three years. Your ideal potting environment includes well drained soil with good aeration. You want to ensure you use a very good potting mix. This potting mix will contain: 1 part potting soil, 2 parts peat moss & 1 part sharp sand or perlite.

REMEMBER - Your Christmas cactus will commonly drop unopened flower buds. This may be caused by an excessive number of buds, a sudden change in temperature, or light, - or just drying out. Lack of flowering is often due to light interrupting the long night period ( 12 -13 hours) that is desired for flowering initiation to occur. Bright street lights, car lights or indoor lighting can also sometimes compromise the ideal setting of extended darkness.

ENJOY the beauty of your charming and cheerful Christmas Cactus from

Ellerslie Gift & Garden.