To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how often you could trick your plant into forced dormancy. I’ve managed to get my Thanksgiving cactus to bloom three times in one year. My Christmas cactus has bloomed twice in one year. But after a certain point, my efforts produced diminishing returns.
The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera sp.) blooms during the Christmas season. Hummingbirds and long-beaked birds pollinate Christmas cactus flowers. Once the fruit on the plant begins to mature, it becomes an oval-shaped fruit. Christmas cacti are tropical plants that bloom in the winter.
1. It’s Too Warm. Christmas cactuses need to experience a drop in temperature to tell the plant that it’s time to start blooming. If your plant is placed in a south-facing window in the warmest spot in your house, try moving it to a north-facing window or near a door.
Cause: Lack of water or leaf burn. This is quite a common Christmas Cactus problem and easy to fix. If your plant is placed in direct sunlight, relocate it into the shade. The Christmas Cactus loves sunlight, but too much will cause the leaves to burn. Dip your finger into the soil (around 1 inch).
Christmas cacti are classified as “short-day” plants like Poinsettia, which means they require long, uninterrupted periods of darkness to trigger their flowering mechanisms. Hormonal Changes During the dark periods, the plant starts producing a hormone called florigen .
3. Reduce the Amount of Water. In addition to the hours of darkness and cooler temperatures at night, if you don’t see any flower buds yet by October, reduce the amount of water that your plant receives. Allow the top half of the potting mix to dry out before watering again.
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how long do christmas cactus flowers last
