The exotic flowers of Christmas cactus look twice as lovely when the land is covered in a white mantle mantle of snow – but how about if it doesn’t blossom? You bought it last year and it was in full bloom, and, come late fall, your Schlumbergerabridgesiiis giving no signs that it wants to thankyou with its colorful floral displaythis time round? What are the causes, and what the remedies?
If your Christmas cactus is not looking like it wants to bloom, the reasons may be wrong light, wrong watering, wrong fertilizing, and temperature or repotting. Follow me and you will likely find out that, most likely, you have simply “treated it too well”!
Signs That Your Christmas Cactus Is Not Going Not Bloom This Year
You will understand that your Christmas cactus does not have any to blossom by November, at the latest around the middle of this month. But how? Look out for these signs…
- Your Christmas cactus has no flower buds. By mid November at the latest, you should already see them at the end of the terminal segments (called “phylloclades” by botanists). Yes, because it takes this succulent 4 to 6 weeks to develop them before they blossom…
- Your Christmas cactus has flaccid segments. If the phylloclades look flaccid and empty, your Schlumbergerawon’t have the energy to flower, unless you act fast! And it is a matter of watering.
- Your Christmas cactus has segments turning pinkish or reddish; if this is the case, it is unlikely to blossom, because the light you are giving it is not right!
- Your Christmas cactus has limp and yellow segments; if the phylloclades are yellowing and limp, touch them, if they feel soft, you have given it too much water, and it may not flower any time soon.
- The segments of your Christmas cactus are too dark in color;in this case, again, you have watered it too little, but you can still get it to blossom if you act fast!
- Your Christmas cactus has lesions on the segments; in this case, it has caught a fungus, and it is weak, so, it may not blossom…
Now you know what to look out for, we can start looking at each cause, and see what you can do about it to get your Schlumbergerato flower – or at least try to. And we can start with the most common reason of all.
Your Christmas Cactus Us Receiving Too Much Light – How To Solve It And Get It To Blossom!
Oddly enough, Schlumbergerais a “short day plant”, which means that it needs at least 12 hours of darkness every day to bloom! It still needs light on the other hours, but it needs “night” to be long…
Why? Christmas cactus is a photoperiodic plant, like Chrysanthemums, and it needs to know that it is winter, so time to blossom, by the hours of light and darkness…
Unfortunately, while this will work outside, we often keep the light on indoors when days get short, and this confuses our flowering succulents. Basically, you need to tell it that Christmas is coming!
If the segments are turning too pale, or pinkish and purplish, even as just blushes, or if you know you keep the lights on in the room too long, and you see no flower buds by November, there is a solution:
- Move your Christmas cactus to a place where it gets at least 12 or 13 hours of darkness a day.
Bathrooms are good places, or even bedrooms, and don’t worry about CO2… Schlumbergerauses CAM photosynthesis, like cacti, and this means that it still gives you oxygen at night.
Once the buds have started, and they are about to open, you can bring it back to your living room or wherever it was before. By then, it will have got message!
Your Christmas Cactus Is Not Flowering Because It’s Too Hot (Or Too Cold) – You May Still Be In Time To Get It To Bloom!
I told you a lie, Schumbergerais a thermo-photoperiodic plant! So it also needs the right temperature to blossom, not just the right hours of light… And what is this?
- Aim for an average between 60o and 65oF (16o to 18oC) during the day.
- Aim for an average between 45o and 55oF (7o to 13oC) at night.
And this is not a very common range in most living spaces; you are most likely to find it in a kitchen or bathroom, which are cooler. Of course, never place it near a radiator or any other heat source!
It is far more likely that your Christmas cactus is hot rather than cold, and it will show it to you by drinking too much water and sometimes going a bit dry in the phylloclades (segments).
Still, even if it is too cold, move it!
My mother had one on a north facing window in her bathroom; it was quite a chilly place, but it flowered galore!
Your Christmas Cactus Is Not Flowering Because You Watered It Too Much Or Too Little – What Can You Do?
Sorry to break it to you, but you have watered your Christmas cactus too much, and the leaves are turning floppy and yellow, all you can try to do is save it! It will not flower… But if you have watered it too little, you could still get it to blossom, even if not as profusely…
But don’t overdo it, or you will get the opposite result! Just start watering it regularly, which means:
- Water your Christmas cactus when at least ½ the pot’s soil has dried up! Use a toothpick to check it, and remember, it is better to let it all go dry than too wet!
- Always allow excess water to drain, and do not leave it in the saucer. Watering from below is a good idea, but check it afterwards; if after half an hour it still has water in the saucer, empty it!
Have You Stopped Fertilizing Your Christmas Cactus? Do It Now, Or It Won’t Bloom!
Even if you see the first flower buds, it may happen that your Christmas cactus will not blossom, and why? Because you keep fertilizing it! It is a case of “too much love”, because you thought it needed a boost to give you its amazing flowers.
No, stop fertilizing your Schlumbergera as soon as you see the very first flower buds! So, for a Christmas cactus (I am leading you somewhere here), you should stop feeding it come November.
The new flower bids can be quite hard to see, because they are very small, and there are so many “branches”… So, better safe than sorry, I suggest you stop fertilizing your Christmas cactus on All Saint’s Day, or Halloween. Easy to remember!
If Your Christmas Cactus Has Caught A Fungus, It May Fail To Bloom – But You Can Help…
Even if your Schlumbergerahas already produced some flower buds, it does not mean that they will last till Christmas, or when this cactus blossoms… Why? Put simply, it may be or become too week to finish this energy consuming process…
But you could still save the day if you catch the fungi on the segments early enough.
Look out for yellow, gray, brown spots or patches on the phylloclades, even the hardened and woody ones at the base. And if there are lesions, that is another sign that it has caught a fungus.
But luckily, the solution is easy and cheap… Take a spray bottle, fill it with water and put in a teaspoon or two of neem oil. Shake well and spray your Schlumbergerathoroughly, all over, also on woody parts and under the segments.
It may recover in time to bloom or to bring the flower buds to maturity!
Have You Repotted Your Christmas Cactus Recently? Then, You May Have To Wait For Next Year To See It In Bloom
The best time to repot Christmas cactus is March. This is after it has blossomed and before it starts growing new segments. If you do it after that, you may affect its growth and even blooms, and if you have done it quite recently, things are even worse!
In this case, it may simply not blossom this yearround, and there is no solution. Just remember it next time. And you may ask, “How often should I repot my Schlumbergera?” The answer is every time the roots fill the pot, which may be every one or two years.
Finally…
Are You Sure That Yours Is A Christmas Cactus?
Maybe your Schlumbergerais not giving sings it will bloom in winter because it is not a Christmas cactus at all? In fact, while we use this term quite generally, it would be better to call these plants holiday cacti!
Yes, because there are three very similar plants on the market, but they blossom at different times!
- Christmas cactus is Schlumbergerabridgesii, and it blooms in winter (usually mid to late).
- Thanksgiving cactus is Schlumbergeratruncata, equally popular if not more, but it blossoms from late fall to mid winter, and it has larger and flattened segments.
By October, Thanksgiving cactus should already have flower buds, and you need to start earlier, then.
- Easter cactus is Rhipsalidopsisgaertneri, and it blossoms in lateMarch and May. Its flowers are more star shaped, and the segments are more smooth-edged…
So, if you are reading this in November, you may be late, or you may be early… In any case, earmark these tips, because they will come in handy later on…
One final tip though, if yours is an Easter cactus, it will need long days, not short, to blossom in spring, and it has different care needs…
Written By
Amber Noyes
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town, San Mateo. She holds a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers’ markets, and plant nursery, she understands what makes plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. When she’s not on the land, Amber loves informing people of new ideas/things related to gardening, especially organic gardening, houseplants, and growing plants in a small space.