Holiday Cactus

Holiday Cactus
Schlumbergera x

Long-lasting colorful blooms on fun, low maintenance plants!

European horticulturalists fell madly in love with these exotic plants when they discovered them growing in the cool, coastal mountains of south east Brazil where they live in the shady, moist, tropical jungle understory. 

Now you can join the rest of us and fall madly in love with these plants too!! They have long lasting blooms in a variety of colors - which makes them very collectible. The late fall to early winter blooms are always an indoor treat! The plants themselves have been known to live for over a 100 years! Amazing. These fun, low maintenance plants make great gifts and they do NOT have thorns!

🌸Long bloom time - between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 
🌸Long life time - they can live for over 100 years!
🌸Low maintenance - good for beginners.

These easy-care plants do not require intensive attention.

💧Water when the potting mix is dry 1" below the surface. They will need less water in winter. They enjoy moderate humidity.
🪴Feed with an organic cactus fertilizer from spring to fall.
💡Bright indirect light (indoors), partial shade (outdoors in summer)
🌡️Hardy to Zone 10b (35°F). They are happiest when kept between 60-80°F. Avoid temps below 45°F.

These plants enjoy being snug in their pots, and will bloom more that way. Don't be in a rush to repot! At most, repot every 3 years into a pot size the next size up.

❤️RCN Staff Favorite - many of us are growing these awesome plants in our homes!

Note: Our plants are grown by professionals, they will have plenty of buds, but may not yet be ready to start blooming up a storm.

Plant Nerd:

• These fascinating plants are a true cactus, and technically they have no leaves, just stems - and they use the stems for photosynthesis and to store water. Unusually, they are also epiphytes. Instead of having roots that critically provide resources, like most plants do, epiphytes mainly use their roots for stabilization, allowing them to live on trees and rocks. Pretty wild stuff!
• The secret to excellent flower production: bright light, night temperatures between 55 -65°F, and uninterrupted darkness of at least 13 hours from mid-September to mid-November. If your plants are not flowering, chances are they aren't getting enough total darkness. 
  
• The genus Schlumbergera is named for an 1800s cactus fanatic, who was in love with their flowers. Latin Name Pronunciation: shlum-bur' ger-a.
• In the wild, these plants attract hummingbirds. 
• Also known as: Christmas Cactus, Crab Cactus, Epiphyllanthus, Pseudozygocactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Zygocactus. Modern day Schlumbergeras are frequently hybrids between the different species, created by dedicated plant breeders trying to create new bloom colors and a more upright habit (so the blooms can be better appreciated).