I have two Christmas cacti and a poinsettia in my closet right now. They have been there for a few weeks, and I have been pretty good about remembering to open and close the closet door to give them the right hours of light to bloom. I haven't been looking at them really, just opening the door quickly in the morning, and closing it again at night. Today I actually looked at them and lo and behold, one of the cactus has several buds! I'm thrilled, but now I don't know what to do with it. I'm afraid if I take it out of the closet now, and put it back in my dining room it might not continue to bloom until the holiday season. I never anticipated the blooming happening so quickly. What do you think? Should I take it out, or keep giving it the closet treatment a little while longer? The other cactus has only one tiny bud, and there has been no action on the poinsettia, so ill still be leaving them.
I've never put my Christmas cactus in the dark...I keep it in the same place pretty much all year and it always blooms right as expected.
I am in a warm climate, but my Christmas cactus is just on my porch year round-I think this will be the 3 or 4th year I have had it. It usually blooms in Dec. My mom(IL) just leaves hers in the basement by a glass door and it is huge!!(Not in the dark.) I am excited about a poinsettia from last year (it was about 6 inches and in the original small pot) that is now outside in a planter, just replanted it there-it is now about 2 feet high! Leaves are starting to get reddish. I am not good about caring for plants, so they have to be hardy to survive! Good luck-hope yours bring you joy!
I out my Christmas cactus outside in the summer, and I bring it inside when it starts getting cool in the evenings. It always starts blooming right around thanksgiving. It doesn't bloom as much, if at all, if I don't put it out in the summer. Mine is huge. My former MIL had thrown it out, and I rescued it. She can't get over how huge it's gotten. It never bloomed for her.
I've never heard of a Christmas cactus. I'll have to look for one. I love poinsettias but never get one since they aren't pet friendly. A cactus would be better since the furbabies would leave it alone. I have some wild cactus in the pasture. Maybe that would count.
