by Jo Ann Graham

Past President

Natives of the tropical jungles of Brazil in South America, these cacti are epiphytes. Epiphytes in their native home inhabit layers of moss and leaves caught in crotches of trees and have aerial roots through which they get their nourishment. They are not parasites, because they simply, like orchids and bromeliads, live on trees not from them. They receive filtered light and constant dampness during the rainy season.
Although now called Holiday cacti, these flowering houseplants were once better known as Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), and Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri.) Easy to care for, holiday cacti differ for the most part only in their blooming cycle. They were given the common names of the holiday they bloomed near.
Before intensive hybridizing these plants had individual differences. Christmas cacti have glossy green flattened joints with rounded tips. Thanksgiving cacti (also commonly called crab’s claw or lobster cacti) have prominent teeth or points at the tip of each joint. Easter cacti have large stiff, flat joints with bristles along the edges. The flowers of the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are tube-like and may be hooded, depending on the hybrid. The Easter cactus has star-like flowers. Hybridizing continues to blur distinction and now there are more than 200 named cultivars.
Through hybridizing, there are many flower colors available today, including white, red, orange, salmon, fuchsia, magenta, lavender, pink, yellow, and some bicolors. The blooms occur at the tip of the flat leaf segment. After the plant blooms, the flower drops off and the plant grows new segments from the tips of the existing segments. In mature plants, their stems arch gracefully over the edges of their containers.
Holiday cacti are members of the cacti family, but do not like bright sunlight. They grow best in bright, indirect sunlight. When the nighttime temperatures outdoors reach 60 degrees in the summer, you can set them on a shaded porch or patio, or set the pot in the ground in a shady spot. Bring them in before the first frost.
These cacti are succulents but like more water than their desert relatives. From early April through the end of September, water when the soil begins to dry out. Apply a weak solution of a balanced houseplant fertilizer every two to four weeks. In the fall, allow the soil surface to dry between watering. A rest period is very important if plants are to bloom abundantly. Once the cacti are finished flowering, stop fertilizing and let the top half-inch of soil dry out before watering. When new growth appears in the spring, resume regular watering and feeding.
Holiday cacti like to be slightly pot bound and are usually repotted every three to four years. One of the best signs that your plant needs repotting is a decrease in blooms. The best soil consists of two parts standard potting soil, one part peat moss, and one part sharp sand. For healthy plants an acid soil condition and perfect drainage are essential.
Holiday cacti form flower buds in response to cooler days and longer nights. Temperature should be no more than fifty degrees if possible. Starting in October give them between twelve to fourteen hours of darkness. If you do not have a dark room cover the plant with a box or dark plastic bag. Once flower buds form, you will no longer need to cover them.
Plants can be propagated from cuttings taken in the spring or summer. Pieces should have at least two segments and no more than three segments, and should be allowed to dry in the open air for several days to form a callus. Root the pieces by setting halfway into vermiculite, potting soil or sharp sand. Water as you would the parent plant but without fertilizer. When new growth begins, repot and begin watering with a weak fertilizer solution.
With a little care, Holiday cacti can be kept for many years and enjoyed over and over. Because they are extremely long lived, they often become heirlooms handed down from one generation to the next.