Vibrantly blooming Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera), whose trailing stems are lavishly dotted with multi-hued flowers, are a sight that leaves even the staunchest skeptics in awe. Have you ever seen that cascade of blooms draping over the edges of a pot like a floral waterfall? So how exactly do you support your plant during bud set to keep the show going as long as possible?
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Nitrogen Fertilizers for Lush Winter Bloom
If you’ve been feeding your Christmas cactus with phosphorous-potassium mixes and micro-nutrients all year, starting in late fall it’s smart to give it a few nitrogen boosts—about every 2 weeks.
Every gardener knows that at the start of the growing cycle plants crave extra nitrogen. Your Christmas cactus, which typically hits its flowering phase in November–December, is no exception.
It’s exactly at this time that both root-and foliar nitrogen applications really help form abundant flower buds and support balanced vegetative growth.
Mix according to package directions a urea fertilizer (Check Price on Amazon). in settled, room-temperature water and use it to water at the root (on moist soil) and to mist the leaves with a trigger sprayer.
However, many experts recommend using a ready-made, high-nitrogen cactus fertilizer during bloom time—something like Slow Release Pellets for All Cactus and Succulents (Check Price on Amazon).
Boron Feed for Christmas Cactus
To boost both the abundance and the longevity of your Christmas cactus’s blooms, incorporate boron feedings. This micronutrient helps prevent bud drop and increases the number of flower stalks.
Dissolve 0.035 oz [1 g] of white boric acid crystals in 1 qt [1 L] of water. Treat every 2 weeks, starting when buds begin to form and continuing until the end of flowering.
You can use a boron plant supplement like Solubor (Check Price on Amazon).
Oxygen Watering for Succulents
Without ample oxygen in the root zone, forget about a long-lasting bloom on your Schlumbergera. Don’t forget to gently, shallowly fluff up the potting mix now and then—just enough to let air in without harming the roots.
To really pump up the oxygen, seasoned growers turn to a routine hydrogen-peroxide (Check Price on Amazon) treatment. Add 0.5 fl oz [15 mL] of 3% pharmacy-grade hydrogen peroxide to 1 qt [1 L] of soft, chlorine-free water. Use this solution to moisten the soil (normal watering) no more than once a week.
You can also mist your Christmas cactus leaves and buds with that same solution every 3–4 days using a fine-mist sprayer.
Happy growing—and here’s to the fullest, most dazzling cactus blooms you’ve ever seen!
