The Christmas cactus blooms with flowers in December.

The cactus may be commonly known as a desert plant but believe it or not, it could actually be synonymous with the holiday season. The Christmas cactus is scientifically known as  the Schlumbergera which two recognized species. It usually flowers in December or during the winter season.

In the wild, these jungle cacti inhabit moist tropical forests, where they grow in pockets of leaf debris in the clefs of tree branches, and they thrive well if indoor conditions approximate their natural habitat. 

The plant is composed of a densely branching pendent stems with each stem characteristically segmented.  Each of the jointed segments is about 1.5 inches long and half an inch wide, and has a prominent midrib.  Minuscule areoles, some of which bear tiny bristles, are situated in notches along the edges of the segments.  There are bigger, elongated areoles at the tip of the end segment of each stem where flowers arise.

The flower looks unusual as they are not symmetrical in shape but rather have different left and right halves, similar to snapdragons or pea flowers.  Each bloom is about one inch in diameter and 1.5 to three inches long.  Individual flowers last for a few days, and a specimen with many buds may flower for several weeks.

Cultural requirements
 
Light.  This cactus should never be exposed to direct sunlight. It is better to situate the plant in an area with medium light or partial shade, usually in eves of houses where it can receive morning or afternoon sunlight.  Flowers usually start appearing during December, when the plant is less exposed to the sun due to the season’s shorter days.  Plants can also be induced to flower by placing them in a dark room. Or you can cover the budding plants with black plastic sheets 16 hours a day, and expose them to light for eight hours only. Once these cacti have begun to bud, do not keep them in areas where there is artificial light in the evening.

Watering. During the flowering season, water the plant everyday to keep the potting medium thoroughly moist but do not allow the pots to stand in water.  However, after the flowering season, reduce watering or just water them enough to moisten the potting mixture but allow the top half-inch of the soil to dry out before watering again.  Resume plentiful watering as soon as new stem growth starts after a few months or during the summer.   There may also be a need to mist-spray the plants to provide humidity.  Never let the potting mixture dry out completely.  Schlumbergera cannot tolerate hard water, especially those containing high calcium.

Fertilization.  During flowering period and active growth, apply a potassium rich fertilizer once a month to encourage flowering.  Apply the fertilizer throughout the year. A slow release fertilizer is ideal for this purpose.

Potting Medium. To prevent water logging, use a free-draining or porous potting mix containing equal proportions of garden soil, coarse sand and leaf compost.  The plants maybe grown in ordinary pots or in hanging baskets.  Repot plants every year once they have finished flowering.  Move plants into a container one size larger only if the roots have filled the current one.  Otherwise, shake off the spent potting mixture and replace the plant in its original container, which have been cleaned and added with fresh potting mix.  These plants do not have an extensive root system, thus a pot size of four or five inches in diameter is sufficient.

Propagation.  Schlumbergeras can easily be propagated through cuttings at any given time.  Remove a section of stem consisting of two or three joined segments and allow the wound to dry for a few hours and push the bottom segment gently into a three-inch pot with the recommended potting mix.  Several cuttings can be inserted into a larger pot if desired.  Treat cuttings are mature plants and they should start growing in four weeks. These plants also produce seeds, as their flowers form into berries with seeds when pollinated.  However, it will take about three to four years before the plant flowers.