The 3 Types Of Holiday Cactus You Should Know (And How To Grow Each Kind)

That pot of star-shaped flowers you picked up at the garden store might not actually be the Christmas cactus you thought it was. Holiday cacti are well-known for their longevity, but they can be a bit confusing since they're often misclassified at the garden center. If you want a plant that blooms with perfectly timed flowers every year, you need to know whether you have a Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter cactus. These three separate species, which are all members of the jungle cactus family, look similar, but they need their own care routines to trigger flowering at the right times.

Even though each of these plants has segmented stems and flowers that range from white to red, pink, orange, purple, and yellow, you can identify your plant by looking closely at the stem shape. These South American plants prefer high humidity, well-draining soil, and bright, indirect light when they live indoors.

The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is the most common holiday cactus you can find during the fall season. It's also known as the crab cactus because of its distinctive stem segments. If you look closely at the edges of the flattened stems, you will see sharp and jagged claw-like indentations. This characteristic makes it stand out from its other holiday cactus cousins. The flowers on this plant usually grow more upright as well.

To grow the Thanksgiving cactus, it's important to remember that it likes its roots to be slightly constricted, so avoid repotting too often. Use a rich, well-draining soil mix that has a lot of organic matter. When it's actively growing during spring and summer, water it when the top layer of soil is dry. Understanding the blooming process is important, especially if you've wondered why your Thanksgiving cactus won't flower. The way to get it to bloom in late November is to simulate the cooler and darker conditions it would experience in its Brazilian home. Starting around the third week of September, give the plant at least 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness each night for about eight weeks. During this time, cut back on watering and keep the room temperature between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

There are some distinct differences between a Thanksgiving cactus and a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi). The plant that most people think they have in their home is the Christmas cactus. You can tell the difference between this and a Thanksgiving cactus by looking at the edges of the stem fragments. They are more rounded, and they don't have sharp, pointy claws. When a Christmas cactus flowers, the blooms are thinner and tend to hang downward. While its care is similar to the other holiday cacti, the flowering happens later in December.

A spot near a window where it can get bright, indirect light will make this plant very happy. High humidity is a must, so place the pot on a saucer of pebbles with water, making sure the bottom of the pot doesn't sit in the water. Begin the cool, dark treatment in early October to prepare it for a late December bloom. This plant needs nighttime temperatures around 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit with 13 hours of darkness each day. When you see flower buds forming, you can move the cactus to a warmer spot.

The Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) flowers in the spring, typically between March and May. This holiday cactus is different from the other two because its stem segments are rounder and more oval, ending in blunt tips. It can also have tiny yellow or brown bristles that are clustered at the end of the stem segments. When growing an Easter cactus, you need to adjust your watering habits. This plant is less forgiving of drought and appreciates more consistent moisture throughout its growing season. Knowing how to care for an Easter cactus means understanding that it likes having moist soil but will lose its stems if it doesn't get the amount of water it prefers.

Unlike the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus, which need shorter amounts of light in order to bud, the Easter cactus needs cooler temperatures, but it will only bud once the days get longer after the winter solstice. When fall begins, you should cut back on watering and only give it enough moisture so the stems won't dry up. It's also important to move the plant to a cool location, ideally a spot where the temperature stays between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep a close eye on the plant during late winter, and you should start to see flower buds forming. Resume your regular watering schedule and move the Easter cactus back to a warm spot only when the plant finishes blooming.