The Simple Hack That Will Have Your Christmas Cactus Blooming In No Time

If you have a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesi), you've probably spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get it to blossom at the right time. After all, Christmas cacti are known for their beautiful and unique flowers. You've probably even researched the many different tips and tricks to get your Christmas cactus to bloom that are offered by experts. But did you know there is one simple hack to get your holiday-themed houseplant to flower? All it takes is a little bit of light management and consistency.

Getting a Christmas cactus to bloom can feel like a Herculean effort — they can be as stubborn as a kid not wanting to eat their veggies. But with a little patience and the proper knowledge, you can have beautiful, bright flowers to cheer you up in the dead of winter.

There are a lot of mistakes you should avoid with a Christmas cactus, and one of the biggest ones is not understanding their light needs. You see, Christmas cacti are what is known as "short-day" plants. They can be triggered into blooming by managing the amount of uninterrupted darkness they get. This is known as photoperiodism. By making sure your cactus gets filtered bright light during the day and an extended period of darkness during the night, within a matter of weeks, your plant should bloom. You might even be able to get your Christmas cactus to bloom twice in the same winter with the proper timing.

To get your Christmas cactus to provide you with gorgeous flowers this winter, all you need to do is put it to bed early every night. Seriously though, your plant requires a minimum of 13 hours of uninterrupted darkness daily. During the day, have your plant in a location that receives bright, filtered light and then move your cactus to a location that is totally dark for at least 13 hours. If you don't have a location in your home that's dark enough, you can put a box or a blanket that blocks light over your plant. You need to do this consistently for at least 6 weeks, or until you start seeing blooms forming. You can do this process as well if your Christmas cactus has already bloomed once, you just need to give it a short break between blooming.

While you are giving your Christmas cactus long nap times before its main show, you can also adjust some other things to give it more support in the blooming process. Remember that this houseplant likes it to be a little chilly at night – you should keep the room temperature under 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The room temperature can be normal in its day location. You should also reduce its water intake slightly to help support bloom production. You should water your Christmas cactus less frequently than normal watering during this period. If you follow these tips starting now, you should see beautiful blossoms on your Christmas cactus around Valentine's Day.