Rockaway, Inc. - hristmas actus are€¦ · hristmas cactus are driven by both photoperiod and...
1
Landscape Design Installaon Maintenance Irrigaon Lighng Garden Center Rockaway, Inc. / 510 Sheer Ave, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 / 904-853-6572 / www.rockawayinc.com Customer Informaon Christmas Cactus Care Christmas cactus are the perfect Holiday giſt, living and connuing to bloom year aſter year, in some cases even being passed down to succeeding generaons of owners. They are usually kept as house- plants but can be grown outdoors in paral shade if protected from frost and freeze. Indoor Care In the home, Christmas cactus should be located in bright, indirect light and around 65⁰. Avoid ex- treme environmental changes such as would occur near doors, draſty windows and heat sources such as fireplaces and heat vents. Water when the top inch of soil has dried. The whole pot should not be allowed to completely dry out, but also make sure the pot is draining well. If your cactus is in full bloom, water only very lightly for the next 6 weeks to give it a resng period. Resume regular water- ing when new growth starts to appear. Ferlize every 1 to 2 months during the growing season (April to September) with a ferlizer for flowering plants. Aſter-Bloom Care About a month aſter the bloom period, you can prune your cactus to promote a bushier pant. Prune where the leaf segments aach to each other. Cungs containing 2 to 3 segments can be allowed to dry for a day then inserted in moist growing media to grow new plants. Plants can be repoed every 2 to 3 years into fresh pong soil (a mix of 3 parts pong soil to 1 part sand is good) but don ’t in- crease the pot size significantly as the plants bloom best when root-bound. Next Year’s Bloom Christmas cactus are driven by both photoperiod and temperature to form flower buds. Aſter sever- al weeks of 12 hours of darkness and cooler temperatures around 50⁰ to 60⁰, buds will start to show. Be sure the plant receives no arficial light at night during this me to disrupt the 12 hours of dark- ness. It is beneficial to decrease watering during this me also. You can either allow nature to direct the ming of your next flowering period or you can arficially adjust light and temperature to pro- duce blooms aſter a couple months. When condions start to change about mid-October, you can expect blooms around the Holidays.
Transcript of Rockaway, Inc. - hristmas actus are€¦ · hristmas cactus are driven by both photoperiod and...
Landscape Design Installation Maintenance Irrigation Lighting Garden Center Rockaway, Inc. / 510 Shetter Ave, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 / 904-853-6572 / www.rockawayinc.com
Customer Information
Christmas Cactus Care
Christmas cactus are the perfect Holiday gift, living and continuing to bloom year after year, in some
cases even being passed down to succeeding generations of owners. They are usually kept as house-
plants but can be grown outdoors in partial shade if protected from frost and freeze.
Indoor Care
In the home, Christmas cactus should be located in bright, indirect light and around 65⁰. Avoid ex-
treme environmental changes such as would occur near doors, drafty windows and heat sources such
as fireplaces and heat vents. Water when the top inch of soil has dried. The whole pot should not be
allowed to completely dry out, but also make sure the pot is draining well. If your cactus is in full
bloom, water only very lightly for the next 6 weeks to give it a resting period. Resume regular water-
ing when new growth starts to appear. Fertilize every 1 to 2 months during the growing season (April
to September) with a fertilizer for flowering plants.
After-Bloom Care
About a month after the bloom period, you can prune your cactus to promote a bushier pant. Prune
where the leaf segments attach to each other. Cuttings containing 2 to 3 segments can be allowed to
dry for a day then inserted in moist growing media to grow new plants. Plants can be repotted every
2 to 3 years into fresh potting soil (a mix of 3 parts potting soil to 1 part sand is good) but don’t in-
crease the pot size significantly as the plants bloom best when root-bound.
Next Year’s Bloom
Christmas cactus are driven by both photoperiod and temperature to form flower buds. After sever-
al weeks of 12 hours of darkness and cooler temperatures around 50⁰ to 60⁰, buds will start to show.
Be sure the plant receives no artificial light at night during this time to disrupt the 12 hours of dark-
ness. It is beneficial to decrease watering during this time also. You can either allow nature to direct
the timing of your next flowering period or you can artificially adjust light and temperature to pro-
duce blooms after a couple months. When conditions start to change about mid-October, you can
expect blooms around the Holidays.
