How do I look after a Christmas Cactus?

What size of pot, when do I feed it and what temperature should it be kept at.

How do I look after a Christmas Cactus?
Buy it lots of presents, and pull an occasional cracker with it, before singing a few carols...
Reply:I have a christmas cactus which is about twenty years old, and I have several younger ones taken from it overt the years. Keep it out of direct sunlight, and water it very sparingly, as the leaves store up their water because they are succulents. When the plant is flowering, don't move it, and in the summer, when all frosts have gone, give it a little "holiday" out in the garden for a couple of months. Again, keep it in a shaded part of the garden, out of the sun. As for the size of pot, mine has gone from a 2"" starter to a 12"" large pot which it now lives in. Replace the compost every two tears - this will keep it fresh and pest-free.
Reply:some info here





http://www.fernlea.com/xmas/cactinfo.htm
Reply:Go to the following web site.


http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1...
Reply:The same way you looked before.
Reply:Obviously you water it on the 25th of December......
Reply:Christmas cacti normally flower from November to March, as long as they have been grown well during the summer with plenty of moisture and relatively cool temperatures. Placing them outdoors during the summer months is the best way of achieving this.





To initiate flower buds they need at least 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness in late summer and autumn every night. Without this flower buds may fail to form.





Flower buds begin to form as day length shortens to eight to 10 hours in autumn. Plants near an artificial light source - domestic lighting for example - after dark may not flower. Try moving them to a spare (but not cold) room where artificial light is not used after dark. Alternatively, cover them every night, with a black plastic bag for example, to exclude any artificial light. Do this after they have been exposed to eight to 10 hours of daylight (from early September for Christmas flowering) on a well lit windowsill. This might mean covering from 6pm to 8am, for six weeks. After this they can be left uncovered, and in good day light.





Temperatures above 18oC (65oF) appear to inhibit flower bud initiation and development, and reduce the period of bloom. High temperatures also delay flower bud initiation and lead to late flowering, long after the plant is expected to come into flower. On the other hand if temperatures fall below 10oC (50oF) flowers may not develop.





Where Christmas cacti have not flowered by late winter consider adopting the covering procedure, to induce them to flower in spring. Remember that they need a resting period after flowering of cool, but not cold temperatures, and should be kept relatively dry.