Shining up your festival with a blooming Thanksgiving cactus that keeps showing off until Christmas, filling your home with warmth and cheer.
Straight from Brazil, the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is a fuss-free houseplant that flowers around November. Its crab-claw-shaped leaves hold red or magenta tube-like blooms that look like a flower within a flower. And the fun fact is, it’s actually an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants in nature.
How to Get the Thanksgiving Cactus to Bloom
Since it comes from Brazil, the trick is to mimic its natural rhythm. In the wild, it blooms at the end of the rainy season, late fall—right around Thanksgiving. The flowering season usually runs from November to March, with each flower lasting 7–8 days.
Indoors, it might need a little nudge. Shorter, cooler days kickstart blooming. You can place it outdoors in early fall to catch chilly nights or recreate the same conditions indoors.
A slightly root-bound cactus tends to bloom better, so wait until spring to repot. Pinching off spent flowers also extends the blooming season and encourages fresh blooms in shades of yellow, pink, white, and red.
Tip: Want it blooming right in time for Thanksgiving dinner? Begin the “dark treatment” in early October, and the buds will pop open just in time for the holiday.
Requirements
1. Light
To bloom, it needs long nights and darkness for more than 13 hours. From the start of the fall, ensure your plant has around 12-14 hours of darkness each night for at least six weeks. You can either move it to a dark room or cover it with a cloth or a box. Ensure it gets bright, indirect light during the day.
Note: Avoid exposing it to strong artificial lights at night, like lamps or TVs, as even a small interruption in darkness can confuse the plant and delay blooming.
2. Temperature
Cooler temperatures can encourage blooming. Maintain nighttime temperatures between 55°F and 60°F (13°C-15°C) and daytime temperatures between 65°F-70°F (18°C 21°C). A little drop in temperature can signal the plant to begin the blooming process
3. Watering
When fall begins, reduce watering slightly. Let the top layer of soil dry out before watering again. This helps to mimic the natural dry period they experience in their native habitat
4. Fertilization
During the growing season (spring to early autumn), feed the cactus with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every 2-3 weeks and stop fertilizing as you approach the blooming period.
After blooming, you can resume light feeding to help the plant regain its strength and prepare for the next growth cycle.
5. Humidity
They love humidity, especially when they are setting buds. If your home’s air is dry, consider placing the pot on a tray filled with water and pebbles, ensuring the pot’s base isn’t submerged. The evaporating water will increase the humidity around the plant.
6. Avoid Moving
Once buds have formed, try not to move the cactus a lot or change its location. A sudden change in its environment can cause the buds to drop.
7. No Stress
Keep the cactus away from drafty windows, doors, or heating vents. Rapid temperature fluctuations or drafts can stress the plant and stop healthy blooming
How to Encourage More Blooms
If your cactus is hesitant to bloom or is on its second blooming cycle, the easiest method is to introduce your plant to colder temperatures. For six or more weeks, put your cactus outside overnight if temperatures are around 50-55 degrees. Stop doing so if the temperature falls below 40 degrees.
You can also opt to keep your plant in complete darkness for at least 12 straight hours per day for a stretch of several weeks. This will also trick your plant into producing buds.
With these, you can encourage more blooms in your prettiest Thanksgiving cactus. Don’t forget to flaunt their blooms for your Thanksgiving dinner next, and tell us how it worked.
