Q.Why Does My Christmas Cactus Bloom For People I Share Starts With But Not The Ones I Keep?
I put my cactus in the dark for 14 hours a night and withheld water for a month, but still no blooms. Can it be because it the nighttime temp. is not cool enough??
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
They need to be in a room that gets 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness about a month before you want it to bloom. This means a room you aren't in at night with a light on. Or, you can cover the plants at night, but remove the cover during the day. Also reduce watering, you don't have to withhold it completely. And if the room is cool, all the better, but the 12 hours of darkness is more important.
Also, they like to be slightly potbound to bloom, so you don't need to repot very often.
Do you summer your plant outside? Mine bloomed the best when it was on a shady patio during the summer. When temperatures cooled down in the fall and the days got shorter mine would inevitably bud out. I would bring it inside to the warmth and it would soon bloom. I made sure I brought it in before we had a freeze.
Follow these additional tips and see if you can get it to bloom. It isn't too late.