Schlumbergera

by Pat Diaz, from the December 2003 Newsletter

“Shlum-BER-ga-ra” – isn’t it just a wonderful word? You can really wrap your tongue around that when you say it! Since this is a big holiday time of year, I thought we’d talk about those prolific and beautiful holiday cacti, botanically called Schlumbergera in honor of Frederic Schlumbergera, a 19th century Belgian gardener and cacti collector. You might want to consider buying one of these instead of the usual poinsettia to brighten up your home.

This is one of my very favorite indoor plants and they are so easy to care for. I just purchased another one, this time one called Christmas Fantasy, which is already blooming with beautiful white and the palest of peach-colored flowers. Schlumbergera are inexpensive and will bloom for you for years to come. In fact, there are many reports of these plants living well over a century! There’s a great article in Birds and Blooms (December/January 2004), which talks about a Christmas cactus that a woman in Delaware has that her great-aunt purchased in 1888. It’s still blooming away every year!

There are many colors of Schlumbergera – red, pink, salmon, orange, white, yellow, peach, and even bi-colored ones. An Internet search revealed a wonderful site where you can purchase many exotic colors (many are unavailable until June) – www.bobsmoleys.com. Right now I’m on a search for one called a Dwarf Easter Cactus, a tiny version of the regular holiday cactus.

If you purchase a Schlumbergera in the cold weather, be sure and place it in a paper sack, cover it with another, and rush it home. It can tolerate temperatures down to 38 but they really prefer temperatures above 50 degrees and it’s best not to stress your plant with the cold.

Schlumbergera are very easy to care for, requiring watering only when they’re dry. And they like bright but indirect light. If you place your plants outside in the summer, make sure they’re in partial shade. I’ve tried mine in south windows but in the winter when the sun is lower that’s too much sun, so you might pull them back a few feet from south facing windows. Most bloom in the late fall or early winter, thus the various holiday names – Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, holiday cactus, etc. Some do bloom in the spring, however, and people usually call those Easter cacti. To be politically correct, however, if we all call them Schlumbergera we won’t offend and that gives us a chance to say that great word again! Most will bloom naturally around the holiday season but if you want to make sure, keep your plant in a cool spot and water only when the soil dries out, then you can bring it out into the bright light. I let mine bloom whenever they want and I will usually get a couple of bloomings a year, the heaviest one coming about this time of year. Just about every leaf will sprout a bloom and some of the older and larger Schlumbergera can have more than 500 blossoms.

These wonderful plants are very easy to propagate – just break off a stem, let it dry on the counter for a couple of days, then plant it in potting mix (any well-drained mix or epiphytic cactus potting mix) and water. A great way to share beauty with a friend!

Hanging baskets are great for Schlumbergera as they tend to arch and droop as the plant matures. They like to be somewhat root-bound so don’t be too eager to transplant them. They will usually be about two feet high and three feet wide when mature.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make raising these plants is to overwater them. When they’re blooming, they need water regularly, otherwise let the soil dry out between waterings. You can fertilize them after flowering or when they’re producing new leaf growth with a high-potash liquid fertilizer.

Some of the white ones or those with very pale coloring may revert back to their original color (usually red or pink) after a few years. If you look on Bob Smoley’s Web site, you’ll see some absolutely entrancing color choices – white with purplish pink tinges at the tips, bi-colored ones, and many more. If you like these plants as much as I do, soon you’ll have one of every color adorning your home! Happy Holidays everyone!

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