why wouldn't a Christmas cactus bloom or grow buds what time do buds appear?

Answer 1

As tropical plants, at the first hint of frost cacti should be brought inside the house. Until then, leave them outside. Fall night-time temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees F. are ideal for producing buds on a cactus. If you can provide such night-time temperatures inside your house, you may keep the cactus inside.

Here, where the temperature remains between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit most fall nights--too warm for bud formation-there's an alternative way to get buds to form. Thirteen hours of uninterrupted darkness will result in bud formation. If you have moved the plant indoors and the temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees, the plant requires 15 hours of darkness, but this higher temperature may cause the buds to drop before opening.

Uninterrupted darkness means no light at all--from street lights outside, or lamps in the home. Put the plant in a closet if necessary, but bring it out during daylight hours. Do not leave it in total darkness 24 hours a day. It takes six to nine weeks for buds to form, so schedule the procedure to match the time you want the blooms to appear.

Once buds form and cold forces you to take the plant inside, place it where drafts and rapid fluctuations in temperature do not occur. Do not move the plant to various locations or even rotate it, because the buds will turn toward the new light source and drop off.

Cease fertilizing the plant during bud formation; resume fertilizing after blooming stops and new growth begins.

In an unheated but not freezing greenhouse or garage, the cactus forms buds on its own schedule. Low night temperatures and long hours of darkness may speed up the process and produce blossoms out of season. Maybe this is why some call it a holiday cactus.

Answer 2

There is a lot of information available on the internet. A Yahoo search for "christmas cactus care" (include the quotation marks in the Yahoo search box) yields 4,200 results. If you do the same search, and are willing to spend a little time exploring, I'm sure that you will quickly find lots of useful and interesting information.

Good luck with your search.

Answer 3

They need a change in temperature and a change in light. The best way to encourage it to bloom is to place it in a completely dark closet and leave it there for a week. The darkness should start it blooming and it will be in full bloom within two weeks following the closet treatment.

Answer 4

Mine just started to bloom. My mother has the best luck. Her plants bloom a few times a year starting in October and through April. I think its because her house is usually darker than most people's.

Answer 5

about now