Hi All, I may have started this a little late in the season, but back around Thanksgiving, I placed my xmas cactus in my basement to give it a cooler and darker place in hopes of triggering bud formation. At this date, I see nothing in the way of buds. The plant was in a dark space, temps were around the 50F mark, and nothing . Plant still looks good, haven't watered it during this time. Is there something else I'm missing? Any suggestions would be welcomed. Best... Jim
Are you sure that it is a Christmas cactus? If so it should already be flowering now. If not (i.e. probably a Thanksgiving cactus) the new flowers are more likely to appear in spring. If any flowers do show up; their normal flowering period is autumn, and I always find them reluctant to flower once more in spring. But I wonder why you have put it in your basement, I never give my plants flower any special light/temperature/water treatment and they flower as expected. I mean, do the days not get shorter anyway in autumn where you live?
Yes, it might be a Thanksgiving cactus and not a Christmas cactus. But, if you know for sure it IS a Christmas cactus, it doesn't need a dark treatment. Some people will even resort to putting the poor things in a closet for a month! "Natural" shorter daylight hrs in the fall is enough, as well as cool temps which will trigger the formation of buds and also help to keep the flowers blooming longer. Being in a pot too large, or simply being re-potted before fall can cause the plant not to form buds. You can try using a little diluted fertilizer through the summer months, then stop when you see the little buds forming. Buds under a half inch in length can drop if the plant is turned, because where the buds are attached to the plant is still weak and still forming, so when the buds turn in the opposite direction to get the light, they can break away from the plant. Buds usually form on a "Christmas cactus" October thru December, but they can also bloom at other times as well if it's really happy.
Besides, 50F is i bit low for Schlumbergera, their flower color tend to change to more pink if kept at such low temperature.
