Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:34 pm
If a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) blooms only very minimally, it is often due to the “too good supply”. If the plants are supplied too abundantly with nutrients, they grow lushly, but flower buds are not set.
Therefore, place your plant in a light and cool place for a few weeks, under no circumstances fertilize and water very sparingly. This will put the plant on a diet, so it may produce a few more flowers when the plant has budded.
Only when all the flowers have blossomed should you water the plant regularly again until next summer (no waterlogging!) and fertilize every 14 days until the end of July/beginning of August with a special cactus fertilizer. After that, water less and do not fertilize again so that the leaf limbs mature. Then, in the fall, the buds will develop. Only when these are visible, water regularly again (and fertilize only rarely and sparingly).
By the way: After flowering, you should give the Christmas cactus a rest period of about 4 weeks, during which the plants must stand very dry. A good location is then a bright room with about 10 ° C.
You should treat your Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) as follows: Keep it in a cool place from July to August. Do not water or fertilize. This will allow the leaf limbs to mature and bud formation to begin and be encouraged.
From autumn, moderate room temperature at about 15°C, water sparingly, but spray occasionally until the flower buds appear. Then slowly water more and fertilize every two weeks.
Tip: Do not change the location and the incidence of light after bud formation until flowering. So do not turn! If necessary, attach a light marker.
When the plant becomes dull after flowering begins the rest period, ie water less, do not fertilize.