Common Name:
Holiday Cactus

Scientific Name:
Shlumbergera truncata

Plant Description

While the poinsettia remains the most popular of the holiday plants, a healthy Holiday cactus in full bloom is a great gift idea for that special gardener. They are easy to care for and can be grown indoors throughout the year. The flowers range in color from yellow, salmon, pink, fuchsia and white or combinations of those colors.

Plant Profile & Needs

Recommended Temperature Zone:
USDA: 10-12
Frost Tolerance: Avoid frost
Minimum Avg. Temperature: 55°F (12°C)
Sun Exposure: Light shade
Origin: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Growth Habits: Epiphytic, occasionally lithophytic, cactus
Watering Needs: Keep the soil moist
Propagation: Cuttings in spring

Planting Notes

Light ~ While the Holiday cactus can adapt to low light, more abundant blooms are produced on plants that have been exposed to high light intensity. Keep your plants in a sunny location indoors. Plants can be moved outdoors in summer, but keep them in a shady or semi-shady location. Too much direct sunlight can burn the leaves. When it's time to bring the plants back inside in the fall, slowly adjust the plants to life indoors by gradually increasing the number of hours they spend indoors each day. If you want to grow it indoors in a south or west window, you should shade the plant with glass curtains. No diffusion of light is needed on the north or east. Many growers move the plants to the broken shade of a porch or patio or plunge the pot in a shady spot in the garden during the summer months. Holiday cactus needs shading from the sun between May and September.

Soil ~ Well-drained soil is a must for Holiday cactus. Use a commercially packaged potting mix for succulent plants or mix your own. The ideal soil for Holiday cactus is composed of equal parts of garden loam, leaf mold and clean coarse sand (not sand from the seashore). Add a quart of wood ashes per bushel of mixture. One-tenth part by bulk of old dry cow manure may be added if garden soil is poor.

Water ~ The plant is not a true cactus and is not quite as drought tolerant as the name infers. However, it is a succulent plant and can store a reasonable quantity of water in the leaves. Water thoroughly when the top half of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch. The length of time between waterings will vary with the air temperature, amount of light, rate of growth and relative humidity. During the summer, water so that the soil is continually moist. When fall arrives, water the plant only well enough to prevent wilting.