Christmas Cactus: This Kitchen Staple Triggers Gorgeous Blooms
Photo credit: Elena Grishina/Getty Images
With its elegant, cascading branches adorned with vibrant flowers that bloom in late December, the Christmas cactus is the ultimate festive houseplant. Want to guarantee those show-stopping blooms are ready for your holiday celebrations? The secret might already be sitting in your kitchen.
Why the Christmas Cactus Is Your Holiday Must-Have
Scientifically known as Schlumbergera, the Christmas cactus hails from the tropical rainforests of Brazil. It earned its festive name thanks to its winter blooming period, which perfectly aligns with the holiday season from mid-December through mid-January. Not only is this stunning houseplant easy to care for, but it can also thrive for decades with proper attention.
What makes it truly special are those flat, segmented stems decorated with spectacular flowers in vivid shades ranging from deep crimson to delicate pink. But how do you actually trigger those blooms in time for your December 24th dinner party?
The Essential Care Guide for Peak Holiday Blooms
To ensure your Christmas cactus delivers an abundant, vibrant display, you’ll need to master these basics:
Firstly, place the cactus in a bright location, but out of direct sunlight.
Keep your watering moderate, allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
Also, maintain a constant temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius in the room to encourage the formation of flower buds.
Your Christmas cactus will also appreciate some relative humidity around it.
And if you want to guarantee those holiday blooms? There’s one particular kitchen ingredient that works like magic.
The Secret Weapon in Your Pantry
For a Christmas cactus adorned with brilliant flowers just in time for December 25th, the key is using a balanced fertilizer enriched with potassium. Applied every two weeks starting in late fall, potassium encourages abundant, early blooming. But no fertilizer on hand? No problem. Your kitchen likely holds several substitutes that work just as well:
Coffee grounds: Your morning brew’s leftover grounds are an unexpected gardening ally. They’re a natural source of nitrogen, an essential nutrient for your Christmas cactus. Work cooled coffee grounds into your cactus’s soil to promote healthy growth and beautiful winter blooms.
Crushed eggshells: Eggshells contain calcium, which benefits plant growth. Grind the shells into a fine powder and mix them into your cactus’s substrate.
Egg-cooking water: The water used to boil eggs is also an excellent calcium source. After cooking eggs, let the water cool and use it to water your plant.
Banana infusion: Bananas are packed with potassium, essential for Christmas cactus blooming. Create a banana infusion by soaking a mashed banana in water for a few days, then use this water for watering.
Rice rinse water: The water from rinsing rice contains beneficial nutrients that can act as fertilizer. After rinsing your rice, use that water to hydrate your plant.
Unsweetened tea: Plain tea can be used as liquid fertilizer to encourage blooming. Let the tea cool and use it to water your cactus—it contains nutrients the plant can absorb.
Whatever alternative you choose for fertilizing your Christmas cactus, make sure not to apply too much organic matter to the soil at once. Excess can lead to root rot problems. The best approach is to test your chosen solution on a small section of the plant first and monitor the reaction before applying it to the entire cactus.
