This mistake will cause your Crab cactus to lose flowers

Schlumbergera truncata, also know as the crab cactus or Thanksgiving or “fake” Christmas cactus is usually our companion during the Christmas holidays. Growing the crab cactus is not difficult, but if you want to see it covered with flowers you need to care for it properly. Yes, you can see few red-orange or white flowers, and that is usually enough to make us happy, but here are few tips how to make it bloom more.

It is no secret that it thrives in cool corridors and near large windows, but it will also bloom in smaller apartments – it doesn’t need a thorough winterizing process. A bedroom or any mildly warm room or kitchen will do.

Two mistakes that may deprive you of flowers

Most of us want to pamper our cactus before the winter but if you think that you will help your cactus to bloom by transplanting it into a larger flowerpot, your are wrong. It is the exact opposite. The right time for transplanting is at the end of February, when the first flower bud starts to bloom.You may transplant in the fall, but only if absolutely necessary (if the pot is full of roots for example).

Photo: Pixabay

Another mistake.When crab cactus blooms, it needs all the light it can get. Many of use heard from our grandmother that blooming plant should not be moved. And that’s not true for crab cactus. As soon as you see buds popping out move it to a place with the most light. The only thing that you should avoid is direct sunlight.

What else to watch out for

Schlumbergera truncata does not like it too cold during wintering.The temperature in the room should never fall below 15 °C (although older and well-rooted plants can sometimes tolerate 10 °C). Fertilize in spring and summer, but not in autumn – not even with fertilizers designed for flowers.

Regularly spray moisture on crab cactus in the summer. Do not forget to create a drainage layer at the bottom of the flower pot. Too much water will certainly damage this beauty.

Preview photo: Pixabay