Knowing how to water your Christmas cactus correctly will ensure that you have a happy, healthy plant that will last many years and produce many beautiful blooms.
Watering Christmas cactuses isn’t difficult. They’re easier than a lot of other plants, but you do need to understand a little bit about them in order to understand the how and the why of watering Christmas cacti.
Jump to:
- A different kind of cactus.
- How often do you water a Christmas cactus?
- Increase the frequency of watering while the plant is in bloom.
- Things that can change your Christmas cactus watering schedule.
- How Christmas cactuses like their water delivered.
- Don’t leave pots in standing water.
- Higher humidity helps Christmas cactus stay healthy and hold blossoms better.
- Good watering gives easy-care Christmas Cactuses long life and brilliant blossoms.
A different kind of cactus.
Christmas cactuses are different than typical cacti. Their water, soil, and moisture requirements are much different. They do not come from dry deserts; in nature, they live in Brazilian rainforests, and they don’t live in the ground; they live in the crooks and branches of trees. Their “soil” is a combination of composted tree debris, moss, and whatever other soil may have blown in.
This means that they are used to a soil that is capable of retaining water. They are also used to big soaks with periods in between soakings where they dry out a bit before being watered again. And it means that Christmas cactuses take in a lot of their moisture from the humid air in which they live.
As you can see, their needs are quite a bit different than dry, hot desert sand. As such, they have higher water needs than most types of cacti. But they need a balanced approach that will not keep them too wet, either, and that allows them to take in moisture from the air.
How often do you water a Christmas cactus?
When to water your Christmas cactus:
In general, Christmas cactuses only need to be watered every two to three weeks. However, you should let your plant and its soil guide you.
Water your Christmas cactus when the top of the soil in the pot is dry. You shouldn't water your plant until the top one-third of the soil is dry (in the average-size pot, this would be about the top two inches of soil, though in bigger plants, it will be deeper).
Increase the frequency of watering while the plant is in bloom.
When your Christmas cactus starts budding and blooming, it will have higher water needs. The plant will be up taking more water, so it will dry out and require water more often. You should still do the “soil touch test” to decide when you give it water, though.
Things that can change your Christmas cactus watering schedule.
You know how it goes. Everyone’s home (or office or other plant location) is different. Some are warmer, some are drier, and some have more direct light. The quality and water retention abilities of your plant soil change watering frequency, too.
Where you place your Christmas cactus in your home can also change how quickly or how slowly it dries out. Plants closer to heat sources will dry out faster, while plants that are kept in cooler rooms or further away from heating units may need to be watered less frequently.
Cactus size and pot size can make a difference when it comes to watering. A larger pot might hold more water, but a larger pot is likely to have a larger plant, so it may also drink up that water faster.
The point is you can’t be rigid in your watering schedule. These factors can all make a difference. You may even find that plants in one room of your home need more or less water than plants in another or that larger plants need to be watered more often. The key is, again, to let the plant be the guide.
How Christmas cactuses like their water delivered.
Christmas cactuses need a good, thorough drink when they are watered. They should not be left in standing water, though.
When it is time to water your plant, either take the plant to the sink and water it or water it in place with a saucer under the plant. Water the pot just until water runs out of the bottom drainage holes. Then wait fifteen minutes for the pot to drain the rest of the way.
If you watered your Christmas cactus in the sink, you can now return it to its space. If you watered it in place, dump out any water that is in the bottom saucer under the plant.
Don’t leave pots in standing water.
Do not leave the pot sitting in pooled water. You do not want to leave water in the bottom as you do with other plants, or the soil will continue to soak up the excess water, and that will keep the roots too moist. This will cause buds to fall, blossoms to drop, and roots to rot, causing the plant to die.
Higher humidity helps Christmas cactus stay healthy and hold blossoms better.
If your Christmas cactus develops buds, but they fall off before they open, the problem is almost always a water and moisture issue. The issue can be too much water or not enough water. It can also be that the air in your home is too dry and isn’t humid enough. There are steps you can take to help remedy that situation.
- Increase humidity around the plant with a humidifier. We have some plant humidifier recommendations here, including recommendations for a non-electric, utility-free option.
- Place your Christmas cactus pot on top of a humidifying pebble tray (this project is easy to DIY).
- Use a whole-home or whole-room humidifier
- Move your cactus to a room with higher humidity, such as a kitchen or bathroom (in fact, Christmas cactuses often do well in bright, humid bathrooms).
- Mist your cactus regularly
Good watering gives easy-care Christmas Cactuses long life and brilliant blossoms.
Christmas cactuses are easy to care for and easy to bring back to bloom. You just need to know the right way to care for and water your Christmas cactus (it’s mostly in the watering). Most of us probably overdo it and overcomplicate it, but once you know what your Christmas cactus needs, you’ll find that it is an easy, low-maintenance plant to care for that will reward you with beautiful bright blooms year after year.
Katherine Wagner-Regula
This is such a great article on how to care for your Christmas Cactus. Now I know what I’ve been doing wrong with mine. I wasn’t watering enough and I will now get a nice mister to make my plants happy 😊
Mary Ward
That's great! Glad it helped! Happy blooming!
Sharon zemon
I love this artical..... sooooo excited I found it! Have been doing it wrong for years!!! So glad it likes me anyway and. Is still alive! Let's see what happens now! Only question I have is. What type of planter is best .... plastic , ceramic , clay .... and type of soil. I have kept it alive for 3 years .... don't want to lose it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
Mary Ward
Generally for a houseplant that like dry-ish spells in between I like clay/terracotta. It doesn't run the risk of holding too much water like plastic can. And a good potting soil that drains well is just fine. Mostly, if you follow the right watering schedule, the pot is less of an issue.
Judy Childs
I have a Christmas cactus that I can't get to bloom. The leaves are healthy and new ones still grow on it.
What can I do to get flowers to bloom on it?
Char
They require feeding prior to blooming
Mary Ward
Hi Judy. It is possible the cactus you have has an earlier or later bloom cycle and isn't naturally timed to bloom right at Christmas. Mine thinks of itself as more of a Thanksgiving or Valentine's Day cactus, haha! The plants also need a long period of close to dark at night. If the plant is in a brightly lit room, it might not be getting enough dark time in the evenings. These two articles should give you some insight and tell you how to manage the plant to trigger blossoming:
https://gardening.org/tips-to-get-a-christmas-cactus-to-bloom/
https://gardening.org/why-wont-my-christmas-cactus-bloom/
Deborah Zenz
Please tell me I have my father's Thanksgiving cactus. It blooms every year. It is very large strong. Is there anyway to to get the blooms to have color? They are almost pure white they were pink. The plant is over twenty years old. Thank you for your timr.
Mary Ward
Hmm. Have you tried repotting it in fresh potting soil? My first thought would be depleted fertilizers/components in the soil. Also, if it is in a very bright window in direct sunlight it might be fading the blossoms. My first instinct is to repot it and refresh the potting soil, though.
Mary Possemato
It tell so much and help with watering plants...
Susan Conrad
My plant was given to me and the soil is rock hard. It is healthy and blooms regularly. Should I repot it? It seems root bound. If so, what type of soil should I buy?
Mary Ward
If it seems solid then yes, it sounds like it is getting pretty root bound and might need a little bit bigger home and fresher soil. But Christmas cactuses need to feel a little squeezed and root bound in order to bloom. So even when you repot them, you want to only go up on pot size. Wait until after it blossoms, or you probably will not get blooms for the holidays. We covered repotting Christmas cactus here, so you might want to check this out:
https://gardening.org/christmas-cactus-after-care/#repotting-christmas-cactus
SueG
My Christmas cactus is usually outside from mid May until mid September, this year it stayed out until mid October. Now its blooming, with flowers and buds. I will have flowers for Thanksgiving, possibly Christmas, sometimes for my birthday in late January (just a few) and even a few for Valentines day. In other words my Christmas cactus has a mind of its own! I have a piece that broke off, I was able to root, plant and its also budding and blossoming. My care for plants is mostly ignoring them. I have them in the living room, near a slider. Every so often I leave my humidifier on for a period of over 4 hours. I live in senior housing, and prefer not to have the heat on, unless its freezing. My plants seem to be happy!
Kathy
Hello!
I inherited a Christmas cactus.
It received indirect sunlight and I water it weekly.
Stems / branches are falling off constantly.
Am I doing something wrong?
Mary Ward
It may not be drying out fast enough to need weekly watering. Stick your finger in the soil about one inch. Don't water until the top is dry and for an inch down. From the sounds of things, my guess is that it would be happier with less watering.
Bet
Why did the color of the flower change? When I inherited my Christmas cactus the flower was a deep pink, now they are a pale pink.
Mary Ward
This is usually from temperature changes. Your home may be warmer or cooler than where they previously lived.
This is what the University of Michigan says:
"you may notice that the flower colors are not quite the same as when you purchased the plant. Some cultivars exhibit different flower colors depending on the temperature during bud formation and growth. Lower temperatures can produce pink tones in white or yellow selections or deepen the color of already pink or red flowers. Nutrients available to the plant may also affect flower colors."
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/how_to_care_for_and_reflower_your_christmas_cactus#