8 Must-Know Ways to Care for Your Christmas Cactus After It Blooms

With any luck, your Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera spp.) is covered with colorful flowers during the holidays. Once those flowers fade, the plant enters a rest period, followed by a new growth cycle. Knowing how to create the right conditions during this cycle, such as adjusting its water, light, and feeding, helps your plant recharge so it'll repeat its holiday performance year after year. Use these tips to properly care for your Christmas cactus after it blooms so it remains healthy and vibrant.

1. Deadhead Wilted Flowers

Over several weeks of blooming, older flowers fade as new ones open. Though the spent flowers may drop off on their own, it's easy to deadhead a Christmas cactus by pinching off the old flowers with your fingers. This helps keep the plant looking beautiful as more flowers continue opening.

2. Provide Bright, Indirect Light

After your Christmas cactus finishes flowering, place it near a west-, north-, or east-facing window that provides bright, indirect light. Keep in mind that Christmas cacti are native to southeast Brazil, where they grow naturally in the branches of tropical trees. The plants are shaded and surrounded by high humidity, so it’s important to avoid exposing a Christmas cactus to dry conditions and direct sunlight.

3. Keep Indoor Temperatures Consistent

When outdoor temperatures fluctuate, it’s often tempting to adjust the thermostat in your home. But if you want your Christmas cactus to remain healthy after it blooms, it’s best to maintain an indoor temperature between 60°F and 70°F. Keeping your plant away from radiators, fireplaces, and cold drafts is a crucial part of winter houseplant care, as it helps prevent the plant from dropping its flower buds.

4. Avoid Overwatering

Your Christmas cactus must receive enough water so that its potting soil doesn’t dry out, but not so much that the soil is wet. Overwatering can cause root rot. After a Christmas cactus stops flowering, typically in late winter, allow the top 3 inches of soil to dry before the next watering. During this period, the plant requires less watering while it’s not actively growing.

In the spring and summer, a Christmas cactus begins to actively grow. Water it when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. In the fall, when the cactus prepares for bloom season, water when the soil surface feels dry to the touch.

5. Fertilize at the Right Time

After the Christmas cactus is done blooming, it does not need to be fertilized because it’s not actively growing. When springtime rolls around, and you see the first signs of new stem growth on your plant, begin to fertilize your Christmas cactus once a month through the end of summer with a half-strength balanced fertilizer solution such as 10-10-10, diluted to half-strength.

6. Only Repot If Needed

A Christmas cactus grows best when it's slightly pot-bound. In fact, most Christmas cacti thrive for many years without being repotted. However, if the plant is clearly outgrowing its container, you’ll need to repot it. Delay repotting your Christmas cactus until spring or early summer when the plant is not blooming.

7. Consider Pruning

Even though it’s not necessary to prune a Christmas cactus, you can prune the plant if you want to improve its shape, keep it compact, give it a bushier look, improve its flowering, or propagate more plants. The right time to prune your Christmas cactus is in January or February, right after it finishes blooming.

8. Move It Outdoors in the Summer

You can boost blooming by moving your Christmas cactus outdoors to a sheltered, part-shade location for the summer. Just keep in mind that a Christmas cactus is only winter hardy in USDA Zones 10-12. Freezing temperatures damage or kill the plant. Make sure to move your Christmas cactus outdoors only after nighttime temperatures are at least 60°F and bring the plant indoors before temperatures drop below 50°F at the end of the summer.