Thanksgiving Cactus
4.6 out of 5 (280 experiences)
Survivor
Fast grower
About Thanksgiving Cactus
Did you know plants in the Schlumbergera genus are actually leafless? Instead of leaves, they use modified stems to capture sunlight! Unlike the Easter cactus, this species flowers in the later autumn or winter. They also have pointed wings at the corners, where its counterpart has more rounded edges. In the wild, they are epiphytes, meaning they grow on tree branches or rocks! 🌳 🪨
Taxonomy
Schlumbergera truncata
Schlumbergera
Cactaceae
Caryophyllales
Also known as
False Christmas Cactus, False Christmas Cactus, Holiday Cactus, Crab Cactus and False Christmas Cactus 'Thanksgiving'
How to care for Thanksgiving Cactus
How often to water your Thanksgiving Cactus
every 9
Thanksgiving Cactus needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for False Christmas Cactus in your home
a window
Thanksgiving Cactus can tolerate being far from a window and light source.
Place it less than 6 feet from a south-facing window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Thanksgiving Cactus in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Thanksgiving Cactus
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Thanksgiving Cactus after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Ya’ll Idid somthing bad Greg says to pour that much water and I may have over watered it will it die I just recently received this plant from my grandmother as inheritance and this plant reminds me of her help! ☹️😭❤️
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Not turning green even with decreased bright light #thanksgivingcactus
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away from too much light, still very red #thanksgivingcactus
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How often do you fertilize the Christmas cactus? #thanksgivingcactus
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When does a false cactus need dark to promote blooming? #thanksgivingcactus
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The end of the stems are browning. What needs to happen? #thanksgivingcactus
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Was really winging it on these false Christmas cactus props, they sat to dry for 2 weeks and they were looking sad, I stuck them into some soil and checked them yesterday…. They’re rooting!! Succulents are the hardest for me to get to thrive. (See my poor little aloe that’s been hanging on for dear life for years now in the background lol) they’re in succulent mix, but I’ve been putting a thin layer of coco coir at the top of the pot for aesthetics lol. Please send some good vibes her way I’d love to see some blooms someday #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #NewGrowth #PropagationStation #SucculentLove #PlantTherapy #TheWateringHole
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Update! It's been a day, I'm sure this was happening before I got the cactus, but I'm seeing some happy green!! He's under a timed grow light and got watered yesterday. #happyplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantaddict #christmascactus #plantcorner
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Adding another to my Christmas Cactus collection! Absolutely love the color! #happyplants #christmascactus #plantaddict
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I need help!! My great grandmother's holiday cactus is not doing well. 120+ yrs old I was gifted Eulah (named after my great grandmother) 5 months ago. No matter where iv placed her she looses segments. Idk what else to do to save this family heirloom. She's in cactus soil, has a grow light, humidity at night and a terracotta pot. When I brought her home I repotted her into the terracotta bc im afraid of over watering her. At this point she's dying no matter what I do or don't do. I need help! Thanks so much in advance
Care Summary for Thanksgiving Cactus
Thanksgiving Cactus
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 6ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Survivor 187
Fast grower 98
Blooms easily 88
Easy to propagate 86
Large, lush leaves 29
Pest magnet 5
Browns easily 2
04/01/2022
Such an amazing plant!! Can get a little leggy and has inconsistent blooming, but overall nearly impossible to kill and very rewarding when it does decide to bloom. ♥️
Fast grower
Blooms easily
Easy to propagate
Survivor
03/20/2022
Easy to grow. Not fussy. Can take drought conditions.
Blooms easily
Survivor
03/19/2022
It blooms in the winter, with small colorful dots which turn into big colorful blooms.
Fast grower
03/06/2022
I find the Cece.Helmers@gmail.com’s to be easy to grow. Blooms, well that’s different. Mine requires complete darkness for about 7 days then it will bloom.
Easy to propagate
02/27/2022
One of my long time friends
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
02/05/2022
It’s incredibly sensitive!!! It likes room temperature and not direct light and not to be moved around a lot.
01/23/2022
Find these to be tricky. Mine dropped all its buds when I brought it home. Evidently they don’t like changing environments. Settled in now but all blooms for the holidays were wiped out. Better luck this year.
01/18/2022
my grandmother had one, I have one
Survivor
01/10/2022
This is another new plant of mine which I had never seen before but decided to rescue it and it has plenty of flowers that will be ready to bloom soon
Blooms easily
Easy to propagate
12/29/2021
Very easy to prop but medium rate of growth using grow lights. Overall a very cute plant that’s pretty simple to care for though- just have to watch out for underwatering as the plant wrinkles up
Easy to propagate
Survivor
12/27/2021
Very pretty when it blooms! Fun even when it’s not!
Blooms easily
12/11/2021
Blooms in fall/winter 🍂🌸
Fast grower
Blooms easily
12/10/2021
Only blooms for a short time.
Survivor
Easy to propagate
12/05/2021
Can’t get to bloom for nothing. But easy to continue to grow lol
Survivor
12/04/2021
Water sparingly
Survivor
Large, lush leaves
11/21/2021
They seem to like to be neglected
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Blooms easily
11/18/2021
Love it so much
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
11/16/2021
Gorgeous showy red blooms in November brighten up the room.
Blooms easily
Survivor
10/23/2021
Likes indirect light!
Easy to propagate
Survivor
10/23/2021
Very cute and grows really well, easy to maintain :)
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