What it Means When Christmas Cactus is Blooming in June
Christmas cactus is known to bloom from December to January, allowing the owners to enjoy beautiful flowers during the winter holiday. This short-day plant typically blooms in response to changes in light and temperature.
So, why is my Christmas cactus blooming in June?
The Christmas cactus can bloom any time of the year if overexposed to prolonged periods of darkness and cool temperatures. Some hybrid plant varieties may also have a unique blooming cycle from the usual fall-winter.
Christmas cactus is blooming in June – Reasons
A Christmas cactus typically blooms when daylights are shorter, and temperatures are cool, usually in late fall or early winter. However, a few cases exist when a Christmas cactus may bloom in June.
First, if your Christmas cactus is exposed to prolonged periods of darkness and probably cool temperatures, then it will definitely start blooming, irrespective of the time of the year. As you know, this is commonly done to get a Christmas cactus to bloom.
Cutting back on watering and fertilizer also forces a Christmas cactus into dormancy. If you haven’t watered and fed your cactus for a while, it’s likely to switch to survival mode and start producing flower buds.
Some hybrid varieties of the Christmas cactus have unique genetic makeup, which makes them bloom mid-year.
There is also a possibility that you are confusing your Easter cactus with a Christmas cactus. In most stores, all holiday cacti plants are labeled “Christmas cactus.” This confusion usually manifests when the plants fail to bloom as expected.
Christmas cactus vs. Easter cactus
Generally, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a Thanksgiving cactus, a Christmas cactus, and an Easter cactus, especially if you are a starter.
Apart from their blooming behavior, you can tell the difference between the holiday cacti plants from the shape of their leaves.
A Christmas cactus has scalloped projections on the leaf. Easter cactus has smoother rounded leaf edges, sometimes with few hairs. Thanksgiving cactus has pointed and claw-like projections on the edges of the leaf.
Additionally, the Easter cactus flowers are more star-shaped, unlike those of the Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus, which are tubular.
Holiday cacti are short-day plants native to the rainforests of Brazil, where they grow as epiphytes (on branches of other trees). They thrive in bright indirect light and don’t like wet or soggy soils.
Final Thought
Christmas cactus blooming in April, May, or June is quite unusual unless it’s a hybrid variety with unique genetic makeup. Hower a Christmas cactus may bloom any time of the when exposed to drought conditions, prolonged darkness, and cool temperatures.
Generally, to get your Christmas to bloom around the winter holidays, keep it in absolute darkness for 12 to 14 hours of darkness for six to eight weeks. During this period, cut back on watering and do not fertilize the plant.
References:
- Iowa State University: Is it a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter Cactus?
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Growing Easter Cactus
- University of Minnesota Extension: Easter Cactus Brings Spring Color Indoors
My name is Diane M Lewik, and I am the founder of this website. I am a degree holder in plant biology from the University of California – Berkeley. Over years, I have cultivated a vast collection of succulents and I have learned a great deal about how to grow and care for these unique plants.
