Hello new Christmas Cactus owner! Congratulations on your recent family addition of your new plant. Do you remember seeing a big healthy Christmas Cactus at your Grandparents’ house, or maybe your mom or dad had one? Do you want to blow your family and friends minds with the healthiest Christmas Cactus they’ve ever seen (and get all the praise for how green your thumb is)?! You came to the right blog.

How to care for your Christmas Cactus like a rock star

Let’s first cover the basic care of a Christmas Cactus. Hey, they’re pretty darn easy (but don’t worry, I won’t tell your family, it’ll be our secret). One thing to remember is they don’t really like cactus conditions! Ha! Isn’t that funny? So if you have a cactus, don’t treat your Christmas Cactus the same way.

Christmas Cactuses like less light then other Cacti (btw: Cacti is the plural word for Cactus so I don’t have to say Cactuses). They prefer a bright location, but not direct light. Too much light will cause them to turn yellow and burn their leaves a bit – (houses with north and east facing windows – you have the p.e.r.f.e.c.t. home for these babies).

Watering. These guys like to be moist in the spring and summer, and they like to dry out between watering in the fall and winter. They do not like wet feet (roots). And yes, moist is totally different than wet. How? It’s like putting lotion on your hands or feet. Think of how your hands and feet feel after applying a lovely cream: nice and moist. Compare that to when you stick your hands and feet in a bucket of water. That’s wet!

One other quick thing to mention is that Christmas Cactuses do like humidity. So if you’re located in (let’s just say) Northern Alberta, having a pebble tray under your planter is a great idea. A pebble tray is made from rocks on a tray that you add water to. This water can evaporate and give your plant humidity.

The pretty bits