Christmas cacti vs Thanksgiving cacti

[AbbysMom]

My Christmas Cactus always blooms around Thanksgiving. Apparently there is such a thing as a Thanksgiving Cactus and that's what I must have.

Thanksgiving Cacti Exist—And Yes, They're Different from Christmas Cacti

I had never heard of that before.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I couldn't get mine to bloom this year...

 

[rubysmama]

I've got 2 and they're both currently blooming. But Thanksgiving was in October in Canada!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

This is mine. Not even sure if it's healthy.

 

[Willowy]

Mine are going crazy right now. I have them in a north window at work, and they love it there. If I take them home they get sad . Not enough light I guess. I also have a couple Easter cacti but I just bought them this year so I don't know when they'll bloom naturally.

I think almost all the "Christmas" cacti I've seen must be Thanksgiving cacti. I don't think I've ever seen one with that kind of leaves.

 

[Willowy]

Here are mine. I have to pick the faded flowers off. You can see one of the Easter cacti next to the single one.

 

[rubysmama]

This is mine. Not even sure if it's healthy.

It looks healthy with all those green leaves! What kind of light does it get?

I have them in a north window at work, and they love it there.

Mine are in a north facing room as well, and I pretty much ignore them, other than watering them when I notice their leaves looking droopy, and they still bloom every year, and usually in November.

 

[Willowy]

Not even sure if it's healthy.

It's healthy! They look pretty sad when they aren't. But it probably needs more light to bloom. But not direct light. North-facing windows are best, or a South-facing window with a sheer curtain to diffuse the light.

 

[DreamerRose]

I don't know about the Thanksgiving thing. I have one flowering cactus. Last year, it didn't start budding until after Christmas and was still going at Easter. This year, the thing started blooming in October and is now fading. It's not going to make it to Christmas.

The shorter days of fall and winter trigger the blooming, so artificial light can really mess it up. That must be what happened to mine.

W Willowy - That pink/white one is just gorgeous. I've never seen one that color before.

 

[Willowy]

I know! Everyone asks where I got them, and it was just Sam's Club, lol. And all but one were the neglected leftovers that went on clearance.

 

[Winchester]

My Christmas cactus has to be going on 70 years old now. It belonged to my grandmother, who gave it to my mother, who then gave it to me. I had it at work, in a south-facing window with full sun and it bloomed like crazy. I always got 3 blooming periods: usually around the end of October into November, then mid-December into January, then a very brief blooming period in February. I don't feed it, but maybe I should since it blooms so often. It's such a pretty pink color.

Since I took it home to the shed, it's not been doing well. I doubt I'll get the February bloom as it's really had quite a shock, being taken out into the cold from the office to my shed, and now it's not getting the light that it got at work. But we'll see. I've been trying to baby it along a bit. This summer, I can put it outside on the shed deck for extra light.

Mom could never get the thing to bloom. It had scads of flowers for my grandmother, but as soon as Mom took it, it stopped blooming. She got so disgusted with it that she threw it outside. Then she felt sorry for it and brought it back into the house and kept it for years, even though it wouldn't bloom. One year, her caregiver took it home with her and set it in a sunny spot and it started blooming like crazy. Gave it back to Mom and it stopped blooming again. For some reason, that cactus did not like Mom!

I have some pictures somewhere and will look for them.

 

[AbbysMom]

I really ignore mine and yet it blooms every year -

 

[rubysmama]

My Christmas cactus has to be going on 70 years old now.

Wow!!! It must be huge!

I have some pictures somewhere and will look for them.

Would love to see pics.

 

[betsygee]

How interesting! I've always called this plant a Christmas cactus but I think it may be an Easter cactus. This is mine:



The flowers look like ones I found online of Easter cacti.

And it bloomed in mid-July this year.

 

[DreamerRose]

How interesting! I've always called this plant a Christmas cactus but I think it may be an Easter cactus. This is mine:

View attachment 310463

The flowers look like ones I found online of Easter cacti.

And it bloomed in mid-July this year.

That is stunning!

 

[betsygee]

That is stunning!

It really went crazy this year.

 

[Willowy]

Wow! I've never seen one blooming that much!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's an "Easter" cactus. They have spikier flowers.

 

[rubysmama]

How interesting! I've always called this plant a Christmas cactus but I think it may be an Easter cactus. This is mine:

Beautiful. And definitely different than the Thanksgiving/Christmas blooms.

 

[DreamerRose]

W Willowy - I found one of those pink/white cacti at the grocery store today for $4! I feel so lucky! It's got the red cactus mixed in, too, just like yours.

 

[betsygee]

The Easter cactus is starting to bloom again.