Houseplants can filter toxins and pollutants in stale indoor air and replace carbon dioxide with oxygen. Even though almost any plant can do this, some plants are better than others, especially when it comes to having them in your home.

Philodendrons and spider plants are the best for removing formaldehyde, while daisies and chrysanthemums filter out benzene. But make sure you talk with an expert before purchasing any plants to determine whether or not they pose a danger to children or pets, and if the plant prefers the sun or the shade.

A good rule of thumb is to have one houseplant for every one hundred square feet of living space. For more information, check out our article on Best Houseplants to Improve Indoor Air Quality.

Related posts:

• Best Houseplants to Improve Indoor Air Quality
• Reducing Indoor Air Pollution in Your Home
• Improving Indoor Air Quality with Ventilation

Now that the weather’s getting cooler, my houseplants are beginning to protest a little – they know that they belong in the tropics, and they’re not too keen on spending their winters in an artificially heated climate. I can identify with that!

Try the following to help plants cope with the cold:

• Go Slow: Growth slows down in the winter, so stop fertilizing houseplants and reduce watering until spring growth resumes.
• Cold Damage: Low light plants in northern windows can get too cold. Move them to a sunny eastern or southern exposure until spring. On freezing nights, keep foliage from touching cold window glass.
• Boost Humidity: Everything seems a little dried out after the lush, humid summer. Even though you can reduce watering in the winter, a humidifier or pebble tray helps keep tropical plants from suffering in a dry, heated house.
• Heat damage: Move plants away from heat sources, including fireplaces and heating registers.

During the coldest part of winter, I often gather my houseplants into a makeshift “tropical paradise,” by grouping them in the sunniest window with a humidifier nearby and a closed door to hold in the sun’s warmth. It makes a nice getaway for me, too.

I also give my plants permission to draw in on themselves and dream away the winter. Something I plan to do as well!

Related posts:

• Tips on Bringing Houseplants Indoors for the Winter
• Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Houseplants
• Can I Plant Trees and Shrubs in Late Fall or Winter?

Find out how household products from baby shampoo and corn syrup to sugar and soft drinks can be used to nurture plants and improve the soil in your garden.

Related posts:

• How to Clean Your Home Naturally Using Common Household Products

The weather’s getting cooler, and if you sent your houseplants indoors for a summer vacation, now’s the time to settle them indoors before winter sets in.

Here are some tips for bringing your plants indoors:

• Watch the weather: To be on the safe side, get your plants indoors before nighttime temperatures dip below 50° F.
• Use warm days: To reduce shock, try to bring plants in before you start running your furnace – warm fall days are perfect for opening and cleaning windows and getting your plants settled inside.
• Transition gradually: Spend about two weeks acclimating plants to the lower light and humidity levels indoors. Move them first to a shady spot outside, then start bringing them in just at night, then put them in the brightest window for a while before moving them to their winter homes.



• Eliminate pests: Inspect plants for pests, and treat them before bringing them inside. Wash the leaves (tops and bottoms) with a mild soap solution or a blast of water from the hose, to get rid of aphids, mites, and spiders. Then submerge the pots in a tub of water for half an hour or so, to force out any creepy crawlies that might have burrowed into the soil.
• Clean pots: While you’ve got out the soap and water, scrub the outsides of pots and drainage trays, too.
• Quarantine: Overlooked insects and diseases can multiply rapidly indoors. Keep a close eye on your plants, and keep them away from your other indoor plants until you’re sure they’re healthy.
• Shape up: If your plants sprawled out of control this summer, now’s the time to give them a pruning. Repot only if severely rootbound, otherwise wait until spring.
• Reduce watering: Reduce watering to your normal indoor schedule since your plants won’t dry out as quickly as they did outside.
• Lower feeding: Reduce fertilizing, and stop feeding completely when plants go dormant. Resume fertilizing when they start growing again in the spring.
• Expect fallout: Don’t be surprised if your plants probably drop a few leaves as they adjust to less light, and their growth slows or stops over the winter.

Related posts:

• How to Help Houseplants Cope With Winter
• How to Force Spring Branches to Bloom Indoors
• Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Houseplants

“I live in a basement apartment and only have two windows. What are your recommendations for growing houseplants in low light conditions?” -Amy

For low light conditions, a general guideline is to choose plants with darker foliage. The dark green color means that the plants are very efficient at photosynthesis and can get by on less sunlight. Here are some plants particularly well-suited to low light conditions:

• Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
• Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonemia)
• Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
• Philodendron (Philodendron sp.)
• Pothos (Raphidophora aurea)
• Snake Plant (Sanseveria trifasciata)

Some gardeners make the mistake of thinking that extra fertilizer can make up for the lack of sunlight, and they end up feeding and watering their low-light houseplants to death. Truth is, plants in low light use less water, and fewer nutrients, than plants in a brighter setting, so they’ll actually be happier if you treat them with a mild level of neglect.

Allow the plants to dry out somewhat between waterings, and feed them only about once a month during the growing season. Don’t let them get soggy, moldy, or too dusty, and don’t expect them to grow very rapidly – low-light plants are experts at conservation.

Related posts:

• Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Houseplants
• Best Houseplants to Improve Indoor Air Quality
• Tips on Bringing Houseplants Indoors for the Winter

Growing flowers in pots is a very satisfying way to brighten up your porch or yard, and it’s a great way to get started with gardening. Here’s everything you need to know to get going.

The container itself is part of the design.

Shopping List

Here’s what you’ll need to get started planting containers.

• A flower pot with drainage holes in the bottom: There are all sorts of materials available – pick what you like in a size you can handle (remember that it will be heavy when filled with soil and watered!). Water must be able to drain out, or your plants will drown. If you want to use a decorative planter that doesn’t have drainage holes, plant your flowers in an inexpensive pot that does drain, and sit it in the planter on top of a little gravel.
• A bag of potting mix for containers: Potting mix is lightweight and rich in nutrients, and some kinds have fertilizer already mixed in. Don’t use soil from your yard – it’s too heavy.
• Gravel, broken pottery, stones, or packing peanuts: Put in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil from washing out.
• All-purpose plant food: Optional.
• Flowering Plants: The most important part!

Purple angelonia, white portulaca, and yellow coreopsis provide contrast.

Choosing Flowers

The best flowers for containers can be found in the “annual” or “bedding plants” section of the garden center. While they only live one summer, they’ll bloom the entire season. Other flowering plants (such as perennials, bulbs, and shrubs) may be blooming beautifully right now, but the flowers will be gone in a few weeks. Read the labels to be sure your chosen spot offers the right light and temperature conditions for the plants.

Some popular container plants include:

                Marigolds

• African daisies
• Angelonia
• Begonias
• Ferns
• Geraniums
• Gerbera daisies
• Herbs
• Impatiens
• Ivy
• Marigolds
• Perennials (ivy, coreopsis, or grasses)
• Petunias
• Portulaca
• Sweet potato vine
• Verbena
• Vinca
• Zinnias

Container Design

Here are some ideas for designing your container:

      New Guinea Impatiens

• Single Accent: Fill a container with the same type of flower for a bright pop of solid color. A pot full of red geraniums is always a cheerful option for a sunny spot, or pink impatiens for a shady porch, or trailing petunias flowing out of a hanging basket. Another option is to choose just one large plant, such as Boston fern or tropical hibiscus, for a more formal look. Larger plants often come pre-planted and ready to enjoy.

            Portulaca mix

• Multicolor: You can also put several different varieties and colors of the same plant together. This gives you more color while keeping a fairly uniform shape and texture. Some plants (such as zinnias, portulaca, impatiens, and petunias) even come packaged as a “mix,” with a variety of different colors in the same tray. Be sure you can tell what colors you’re getting, so you can distribute them evenly in the container.

  Spikes or grasses add height

• Mixed: If you’re feeling more adventurous, try a mixed container. A well-planned mixed container has varieties of height and color. If you’ve never put together a mixed planter, you can’t go wrong with this basic formula: tall plants for height, bushy ones for width, and trailing plants that spill over the edges. Most any annual flowers can be planted together in the same pot, so be creative! Choose colors and textures you like that compliment each other.

Buying Plants

You’ll need enough plants to fill the container, with a couple of inches between them. Plants come in different sizes, and while smaller plants will take longer to fill out, any size is fine.

Begonias are a popular choice for containers.

How to Plant Containers

Now it’s time for the fun part – planting your flowers!

• Start by putting about an inch of gravel or stones in the bottom of the pot, then fill the pot about two-thirds full with potting mix.
• Sit the plants in the container and decide on your arrangement. You can either do a round design (tallest plants in the center and shorter or trailing plants around the edges), or a front-facing design (tall plants in back and shorter ones in front).



• Gently remove your plants from their pots. If the plant is stuck, squeeze the pot a little to help push it out – never yank on the stem. Disturb the roots as little as possible, but if they are a hard-packed ball you can loosen them a little with your fingers. Then nestle the plants in the soil, keeping an eye on the depth to make sure they will be planted at the same level they were in their original pot.

• Add soil between the plants, firming it gently with your fingers. Be careful not to press hard enough to break the plants.
• Make sure everything is at the same level with no roots showing.
• Move your container to its chosen spot, and water the plant thoroughly until water runs out the bottom.
• Now, step back and admire your handiwork!

Caring for Containers

• Water your container every 2-3 days. In the heat of summer, you may need to water it every day.
• If you want to feed your plants, use an all-purpose or bloom-boosting plant food every couple of weeks according to package instructions.
• As you water, remove spent blooms to encourage more blooming – a practice called deadheading. Don’t just pull off the dead petals – actually pinch off the little stem beneath the flower.
• If your plants are looking spindly, pinch off the tips of the stems to stimulate them to produce more branches.

A single large tropical hibiscus makes a dramatic container plant.

Related posts:

• Perennial Flower Garden Basics

Growing houseplants is a great way to start gardening while enhancing the beauty of your home. Like any other gardening endeavor, indoor gardens can be as simple or elaborate as you would like. Here are some general guidelines to help get you started.

Dracaena comes in many varieties and is easy to grow.

Choose Plants Wisely

The first step is to choose healthy, actively growing plants with no signs of disease or distress. Start with plants that are forgiving, rather than ones with special needs. Some suggestions for easy to grow houseplants are:

• Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
• Philodendron (Philodendron sp.)
• Dracaena (Dracaena sp.)
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
• Snake plant (Sanseveria sp.)
• Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
• Peperomia (Peperomia sp.)
• Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
• Diffenbachia (Dieffenbachia sp.)

Most houseplants like bright, indirect or filtered light.

Light and Location

In general, the best place for houseplants is a bright window that gets direct sun only part of the day. Houseplants like light, but most don’t necessarily like to bake in the sunshine. Check the plant’s label and follow the instructions about light requirements. Some tips:

• High or Direct Light: Sunny windows facing south or southwest.
• Medium or Indirect Light: East facing windows, and spots in bright rooms away from the windows.
• Low Light: North-facing windows and darker rooms.

Plants with darker leaves can usually tolerate less light.

Temperature

Houseplants are usually tropical plants, so it’s important for your indoor environment to mimic these conditions as much as possible. In general, your houseplants will do best when:

• Temperatures are between 65° – 75° F during the day.
• Night temperatures are no more than 10° cooler. Most tropical plants begin to suffer below 55°.
• There are no sudden large temperature changes. Keep plants away from drafts, heat registers, fireplaces, and cold winter window glass.

Peperomia is another easy houseplant with bright, variegated foliage.

Humidity

Houseplants like humidity, particularly in the winter when indoor air is so dry. Humidity around your plants can be increased by:

• Grouping plants together.
• Placing plants on a pebble tray.
• Using a humidifier.
• Lightly misting plants with water.

In the winter, you may want to group them together in a warm, humid bathroom or kitchen, then move them back to their regular locations in the spring.

Potting mix is lighter than regular soil.

Pots and Soil

The pot is your plant’s entire world, so it’s important that it is the right size and type, with good soil that drains properly and has plenty of nutrients. Here are some tips for keeping your plants healthy in pots:

• Size: Houseplants need the right size pot. Too big, and the mass of moist soil can rot the roots. Too small, and the crowded roots will starve. Most of the time, your purchased houseplant will be okay in its present pot for a year or so. Many houseplants benefit from being repotted every couple of years. Each time you repot, go up just one pot size (an inch or so bigger).
• Drainage: Your plants need to drain excess water, so choose a pot with holes in the bottom, and put a layer of gravel in the pot before adding soil. Put the pot on a drainage tray or inside a larger decorative planter or bowl.
• Soil: Houseplants need well-draining, nutrient-rich soil. Use a packaged houseplant potting mix – garden soil is too heavy for most plants. Specialized soil is available for specific plants (such as cacti, orchids, and African violets), but in most cases a general indoor potting mix will do.

Water houseplants without splashing the foliage.

Water

Watering can be a touchy aspect of indoor gardening. Some plants like more or less water than others, some are sensitive to wet foliage, and some plants’ water needs change seasonally. As you experiment with new houseplants, you’ll become familiar with each plant’s water requirements and growing cycle. In the beginning, though, here’s what to do:

• Once a week, visit your plants with a watering can. Stick your finger about half an inch into the dirt. If the dirt feels dry, then water. If it’s moist, then wait.
• Water your plants by carefully adding water until a little runs out the bottom into the drainage tray.
• Don’t get water on the foliage.
• Don’t let your plant sit in water, particularly if it’s in a decorative planter where it could drown.
• In the winter, cut back on watering to perhaps every 10 days to two weeks. Winter tap water can be very cold – use room-temperature water to avoid shock to your plants.
• If your plant needs more water, it’ll let you know by looking droopy. Overwatering can make a plant unhappy, too, so be sure to water only when needed.

Choose a balanced fertilizer for most plants.

Fertilizer and Plant Food

During the growing season (spring through early fall, for most plants), houseplants benefit from a little extra food. There are different types of houseplant fertilizer:

• Instant powders that are mixed with water.
• Premixed liquids that are added when you water your plants.
• Slow-release pellets or spikes that are applied every few months.

Start out with a basic balanced, all-purpose plant food in whatever form suits you. As you become more experienced, you may want to use specialized products for specific plants. Follow the instructions on the package carefully as too much fertilizer can kill your plant.

Pothos is a fast grower that can tolerate neglect.

Housekeeping

Your plants will benefit from a bit of housekeeping. As you water, you can also:

• Gently wipe dust and pollen off the leaves.
• Remove dead, brown, or yellow leaves (a few dead leaves are normal).
• Remove spent blooms (also called deadheading).
• Pinch back leggy-looking stems to help them branch out.
• Rotate plants to help them grow evenly.
• Inspect for insects and diseases. If you spot anything growing (or crawling) on your plants, first spray the plant with a little soapy water and gently wipe clean. If that doesn’t work, visit your garden center for a houseplant spray. Take a problem leaf, or a description of the insect, with you to find the right product.

Snake plant has brightly colored foliage.

Further Information

• Troubleshooting and Solving Houseplant Problems
• Best Houseplants for Beginners

Related posts:

• How to Grow Houseplants in Low Light Conditions
• How to Improve Indoor Air Quality with Houseplants
• Tips on Bringing Houseplants Indoors for the Winter

For most tropical houseplants, the minimum recommended temperature is around 55° F, although it really depends on the plant. Some plants respond to colder temperatures by slowing growth or going dormant, which means they may recover when temperatures warm. They will likely not survive temperatures below freezing.

For overwintering tender or sub-tropical landscape plants, temperature tolerance varies widely depending on the plant. Check the plant’s hardiness zone to determine the minimum recommended temperature for that plant. It would also be helpful to determine if the plant is “root-hardy” at colder temperatures, which means the top of the plant will die back while the roots or bulbs survive. Such plants may be stored in a dormant state and replanted in the spring.

Even if your greenhouse is unheated, it can be a great way to get a head start on spring plantings, or to overwinter plants that otherwise might be suited to a warmer hardiness zone.

Further Information

• Hardy Vs. Tender Bulbs
• How to Store Tender Bulbs Over the Winter

Related posts:

• Pushing the Limits of Your Planting Zone
• How to Spruce Up a Summer Garden with Tropical Plants
• How to Store Tender Bulbs Over the Winter

We all remember learning in science class that plants “breathe” by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, which is why forests are so important in maintaining the delicate balance of the earth’s atmosphere. But did you know that certain tropical houseplants can also remove and process other, more harmful, chemicals from the air inside your home?

Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’

Toxic Chemicals in Household Air

Homes and office buildings today are often more polluted than the outdoors. Modern buildings are tightly sealed and insulated to make them energy efficient, and they’re also full of synthetic materials that emit harmful gases and chemicals into the air. The result is a sealed bubble of unclean air that can lead to what is known as “Sick Building Syndrome.” Some of the most common indoor pollutants are:

• Formaldehyde: Commonly used in a number of items including particle board, pressed wood, foam insulation, cleaning products, and treated paper or fabric. If your home or office contains particle-board furniture, grocery bags, tissues, paper towels, or anything that has been treated to make it stiffer, wrinkle-resist, fire retardant, or water-repellent, then you’re likely to have formaldehyde in the air.
• Benzene: A solvent used in manufacturing paints, inks, plastics, rubber, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and detergents.
• Trichloroethane: Can be found in adhesives, varnishes, paints, and used in dry-cleaning.

At the very least, chemicals like these can irritate the eyes and skin, lead to allergic reactions, and cause headaches. At worst, they’ve been linked to more serious problems including asthma, cancer, anemia, organ damage, and birth defects. Given the pervasive presence of these chemical in our homes, it can be difficult to create an environment that is free of them.

Ficus tree (Ficus benjamina)

Research by NASA and ALCA

In the late 1980s, a two-year research study was conducted by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) to investigate ways to create healthy, breathable environments in outer space. They found that certain tropical plants, commonly used as houseplants, were quite effective in removing formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethane from the air and replacing it with breathable oxygen.

All plants provide some benefit to air quality, but their research showed that tropical plants (grown as houseplants in cooler climates) are particularly effective at processing gases and chemicals. Because they grow in dense rainforests with very little light, they have evolved to be very efficient at photosynthesis, which includes the absorption of gases from the air. In addition, as plants transpire (emit water from the leaves), air is drawn down around the roots, where root microbes quickly adapt and begin “eating” the harmful chemicals that are absorbed.

The result was a list of recommended plants for reducing toxic chemicals in indoor environments. Most are common houseplants that you should be able to find at your local garden center. Two of the recommended plants (Gerbera Daisy and Pot Mum) are ornamental blooming plants that are frequently brought indoors for seasonal decorations.

Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron scandens ‘Oxycardium’)

Top Plants for Reducing Indoor Air Pollution

• Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
• Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
• Dracaena (Dracaena sp.). Especially Red-Edged Dracaena (Dracaena marginata), Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’), Warneckii (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’), and Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘massangeana’)
• English Ivy (Hedera helix)
• Ficus, or Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
• Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
• Golden Pothos (Epipiremnum aureum)
• Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
• Philodendron (Philodendron sp), particularly Heartleaf (Philodendron scandens ‘oxycardium’), Selloum (Philodendron selloum), and Elephant Ear Philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
• Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
• Snake Plant, or Mother-In-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
• Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

For best results, have at least one six-inch plant for every 100 square feet.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)

Other Benefits of Indoor Plants

Of course a home or office building cannot exactly mimic the controlled conditions of a research lab, but it is clear that having plenty of healthy houseplants leads to a healthier home. In addition to processing carbon dioxide and harmful chemicals, houseplants improve indoor air quality by:

• Helping to maintain humidity levels: Dry indoor air is blamed for a host of respiratory problems, particularly in the winter, and plants emit water vapor during transpiration.
• Producing negative ions: Plant leaves produce negative ions, similar to many air purifying machines. Negative ions attach themselves to (and effectively remove) particles such as dust, mold spores, bacteria, and allergens. The presence of negative ions is credited for increasing psychological health, productivity, and overall well-being.

A variegated form of English Ivy (Hedera helix)

The Other Side of the Debate

Some researchers, including the EPA Indoor Air Division, remain unconvinced that houseplants are the answer to cleaning indoor air. The reasons for their doubt include:

• Houseplants should not be your only defense against indoor air pollution. Instead, pollution should be eliminated at its source by reducing the amount of synthetic material in your home or office, and by making sure buildings are well ventilated.
• The average home or office building is different from a controlled research lab, so it’s difficult to determine if the results translate to the real world, or how many plants are needed to get the same effect. While no one disagrees that plants process chemicals in the air, their exact rates and effectiveness are hard to prove outside the lab setting. Some critics believe it might take hundreds of houseplants to get the same results as the NASA/ALCA study.
• Too many plants can raise humidity levels too high, which could lead to mold and bacteria growth throughout the building. Indoor humidity levels should stay between 35%-65% to avoid turning your home into a “greenhouse.”
• Moist soil breeds bacteria, mold, and mildew. Don’t overwater your plants, and help control mold by “mulching” your houseplants with a one-inch layer of fine gravel or other porous material.

Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’)

Further Information

• Clean the Air in Your Home with House Plants
• Living Filter: Do Houseplants Really Improve Indoor Air?
• The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality (EPA)
• Wolverton Environmental Services
• How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Plants That Purify Your Home or Office by Dr. B.C. Wolverton

Related posts:

• How to Improve Indoor Air Quality with Houseplants
• Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Houseplants
• How to Grow Houseplants in Low Light Conditions

A popular gift to brighten the colder months, the group of plants known as “Holiday Cactus” get their names because of their ability (with a little help) to bloom during holiday seasons. Most popular are Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), and Easter Cactus (Hatiora gaertneri), with many hybrids and colors available.

These plants are easy to grow and are often passed down through the generations – my first one came from my mother, who got it from her mother. With holiday cactus, the million-dollar question isn’t how to grow it, but how to make it bloom. With a little extra attention during the fall months, you can have your plants blooming for the holidays.

About Holiday Cactus

The name “cactus” is a little misleading, as these plants are not related to the spiny, fleshy cacti we know and love. Instead, they are “epiphytes,” which means that they nestle in the high branches of rainforest trees, taking their nutrition from pockets of decaying plant matter and adapting to the water shortages as rain quickly drains away. Many orchids and bromeliads are also epiphytes. This growth habit makes these plants more adapted to the somewhat drier conditions and filtered sunlight of the tropical tree canopy, which helps them live as houseplants in temperate climates.

The blooms of holiday cactus come in many colors, including white, pink, red, purple, and salmon-orange. Older plants will have long, arching stems that make them well-suited to hanging baskets or plant stands.

Holiday Cactus Grower’s Calendar

Don’t be intimidated by the word “calendar,” since these plants actually thrive on benign neglect. They need very little in the way of nutrients, occasional watering, and can even be stowed away in a cool spare room. Nevertheless, these monthly tips will help your plant thrive and bloom on demand.

• January: If you received a holiday cactus as a gift, you get to start out easy. Let your plant rest for about a month after blooming. Keep it in a cool spot with indirect light, and water it sparingly until growth starts.
• February: Starting now through April, you can repot your holiday cactus if needed. They like to be root-bound, so try to resist the urge unless you feel the plant is suffering due to poor soil.
• March: When new growth begins, you can pinch or prune your plant. These cuttings can be rooted to make more plants!
• April – September: This is the plant’s growing season. If you wish, you can feed it every few weeks with an all-purpose plant food with a 1-1-1 ratio. If you move it outdoors, keep it in a cool, shady spot. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry (no more than once a week), but only water enough to moisten the root ball – do not repeatedly soak the plant, and don’t leave water in the drainage tray.



• September – October: This is the more critical time for ensuring your holiday cactus will bloom. Beginning in September, put your holiday cactus in a cool room (ideally around 50° F) with indirect bright light for 10-12 hours and total darkness for 12-14 hours. “Total darkness” means just that – no daylight, and no artificial light, either. You can easily achieve this by moving your plants in and out of a dark closet, or by covering them with a thick fabric cover – just take care that the cover doesn’t break the plant. They’ll need these conditions for 6-8 weeks to ensure flower bud formation. Stop fertilizing, and reduce watering to keep the soil just barely moist (once every couple of weeks).
• November – December: When your plant is full of flower buds, you can stop the light-dark routine and bring your plant out to be enjoyed. Resume moderate watering. The cooler the location, the longer the blooms will last!

Holiday Cactus Tips

• Don’t expose these plants to freezing temperatures! Despite their love of cooler temperatures, they are still tropical plants that won’t withstand freezing conditions.
• They like about 50-60% humidity, which can be achieved using a pebble tray.
• Never place your holiday cactus near a heat register, exterior door, or drafty window, and keep it out of burning sunlight.
• Holiday cactus can easily be propagated by cuttings. Pinch off a section of stem that has 2-3 jointed segments. Let the cuttings dry for a few hours, then push them in a small pot with the same planting mix as the adult plant. Treat the cuttings just like an adult plant, and within a few weeks they’ll be rooted and growing.
• Don’t fall into the trap of constantly repotting into a bigger pot. Holiday cactus likes to be root-bound, and repotting every 2-3 years (even back into the same pot) is plenty. If you repot, use a sterile, well-draining potting soil such as those packaged for African violets, orchids, or bromeliads.

Further Information

• www.schlumbergera.org
• Growing Holiday Cacti, Iowa State University

Related posts:

• Confessions of a Cactus Killer
• Beginner’s Guide to Caring for Houseplants
• How to Grow Houseplants in Low Light Conditions