Christmas cactusIgnore a holiday cactus, and prepare to be amazed at the blooms. And now's the time to start ignoring it, if what you want is flowers for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.
Mid-October is about the latest you should get started for winter blooms. Make sure the plant will get at least 12 to 14 hours of darkness daily. Hold off on watering and feeding while it's shut away. After six to eight weeks, the plant will respond by producing flower buds galore. Keep it in the dark until buds appear.
"Make them think they're going to die, and they start reproducing," says Carol Savonen, a garden and science writer at Oregon State University. She has successfully ignored her cactuses in fall for many years. Then she takes them out, "but not into a really warm room, or you may get heat shock, where all the blossoms fall off."
Acclimate the plant gradually to the warmth in the house. Also resume moderate watering and feeding. Be careful not to overwater.
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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