by R. Renee Bembry

Created on: September 12, 2009

Despite its name, a Christmas cactus can add decor to your home during anytime of year, not just Christmas time. Their unusual segmented leaves form arching branches that baffle the eye; and in conjunction with their long tubular flowers, make fascinating conversation pieces.

Learning how to care for a Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera Bredgesii) is pretty simple. If you are seeking care instructions because you plan to purchase this plant, it is important to assure that when shopping for a Christmas Cactus, you do not confuse it with its sister Schlumbergera known as the Thanksgiving Cactus or Crab Cactus. If you already have a Christmas Cactus, (or at least think you do), you might want to double check. Nurseries sometimes confuse these two cacti because they look very much alike.

The best way to tell a Christmas Cactus and a Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera Truncata) apart is to inspect the edges of their flat, segmented branches. Although both plant varieties have smooth bright green leaves, Thanksgiving Cacti leaves are toothed or thorny looking alongside their edges. These teeth are what give Thanksgiving Cacti the nickname Crab Cactus. Christmas Cacti do not have teeth. Their edges are simply smooth and scallop looking. They also have more scallops than Thanksgiving Cacti have.

Although Christmas Cacti favor rainforest like climates, and love living beneath jungly canopies, they may be grown indoors or outdoors in other types of climates.

When grown outdoors, providing Christmas Cacti with shade for half the day during summer encourages their growth. In contrast, providing them with warmth during winter months keeps them from freezing. Thus, during winter, take plants indoors or cover them with light fabric where temperatures fall below 50 degrees.

Enjoying the Christmas Cacti's long, tubular, mass-petaled blooms during the holidays is the reason most people buy Christmas Cacti. Their rosy, somewhat purplish, red flowers are much easier to savor when placing plants about the internals of the home where people mostly frequent than they are out of doors. This is why growing cacti houseplants is often preferred over outdoor methods. To prepare your cacti for flourishing during Christmas time, use the following tips.

* Whether your plants are to be grown indoors or outdoors they need soil that is rich and porous. Add lea mold and sand to heavy soil to aid drainage.

* Water your cacti frequently enough to maintain moist, but not soggy, soil. Misting plants

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