Christmas cactus is original forest cacti which grows as epiphytes.  They are grown at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters above sea level in the Organ Mountains in southeast Brazil, South America.

How can these be grown?
They could be grown easily by removing a single segment and planting it a quarter of its length deep in a pot filled with slightly sandy soil. For proper growth of the cacti place the pot in area having no direct sunlight and keep the soil moist. Christmas cacti are intolerant to constantly wet soil and poor aeration. Long term direct sunlight could burn the leave or effect the growth of cactus.

If you want to place Christmas cactus outside you need to water them after three days in sunny and warm summer. For winter season it is advisable to water them once in a week.

They will produce flower buds when are subjected to cooler temperature.  The flowering time is in the month of January. The joints of the plants are quite fragile and could break apart if the plant is in poor health thus they require to be examined regularly for proper growth.

Factors essential for proper growth of Christmas cactus

• For proper flowering medium light intensity and a soil high in organic matter is recommended.
• Water them when soil appeals drier. Leave the soil dry during fall season. Place them in shady area when they are placed outside the home.
• Feed little liquid manure weekly in order to avoid bud dropping as bud dropping is caused due to overwatering, exposure to cold draft, due to lack of sufficient potash in the soil.
• Christmas cactus is re-potted in the spring, but a plant which is unhealthy because of the root system can be re-potted at any time of the year. Repotting is necessary as a pot gets filled with roots over the time and there is depletion of nutrients in the soil.

Thus use of Christmas cactus in the decoration of Christmas party gives elegant and natural look to the environment. Place them in interior decorating theme as well as in exterior themes. They could be centerpiece when the pot is decorated beautifully and placed on the center table.

Buy them from nursery for providing natural look to your Christmas party and repot them year after year. A single Christmas tree could bring many more Christmas cactus year after year for your home decor.

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