Getting a Christmas Cactus to bloom again is not that difficult if you provide the two conditions necessary to trigger flower bud formation: short days and cool nights.

Just like you and I, Christmas Cactus like to spend their summers outside. In June, after all danger of frost has passed, place the plant in a sheltered shady location. Be sure it gets enough moisture, either in the form of rain or by your own hand [1]. Applying a dose of fertilizer every two weeks during the summer will boost the plant's energy reserves in preparation for flower set.

As the days get shorter in late August and early September and the night temperatures drop into the 50's, the initiation of bud formation will take place. If the temperature should drop into the 40's, place the plant in a warmer location, either inside the house or in a protected porch.

Regardless of the outside temperature, the plant should be placed in its permanent winter location when the buds are just beginning to appear [2]. A radical temperature change after the buds have enlarged often causes the buds to drop. Blooms [3] should appear within six to eight weeks.

These epiphytic plants, native to the jungles of South America, are a joy to have blooming during our long chilly winters.