Laura Millar

Hosting Thanksgiving comes with a lot of responsibility — waking up early to cook, decorating the house for fall, designing the perfect holiday table. The list goes on and on. What better way to reward all of your host’s hard work than with a gift that lasts a lifetime? Say hello to the Thanksgiving cactus!

As its name implies, this low-maintenance houseplant blooms beautiful flowers just around Thanksgiving. Known for being easy to care for and long-lasting, they make a great gift for the host running your holiday get-together. And if that host this year is you, there’s no reason not to make this a part of your holiday decor. Learn how to keep your Thanksgiving cactus alive and thriving for years to come. Below, we share care tips from an expert and reveal common problems to avoid to bring color and life to your home each holiday season.

Thanksgiving Cactus vs. Christmas Cactus vs. Easter Cactus

Before we explain how to care for a Thanksgiving cactus, let’s explore the differences between a few similar houseplants it’s often confused with — Christmas cactus and Easter cactus. Here are some of the differentiating factors between these holiday houseplants.

Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

• Have cladodes with spiky edges
• Blooms around Thanksgiving
• Hybridized to have orange, white, pink and yellow flowers

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)

• Blooms around Christmas time (and sometimes again around May)
• Less spiky stem segments
• Flowers are hot pink

Easter Cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri)

• Blooms in spring (around Easter)
• Leaves have rounded edges
• Flowers are star-shaped

“The Easter cactus is a bit more finicky than the other two, in my opinion. If it is inconsistently watered, it will drop stem segments to survive,” says Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, known as The Houseplant Guru.

Thanksgiving Cactus Care Guide

Although cacti are often associated with the desert, the Thanksgiving cactus is actually a jungle cactus. “They are epiphytes, growing in the tops of trees in the Brazilian rainforest. Therefore, they need more moisture and humidity than desert cacti,” says Steinkopf. Read on for more about how to properly care for your Thanksgiving cactus.

• Water and Soil: Thanksgiving cacti thrive in moist, well-drained soil. Water your cactus if the soil is dry (usually every 1-2 weeks), but make sure not to overdo it.
• Light: Although the Thanksgiving cactus is not a desert cactus, it still needs bright light to survive and bloom. “They should also be turned often all year to ensure flowers on all sides. If not turned regularly, they will only bloom on the side that faces the window,” says Steinkopf.
• Temperature: Thanksgiving cacti like warmer temperatures, but in the fall, lower temperatures help them bloom. Remember that Thanksgiving cacti are low-maintenance and do well in typical household conditions, so you don’t need to worry too much about keeping your home a certain temperature.
• Pruning and Propagation: Give your Thanksgiving Cactus a light pruning after it blooms. “If you trim the ends, two cladodes will grow where there was one, and you will have two flowers the next year,” says Steinkopf. “Allow the ends you trimmed off to callous over for a day or two, and then stick them in moist potting mix. They will root and you will have new plants.”

How to Make a Thanksgiving Cactus Bloom

Making sure that your Thanksgiving cactus blooms is all about following the instructions above, but you can take that one step further by choosing the correct window, using lights and remembering to feel the soil for any dryness.

“I keep my Thanksgiving cactus in a west window or under lights,” says Steinkopf. “They bloom reliably, but the windowsill does get cooler in the fall. The cool fall temperatures, the correct light, and keeping it moist should allow your cactus to bloom.”

Common Thanksgiving Cactus Problems

Thanksgiving cacti are usually pretty go-with-the-flow, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few common issues plant parents can experience.

• Dropped stem segments: If your Thanksgiving cactus is dropping stem segments, it could be due to inconsistent watering and dry conditions. “That is how they survive in the jungle. If there is a dry season, they will drop the stems they cannot support. Then when it rains, they grow new segments,” says Steinkopf.
  
• Blooming post-Thanksgiving: It can be frustrating when your Thanksgiving cactus isn’t blooming around Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean it won’t bloom at all. If your Thanksgiving cactus is blooming in the winter, it’s probably because your plant wasn’t shown the cooler temperatures it needs to bloom. Leave the plant outside, even when it’s around 50°F, to expose it to the fall temperatures. This will help the plant to bloom.
• No bloom at all: There’s a chance your Thanksgiving cactus will not bloom every year. Be patient and know that just because it didn’t bloom one year, doesn’t mean it won’t bloom the next. Just remember to properly care for it and provide it with the correct conditions.