What to do to have a beautiful plant in full bloom by Christmas?
A newly bought Christmas cactus should be placed to a not too warm spot, far from heat sources. A good place for it is near a window, because the coolness of the glass slows down the flowering and encourages the growth of buds.
The plant should be watered moderately so that no water accumulates in the saucer, but the soil does not become very dry. When humidifying, the Christmas cactus should not be sprayed with water directly, because the flower petals may get damaged if drops of water hit them.
Never water with cold water straight from the tap, only with stagnant water.
Being a short-day plant, Christmas cactus bought before the winter needs to be placed in darkness for about 6 weeks. As an alternative, the plant may be covered with a non-transparent box from 5 in the afternoon to 7 in the morning; this way, it will probably produce buds by New Year’s Eve or in January.
A Christmas cactus will only keep its buds and flowers if the pot is not moved at all during this period.