My Christmas cactus didn't flower

[SteamingTangerine]

I only bought it last year and it had some flowers on it then, but I can't remember what time of year it was - possibly the spring. I was hoping it would flower for Christmas but nothing happened

It sits on a shelf that is very shaded, in a room with central heating. My mom's Christmas cactus is flowering like crazy right now and it lives on a cold, south facing window sill. Do I need to move it to somewhere brighter/colder or could it be something else?

Mine seems to thrive on neglect. It sits on a shady window sill and is in full flower right now. I rarely water it.

They won't reflower without a rest period of several weeks first, which means cooler temperatures, reduced watering and 12 or so hours of darkness in each 24-hour period.

Also, if it flowered in spring, perhaps it is an Easter flowering cactus rather than a Christmas one (can't tell from pic). Similar care requirements, much prettier (IMHO)

Oh, and to bring it out of its rest it will need loads of bright light.

Mine didn't flower last year but did this year, only difference was it was under a light during Nov/Dec, not a uv, just a lamp. Totally neglected it all summer as I read you're not meant to water them for months.

Mine's on a small, east facing windowsill where I never shut the blind so it's probably pretty cool and it gets light. Heating is at 16 for a couple of hours. It flowered like mad early in December.

I did wonder if maybe it was a variety that flowers at a different time of year but the PlantSnap app says it's a Christmas cactus?

I'm not sure what to do with it now, as you've all said such different things! 😂 It's otherwise healthy, so I'm not sure whether to move it or wait for Easter.

My mum had one that flowered multiple times a year. It was carefully neglected. Kitchen or bathroom window sill. Given a good drenching from time to time and maybe the odd dust if it got covered in spiders webs.
Basically it seemed to like cooler rooms.

We've got a few, the one that was on the dining table from mid November has a lot of buds on it so might flower soon. Others probably not for a while. My mother's ones are in a light conservatory and also probably won't flower till later, but they always do. A couple are decades old, the others have all been rooted from their offshoots. Agree that benign neglect seems to suit them.

I feel your pain Op. I bought one full of buds but by the time I got it home they had all fallen off and no new ones have grown.

Mine is just coming into bud now. It doesn't look like it will have lots of flowers this year but it has some.

It's hard to be sure from your photo but it does look like you have a couple of buds starting to form. The flowers will come from the edge of the leaves and are usually pink.

It does need more light, a windowsill with a bright aspect but not direct sun would be best. These are rain forest plants, often growing on trees, which gives a few clues about cultivation, so humid and moist conditions when in growth, and much less water when resting (after flowering and in the autumn).
Once you have moved it, watch for bud formation and don’t move it until it flowers, or the buds will fall off. Good luck!

I have 2
cuttings from the same plant.
the one in a coolish, dark room is flowering. the one in a bright, warm location isn't.
both don't get watered at all from about sept to nov.

On closer inspection, it HAS got little buds forming! I've moved it to the windowsill in the same room, is that ok or should I leave it where it was?

We had a Christmas cactus that was coming into flower which we gave to my MIL who took it back to her very warm flat. All the buds fell off and it didn't flower. I think they need cooler temps to flower. Do you have a cool windowsill you could keep it on?

Mine never flowered on a shady mantelpiece but now it's by the kitchen window it goes crazy every year. They do like lots of light.

I got one as a present two Christmases ago. It flowered that year, had one or two last year and none this year. My mum's always does well so asked her for advice: she said she keeps it cool with plenty of light (landing or kitchen windowsill) and neglects it but sometimes pours cold tea over it! I'm going to try it!

On the other hand, my piano teacher had one on a table halfway down her hallway, in gloom with the only light from the stained glass panel in the door. It flowered its socks off every year.

Mine are in our unheated enclosed conservatory and flower beautifully.

I’ve just looked at mine. The Christmas cacti have square ends to the “leaves” like yours, the Easter cacti seem to have round ends (the non-flowering plant in the foreground). So yours seems to be a Christmas cactus running a bit late.

I have a Christmas Cactus that belonged to my Gran so probably at least 50 years old - it flowers most years , not always on time .

It spent 30 years in my parents UPVC porch and did well there . It was damaged when it moved to my house and had to be completely cut back so fingers crossed it recovers

@Elserlycactus oh I hope it does recover, how lovely that it's so old. My Nan had a beautiful Christmas cactus but my dad either killed it or threw it away after she died 😢

@MereDintofPandiculation thank you for checking the leaf shape for me! Yours looks beautiful, I'm very jealous.

Mine is still on the windowsill in the same room, but it's above a radiator so I'm debating moving it to a colder, sunnier spot. But I don't want to make the buds fall off!

I would leave it where it is until after it's flowered. They'll shed buds at the drop of a hat if you disturb them after buds have formed.

Yours will get like mine in time - mine's probably 20 or 30 years old. There's actually two in the picture - the darker pink buds are a separate plant. The buds were the size of your buds back at the beginning of December, so you still have a while to wait.

OP here 👋

I moved it to a sunnier but colder spot and it’s flowering at last! I’m still confused what kind of cactus it is though as it’s not Christmas or Easter; is there a May Bank Holiday variety? 😂

I think it’s looking a bit limp because I’ve overwatered it so I’m going to leave it alone for a while now.

It looks like a Christmas Cactus not an Easter Cactus. It’s just very late.