Holiday Cactus…Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter Cactus?

Holiday cacti are tough to identify!

Have you noticed that plants are rarely labeled? Why is that? I like to know what I’m buying.

If you want to know the plant’s name, it’s up to you to identify it. Sometimes I get it wrong!

For years, I’ve been calling my Thanksgiving Cactus a Christmas Cactus. Oops. I didn’t even know Thanksgiving or Easter cacti existed until the last few years.

Maybe I should just call them holiday plants. From now until January, these cacti flood grocery stores and the few garden nurseries still open.

Yet holiday cacti are cheery, happy plants. Easy on the eyes, easy on the wallet, and easy to care for.

So here’s a quick guide to help you identify and care for each one.

Read more: Holiday Cactus…Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter Cactus?

Quickest identification of holiday cacti by color and season

I love holiday cacti because they come in so many colors, making them great hostess gifts. Who doesn’t need a burst of color from a cactus now?

Thanksgiving cacti come in white, pink, salmon, orange, and yellow.

The Christmas cactus has purplish-red flowers. The Easter cactus flowers can have pink, orange, red, or white hues.

Since the colors overlap a bit, it’s good to note that the cacti are named for the season they bloom in.

So even though the Thanksgiving cactus and Easter cactus can both have pink flowers, if your plant is blooming in October or November, it’s likely a Thanksgiving cactus. Likewise, a blooming plant in April is likely an Easter cactus.

The Christmas cactus blooms from late November to late January and twice in the spring if given the shorter day conditions. It’s a festive choice for the Christmas season brightening up your dwelling!

Identification by leaf shape & flower shape

The biggest confusion is differentiating between a Thanksgiving cactus from a Christmas cactus.

Identification by leaf shape is the most foolproof way to separate the two as color is subjective. Your purple might be my definition of pink and vice versa.

Thanksgiving cactus leaves have pointed claw-shaped projections. Look for spiky leaf tips. No wonder they have the nickname “crab cactus.” Those pincer-like edges along the sides look like they might bite you!

Christmas cacti have rounded scalloped projections. Christmas cactus flowers are more symmetrical and tubular. But the plant itself hangs down making it look a little more sloppy in appearance.

Thanksgiving cactus flowers are asymmetrical and hang down from arching stems. The plant itself sits more upright and doesn’t drape as much as much as a Christmas cactus. The flatter, star-shaped flowers of Easter cacti often point upward.

Also take a good look at their anthers, the part of the stamen that produces and contains pollen. Each anther is typically at the tip of a long slender stalk known as a filament and consists of two lobes that each house a pair of pollen sacs.

Christmas cactus flowers have purple-brown anthers, while Thanksgiving cactus flowers have yellow anthers.

Best tips for caring for holiday cactus – water & sunlight

I’ve had these types of cacti for over 20 years and find they are hard to kill. Low-maintenance plants that yield big, bright, and beautiful blooms.

These cacti can live up to 100 years. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll grow old with my cacti, and maybe they’ll become an heirloom plant!

Like many houseplants, it’s far easier to kill them by overwatering them than by underwatering them. So, only water as needed when the soil feels bone dry. In my home, this is usually every two weeks.

But don’t hesitate to mist these plants. They’ll love the humidity boost. And I give them a bi-weekly spritz of neem oil.

Indirect sunlight is preferred for holiday cacti as direct sunlight will scorch their leaves. Yellow or pale leaves are an indication they are receiving too much light.

Keep the temperature around 60-70°F.

Potting & pruning preferences for holiday cactus

Despite their name, holiday cacti are not technically true cacti. They belong to the group of epiphytic plants, meaning they grow on other plants, rocks, or trees.

This makes traditional potting soil a little too dense for holiday cacti. Sometimes, the roots will rot, so spoil them a bit and buy a bag of cactus soil.

After they are finished blooming, prune them back. Not only will they look less sloppy, but this will increase the chance of future blooms. Trimming holiday cactus after they bloom also gives the plants a fuller appearance.

Christmas cactus look fabulous in hanging pots. Their gangly stems can hang over the edges of the pots and still look chic.

Thanksgiving cactus has an upright growth habit, making it a great addition to tabletops or as a centerpiece. Native to South America, it can grow up to 24 inches long and wide.

Holiday cacti seem to thrive when they’re partially root-bound, so wait before repotting them into larger pots.

Blooming advice for your Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter Cactus

Holiday cacti blooms are triggered by day length and temperature. In nature, the nights get longer, and the temperatures get cooler as winter approaches. To get yours blooming, you need to replicate these conditions.

So when you bring your holiday cactus home, keep the plant in a cool, dark area until the buds are set since these types of cacti are “short-day” plants.

This means they need a short amount of bright, indirect daylight followed by a period of uninterrupted darkness and cool nighttime temperatures to set their buds.

This place is my basement where they will get 13 hours or more of undisturbed complete darkness each night with no light exposure from nearby windows as even small amounts of light affect the blooms.

During this dormant phase, be sure to keep the plant slightly moist Dry soil might cause buds to drop off prematurely.

Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti only require 6 weeks of short days to bloom best. Easter cactus requires 8-12 weeks.

When buds appear, bring the area to a warmer area, preferably one in which you can enjoy those gorgeous blooms coming to fruition!

Also, find a location where they won’t be exposed to drafts. Never fertilize or repot these plants when they are blooming.

The Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti may re-bloom in the spring, but not as abundantly as the holiday blooms. To encourage springtime blooms, return the plant to its short-day conditions. 

Fun fact – let’s make cactus plural together!

Cacti is the Latin plural of cactus. It’s the way most native English speakers will form the plurals.

Technically, cactuses are the plural form that follows standard English grammatical rules. But English grammar rules…..gah. I find them non-consistent at best.

Dictionaries give the green light to both versions, so make cactus plural either way.

Holiday cactus typically bloom five to eight marvelous weeks!

Do you have any holiday cactus in your home?