If you do not water and let the cactus dry down right now before Christmas this will promote flowers to come. Use water sparingly if you see the leaves getting soft. Once they start to bloom the cactus will take more water and a little Schultz's liquid fertilizer (I use this) will encourage them to keep blooming for months. Last year, mine went until May. You may even see some buds by November. Once the buds come, do not move the plant too much as the buds strain to get back to the light and will twist off and fall.
Not so easy where I live. You need to put them in a dormancy state by watering less, locating where they get 12-14 hours of darkness or very dim lighting and they need cooler temperatures, like 55-60 degrees. Do this now for about 6-8 weeks and you see some buds forming, then they can go back to their old locations to enjoy! But the temperature thing is hard for me...still having 80 degree weather! Also, I tend to ignore my plants if I locate them out of my every day view...like the garage or a closet. But don't get too crazy...I have had them bloom with no intervention on my part...just a lot of gray days cooler days away from windows might be enough to get some blooms...nothing spectacular but at least you know they can produce. If other plant lovers can get flowers with plant food only...I imagine they live farther north, maybe in a naturally rainier climate than me????
I place my plant in a west facing window (sunny afternoons) and water when dry. I feed with succulent plant food almost every other time and I can't believe the ginormous sized blooms that come from this 9 year old grocery store plant. Good luck.
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my friend used violet food to force flowering i just use aa little schults plant food and they flower on there own sometime 3 times
If you do not water and let the cactus dry down right now before Christmas this will promote flowers to come. Use water sparingly if you see the leaves getting soft. Once they start to bloom the cactus will take more water and a little Schultz's liquid fertilizer (I use this) will encourage them to keep blooming for months. Last year, mine went until May. You may even see some buds by November. Once the buds come, do not move the plant too much as the buds strain to get back to the light and will twist off and fall.
Not so easy where I live. You need to put them in a dormancy state by watering less, locating where they get 12-14 hours of darkness or very dim lighting and they need cooler temperatures, like 55-60 degrees. Do this now for about 6-8 weeks and you see some buds forming, then they can go back to their old locations to enjoy! But the temperature thing is hard for me...still having 80 degree weather! Also, I tend to ignore my plants if I locate them out of my every day view...like the garage or a closet. But don't get too crazy...I have had them bloom with no intervention on my part...just a lot of gray days cooler days away from windows might be enough to get some blooms...nothing spectacular but at least you know they can produce. If other plant lovers can get flowers with plant food only...I imagine they live farther north, maybe in a naturally rainier climate than me????
I place my plant in a west facing window (sunny afternoons) and water when dry. I feed with succulent plant food almost every other time and I can't believe the ginormous sized blooms that come from this 9 year old grocery store plant. Good luck.
Edie is correct. Just reduce water and light for several weeks. Then put in sunny location. No plant food needed. You'll have tons of blooms.