How do I get a Christmas cactus to rebloom?
A. Some experts feel the Christmas cactus is photoperiodic like the poinsettia. This means the plant needs a certain number of hours in total darkness each day to bloom. Putting your Christmas cactus or poinsettia in a dark location for 14 hours each night and back in the sunlight each day will get the plant to set flowers. Others believe that keeping the soil a bit drier and the night temperatures cooler is all you need to do. I have found the latter to work, though many gardeners do both to ensure success. Start now and you just might have flowers for St. Patrick’s Day. Q.Every summer we grow hibiscus on our deck. This is the first year we are overwintering the plant indoors. The leaves fell off, but there are flowers on the tips of the branches. If it survives, will we get new leaves, and how should we prepare the plant to go outside? A. You will be amazed at how quickly your plant will send out new leaves and fill in over summer. Do any needed pruning by the end of February so you
