I received a Christmas cactus about 2 1/2 weeks ago with some buds just starting and some buds almost all the way open. Since then, most of the flowers have bloomed beautifully, but about a week after the flower blooms, the flower itself starts to wilt and shrivel. Is this normal? The rest of the plant looks healthy, it’s just the flowers that are starting to shrivel up after blooming. If this is normal, should I pinch off the wilting flowers or just leave it alone?
April 13th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Yes, it’s normal. A Christmas Cactus’ blooms will last anywhere from a week to two weeks. You can pick them off when they start to fade, as soon as they’ve lost their perkiness. A wilted flower will only drain resources from the plant, so picking off the faded blooms will keep the plant happy.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Not very long and that is one of the reasons I don’t spend much time with them.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:55 am
yes, its normal, pick off the dead flowers. Also next year to get it to bloom put it in a dark closet for a couple days then take it out and it will bloom!!!
April 13th, 2010 at 12:55 am
It would last for a week or two according to the temperature you maintain