Kids and Christmas Cactus

A Christmas cactus is an easy plant to use to teach kids about science.

By Charlie Nardozzie

As the holidays approach, there are certain signature plants that we all recognize. One is the Christmas cactus. Programmed to bloom between Thanksgiving and midwinter, the modern Christmas cactus is usually a hybrid of three different types. The Thanksgiving cactus, the earliest bloomer, flowers in November. The Christmas cactus blooms closer to the end of the year, and the Easter cactus more of a midwinter bloomer. This variation and their reliable flowering habit make these cacti perfect plants to teach kids about plant science.

The Christmas cactus forms its flower buds in response to cool air temperatures and/or lengthening periods of dark. Have your kids take unbudded Christmas cacti and expose them to various environmental factors. One can be left in a cool room (above freezing), another can be given fourteen hours of darkness each evening then brought into the light, and another can be simply left in a room that stays lit even at night. After three to four weeks, compare the plants. Have kids note when the flower buds form on each and guess why they formed early, later, or not at all. The flower buds on the cool-treated and dark-treated cacti should form during this period, while the Christmas cactus in the well-lit room may never form buds.

Christmas cacti are also easy to propagate. Take cuttings from unbudded Christmas cactus stems. Remove the last four to six bracts (leaves) of the cactus, dip the cut end in rooting hormone powder, and stick three to four cuttings in a 4- to 6-inch-diameter plastic pot filled with moistened potting soil. Plant several of these pots and place them in a bright, 70 degree F room, out of direct sunlight. In a few weeks, when you see signs of new growth on the cuttings, gently tug at them. If they resist, that means they are rooted. Since they're so easy to propagate, your kids can make holiday plants to give away or sell.