Q: My Christmas cactus bloomed beautifully this year. I didn’t do anything special, in fact it was a great surprise!

What can I do to be sure I keep it healthy and make it bloom again next year?

• Ruth from Poland

A: It sounds like you have a green thumb.

Christmas cacti are rather easy to grow as you have found this year. Holiday cacti are easy to care for once you realize they are not the sun-loving, drought-loving cacti of the desert. In their native range, they live in the rain forest of the Organ Mountains of Brazil.

As epiphytes, they live in tree branches happily rooted in accumulated organic debris with rainfall amounts varying from a whopping 17 inches per month in December through March to just 3 inches per month in the subsequent dry season.

Once flowers fade this month, continue to grow the plant as a houseplant. Soil should be well drained. Repot it if it is outgrowing its container. Most houseplant soils will work.

Fertilize monthly between April and October with a complete houseplant fertilizer. Prune plants in June to encourage branching and more flowers. Just remove a few sections of each stem with your fingers or a sharp knife. The removed pieces can be rooted in moist vermiculite to make more plants. You may even get the new ones to have a bloom or two before you give them away as presents.

While the Christmas cactus can adapt to low light, more abundant blooms are produced on plants that have been exposed to high light intensity. Keep your plants in a sunny location indoors.

Plants can be moved outdoors in summer, but keep them in a shady or semi-shady location. Too much direct sunlight can burn the leaves. The naturally longer nights and cool temperatures in late summer will encourage flower development.

When temperatures drop below 50 degrees, it’s time to bring the plants back inside. Slowly adjust the plants to indoor conditions by gradually increasing the number of hours they spend indoors each day. These are short day plants and bloom when nights are 12 to 14 hours long.

To guarantee Christmas bloom, begin placing the plant in a closet for 12 hours each day in mid-October.

Once plants are in flower, they should be kept in bright, indirect light away from drafts from heat vents, fireplaces or other sources of hot air. Drafts and temperature extremes can cause the flower buds to drop from the plant before they have a chance to open. Christmas cacti will keep their blossoms longer in cooler temperatures. Day temperatures of 70 degrees and evening temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees are considered ideal.

Be sure to water thoroughly, but let plant dry slightly between waterings. It is especially important not to let soil dry too much during flowering. Water thoroughly when the top half of the soil in the pot feels dry to the touch. Discard the excess water, and then do not water again until the top half becomes dry. The length of time between waterings will vary with the air temperature, amount of light, rate of growth and relative humidity.

A fact sheet with complete details is located here: http://go.osu.edu/cactus.

Scudier is an Ohio State University Mahoning County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. Call 330-533-5538 to submit your questions to the Plant and Pest Clinic. During the off season, questions can be submitted at any time. Find details at go.osu.edu/mahoningclinic.