Location, location, locationAs with any plant, it’s important to match the environment to its needs. Since the evergreen branches are no longer living, they don’t need any sunlight. Sun and wind exposure on these holiday containers will likely accelerate the drying and browning of the cuttings. If possible, try to pick a location that gets protection from strong winds and afternoon sun to extend their freshness. Most front entryways protect against the elements, but if not, you can place your container under a covered porch or near an exterior wall. Just avoid placing them around outdoor heaters and ceiling fans. ENSURE Proper hydrationWhether you are constructing your container on your own or at one of Family Tree Nursery’s Holiday Container workshops, the most crucial step to keeping your masterpiece looking fresh is to keep your base moist. When you’ve finished and your container is in your desired area at home, give it a thorough primary watering to ensure all the soil, sand, or mixture of both is saturated. Family Tree Workshops provide a ¾ soil to ¼ sand ratio. The soil retains the moisture, and the sand helps to lock the branches in place, especially when it freezes over. For this, you’ll want enough water to fill your pot two to three times over. Make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom so no standing water remains. For maximum longevity, it’s best to keep the base watered throughout the season. Check on your planter every few days and water as needed, even in freezing conditions. Many evergreen species can withstand cold temperatures and retain their green needles when properly hydrated. It’s okay if that moisture freezes, as that will help keep your branches and picks sturdy and upright. During dry periods or unseasonably warm temperatures, it may even be a good idea to mist the branches with a spray bottle or hose nozzle to rehydrate the needles and help them stay fresher longer. Extra Protection for severe weatherFor even more defense against wilting and browning, you can use an anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt-Pruf Winter Plant Protector. These sprays or concentrates form a waxy layer on the branches to reduce “winter burn” and moisture loss through transpiration. To use the Ready-to-Spray product, give the bottle a good shake, spray the tops of the stems and leaves, then let them dry for 2 to 3 hours as it can be quite sticky once its applied. One coating on live plants can typically last 3-4 months, but for cut branches, we would recommend spraying them every month or so (you really can’t overdo it!). If you’ve purchased a concentrate, the recommended dilution rate for evergreen branches is 1:10 solution to water. Try to avoid spraying the accents in your holiday container, such as berry picks, as it will give them a cloudy appearance. You can pick up a bottle of Wilt-Pruf at any of our three locations. OUT WITH THE OLD...
Happy Holidays from homeFollowing these simple tips will help your winter holiday containers last well through the cold season and give your porch, patio, or balcony a pop of festive cheer. These planters are easy to arrange and maintain for a well-deserved source of satisfaction. Whenever your loved ones ask where you bought them, you can tell them you made them yourself!
Family Tree Nursery offers various ways to add holiday cheer to your outdoor spaces. Join us for our Holiday Container Workshops held every November, where we provide all the materials and guidance needed to create a stunning container. You can also purchase premade containers at any of our three locations for a quick way to enhance your outdoor area. If you prefer to make a container at home, you can buy everything you need, including bundles of cut greens, spruce tops, berry picks, and the container itself. Additionally, you can follow along with our linked video for step-by-step instructions. From all of us at Family Tree Nursery, we wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
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Holiday cacti are triggered by day length and night temperatures to achieve blooms, similar to other seasonal blooming plants such as mums and poinsettias. There are several varieties of holiday cacti, each with a different bloom time, and they are named for the holiday to which they bloom closest. Thanksgiving cacti are best known for blooming during November and December. Christmas cacti bloom around January and February, and the Easter cacti will bloom between March and May. Aside from the blooming times, holiday cacti differ slightly in leaf and flower shape. Christmas cacti have rounded, scalloped leaves, while Thanksgiving cacti have teeth-like points on the leaf's edges. Easter cacti are the most unique, with tiny bristles on the foliage edges. Holiday cacti blooms come in shades of pink, red, white, orange, and purple, making them an excellent plant for any home style. The flowers have a unique shape, featuring long tubular petals.  caring for your plantPlanting and Soil Regarding potting, holiday cacti are easy. They prefer to be pot-bound, meaning that the roots are slightly tight in the container, allowing them to put all their energy into leaf and bloom growth. When the plant becomes excessively root-bound, it's time to consider repotting. Going up 1 to 2 inches in pot size is perfect. When repotting, we recommend using a well-draining potting mix. Our Family Tree Nursery Premium Potting Mix, which consists of a blend of sphagnum peat moss, composted pine bark, perlite, and dolomite, is the perfect solution. We use it for our tropical plants. Lighting Like a regular cactus, holiday cacti prefer to be in bright indirect light; placing them near a west or south-facing window is perfect. If you choose to move your plants outside in the summer, keep them in a semi-shady location. Too much direct sun can burn the leaves. Watering When your holiday cactus is in bloom, you will want to thoroughly water the plant when the soil has dried halfway down. If the plant's leaves start to pucker or shrivel, this is an indicator that the soil is too dry and your holiday cactus is ready for a drink. How often you water can depend on the plant's placement. You may need to water it more frequently if placed near a sunny window. During its vegetative state, you can reduce watering, allowing the soil to dry 3/4 of the way down before watering. After watering, always enable excess water to run through the container's drainage hole. Soil that stays wet for too long or is soggy can harm the plant. Fertilizing To encourage blooming, fertilize your cactus once a month during the sunny growing season of spring and summer with a diluted, water-soluble, balanced fertilizer—our Family Tree Nursery All Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food is a perfect option. The fertilizer will give the plant the energy it needs to produce all those beautiful and vibrant flowers during the expected bloom time. Pruning & Propagation To prune your holiday cactus and keep it in a preferred shape, pinch any leaves off the stem to your liking. Be mindful not to remove more than a third of the plant's foliage, which may harm it. If you want to use the plant trimmings to form new plants, also known as propagation, use the healthy branches and root them in a fresh potting mix. Water sparingly until rooting occurs and new growth begins. If not too severely damaged, wilted segments will recover and become firm as new roots develop. Blooming A full bloom cycle for holiday cactus can be expected to last about 4 to 6 weeks. Deadheading spent blooms is the best way to ensure blooming throughout the holiday season. Reblooming the Following Season You will need to follow a few simple steps to get your plant to bloom during the holidays the following season. 01 Starting in September or October, reduce the frequency of watering your holiday cactus. Between waterings, allow the soil to dry 3/4 of the way down the container. When you do water, you need to water thoroughly. 02 Keep your holiday cactus cool by placing it in an area where the temperatures remain 50 to 60 degrees, limiting the daily hours of light it receives for six weeks. If you cannot provide ideal temperatures indoors, you can simply give your plant a few extra hours of total darkness, ideally 13 to 14 hours a day, to force it to bud. This can be accomplished by moving the plant to a dark room or covering it with a dark cloth. If you keep your holiday cactus outdoors, place it in a spot that receives morning daylight and afternoon shade. The cooler temperatures and shorter days of September and October provide an ideal environment as long as the temperature remains above 50 degrees. When bringing your plant from outdoors to inside, you will want to treat it for potential insects with a horticultural oil, such as neem oil. 03 Once flower buds form, your plant can be placed indoors in normal conditions, and flowers should start opening in a couple of weeks. Keep your holiday cactus away from drafty areas, as the new blooms are sensitive to significant temperature changes. Many holiday cacti become family heirlooms that can live to be over 100 years old. This beautiful plant can put on a show year after year if properly cared for using these simple tips. You can choose from various colors and sizes to keep your home festive and colorful for the season. If you have any questions about how to care for your holiday cacti, please ask our knowledgeable staff.
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