What To Do With Thanksgiving Cactus After Blooming (5 Tips!)

07.11.2023 - 19:33 / getbusygardening.com / Amy Andrychowicz

Learning how to treat your Thanksgiving cactus after blooming is important so it will continue to display its colorful flowers every year.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to save your Schlumbergera truncata when it’s done flowering, and provide aftercare tips for keeping it healthy.

Although it’s a popular holiday plant, you’ll be glad to know there’s no need to discard it once the blooms fade.

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about caring for your Thanksgiving cactus after it blooms, including tips for deadheading the flowers, watering, fertilizing, and more.

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It might surprise you to learn that you can indeed keep your Thanksgiving (aka: November) cactus after it has bloomed.

People often mistakenly assume they must discard holiday gift plants after the blossoms fade.

But if you care for it properly, your plant will thrive and may provide an even better display of blooms the following year.

After the flowers are completely gone, your plant will need a brief rest period. So reduce the amount of water you give it, and move it away from bright light.

In about a month or so, when you begin to notice new leaves, you can return to your regular care routine.

Related Post: How To Care For Thanksgiving Cactus

You’ll need to give your Thanksgiving cactus a little bit of TLC as the blooms begin to fade, as well as after it’s done blooming.

Simply pinch off the spent flowers as they die, give your plant a little less light, let the soil dry more between waterings, and hold off on fertilizing. Below are the exact details of what to do.

As the flowers begin to fade and shrivel, you can either deadhead them (by pinching or cutting them off) or allow them to drop off naturally.

Either way is fine and won’t