So, an update on the Christmas cactus: I’ve been watering it once a week as well as experimenting with keeping the plant humid by putting the pot in a small tray of water to encourage more buds. In two weeks time the cactus bloomed, but did not produce any more buds. In fact, the cactus drank all of the water in the tray and then shed its existing buds. I believe my mistake was that I didn’t place a barrier of rocks between the water and the plant. By putting the pot directly into water I was essentially watering the plant and tricking it into thinking it was a wetter season where it shouldn’t bloom. On the plus side, the plant has grown. The downside is I don’t have any more buds.

I’ve since filled the tray with water and rocks to keep the plant from drinking the water. As the water evaporates it’s supposed to create humidity which helps stimulate bud production. Since temperatures have been mild in my area, I’ve also started leaving the plant outside during the day and night so that it can feel the drop in temperatures as well as better sense the light. This will help it re-sync with the season, and hopefully produce more buds in the process!