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Why is my cactus not flowering?

Why is my cactus not flowering?

You’ve probably seen loads of pictures on Pinterest and Instagram of beautiful cacti with stunning flowers on them, and you wouldn’t be the first person to wonder “how come I’ve never seen these on my own cactus?!” Let’s look at the main reasons your cactus isn’t blooming, and what to do about that!

Now that the summer is almost over and we are approaching autumn and winter, aka hibernation season, it’s the perfect time to start planning ahead by looking into what will make your cactus bloom during the next growing season.


First of all, it may surprise you to know, that a cactus has to be mature to produce a flower, and for some cacti species it may take up to as much as 50 years before they reach maturity and finally start to bloom! So in order to be sure your cactus will even be able to flower for you and not your grandchildren, a good tip is to buy a cactus that’s already in bloom. This way you at least know that the cactus is mature enough! But that being said, we also encourage you not to give up if you try all of our following suggestions, and your cactus still refuses to bloom for you. It may just have a bit more growing up to do!

In order for a cactus to produce a flower it needs to first have a good rest period, also known as hibernation or dormancy. Please note that a dormancy period is not necessary for all cacti, though, in fact, Rhipsalis, Epiphyllum, and Schlumbergera genus don’t require one at all. But for those that do, how do you initiate hibernation in an indoor environment?


1. Reduce watering

If you were watering your cactus every two weeks in summer, do every 3-4 weeks in autumn, and every 6-8 weeks in winter.


2. Keep your cactus cool

The ideal temperature for hibernation is 8-12 °c, or 12-15 °c for tropical cacti. A window sill far from a heater, and next to a window that you open often would be the ideal spot.

You want to keep your cactus cool throughout winter, until  March. 


3. Shade it from the sun

Make sure that your cactus is shaded from the sun wherever you placed him for the winter sleep, so if you picked a window, make sure that it’s not south facing, or hide your cactus behind a curtain, so it doesn’t receive direct sun.


4. Slowly reintroduce it to sun

Some time in March you can start re-introducing your cactus to the sun by putting it back in its usual spot, while using a shade cloth to protect it from direct sun.

Don’t forget that part, if you don’t shade your cactus from direct sun, it will most likely get burnt!


Important: you still need to water your cactus during hibernation, but as mentioned earlier, very sparingly, and with lukewarm water. Cacti won’t absorb cold water, and additionally, cold water can lead to root rot. And don't forget the right soil!


Don’t repot your cactus during hibernation and also don’t feed it! The best time to repot a cacti is at the end of its dormancy.


During the growth season, make sure to provide your cacti with the correct care to give it the best shot at producing flowers.

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