Why Won’t My Cactus Bloom? (Reasons & Fix) -Plant Care 365

Cactus is a succulent that is a natural habitat in the desert area without any proper care. Some specific species of cactus grow effortlessly as houseplants as well and even bloom exotic flowers sometimes.

Most of the indoor cactus categories are flowering species. They bloom with striking blossoms once they get older. Opuntia, mammillaria, bunny ears, Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, etc. are some recommendable options in this regard.

But sometimes those flowering cactus species don’t bloom at their expected period. This may happen because of various issues. You must find out the actual cause that is bothering your eccentric houseplant and resolve them mindfully.

Here are some useful tricks we suggest here that you should validate and go forward with, in this attempt-

Table of Contents

Reasons Why Your Cactus is Not Blooming:

Underwatering:

The underwatering issue is one of the most common causes that can make your cactus plant suffer unavoidably. Most gardeners think that as it is desert-born, cactus plants don’t need moisture at all.

But in reality, indoor cactus plants require as much moisture to thrive as a common succulent wants. Thus, they may suffer from the consequence of underwatering like stunt-blooming. This kind of situation occurs when-

When you don’t water your plant for weeks
If your plant is going through drought stress
And when the roots also start drying along with soil due to being underwater

Over Sun Exposure:

Unlike other flowers, flowering cactus plants actually need darkness more than open sunlight to bloom. Thus, they can’t get bloom buds when you get your cactus plant into the full sun exposure for long.

You should be aware of the actual need for the light of your chosen cactus variety to make it bloom naturally. Some common faults you make during the way of providing light to your cactus, are-

If you place your cactus plant under direct sunlight for several weeks
When you can’t provide your plant with adequate darkness during its budding period
If you let your plant burn under dappled sun heat for long

Pot Bound:

Cactus plants don’t need a heavy or complicated root system, yet you should provide a large or wide pot to grow a cactus plant indoors.

To keep the root of your growing and flowering cactus species, you need to choose a planter that is almost 3-4 sizes larger than its root ball. But, sometimes, we make some common mistakes while cultivating the cactus plant, like-

When you pick too small a pot to sow a cactus plant
If we upgrade the planter of a growing cactus after repotting
When your cactus plant isn’t getting root bound ever throughout its entire growing session

Improper Climate:

Despite being of a desert origin, cactus plants can’t tolerate much fluctuation in their growing temperature. They can’t even thrive under unsuitable humidity levels as well.

Your indoor cactus plant may keep growing and living under a bit of mismanagement sometimes. But they never bloom flower buds in any kind of climate that is not blooming supported. Mistakes that can prevent your cactus plant from blooming are as follows-

If you place your plant in a cool damp place for several days
When you don’t maintain the optimal growing temperature for your plant
If you keep your plant in a low-humid place for long

Soggy Soil:

Like underwatering, overwatering can also be a cause of not blooming. Even though a growing cactus plant needs enough water, it needs an airy growing medium to thrive.

If you overwater your plant unnecessarily, it will make the entire growing medium unsuitable for the roots of your cactus.

Being a hardy plant, may your cactus survive the phrase but it will surely stop blooming immediately. Some causes of happening this issue to your plant-

When you water your plant more than twice a week
If you use saturated soil or potting mix to grow your plant
Soil is soggy or water-logged due to poor drainage

Overfertilization:

Cactus plants are native to the rainforest and desert areas. Thus, they don’t need much fertilization to thrive or produce flowers.

If you feed your plant with high-nutrient plant foods unnecessarily, it will cause stunt growth or not-blooming problem in your plant soon.

So, you need to feed your plant adequately instead of superfluously. This sort of overfertilization issue occurs in such cases-

When you feed your plant during the bud formation session of the year
If you apply readymade commercial fertilizer with full strength
When you feed your cacti in late summer needlessly

How to Care for Cacti and Boost Flowering:

Once you fill that your flowering cactus plant is not blooming at its expected period, be alert and take some useful initiatives immediately. Such as-

Check the Moisture Level:

Make the soil moderately moist with proper air circulation
Water your plant once a week with 1-inch deep watering

Pick Up The Humidity Level:

Use an artificial humidifier to lift the humidity level up of the spot where you put the plant
Apply mulching, pebbles tray, misting, etc. trick to keep the humidity higher naturally

Balance the Temperature:

Make sure the temperature stays up 65° to 68° F all the time
Let the temperature up above 60° even during the nights

Provide Shade From Direct Sunlight:

Bring your cactus plant back from direct sun exposure and give some shade
Use tree canopy for outdoor placed cactus plants but never let them exposed anymore

Repot with Bigger Planter:

Provide your plant root bound with a bigger planter
Offer at least 3-4 size big pots to your growing cactus plant every time you report it

Look for the Perfect Fertilization:

Stop feeding your plant for a couple of weeks, once you feel you overfertilize your plant
Start normal fertilization again after one month and use only half of the strength fertilizer for your cactus plants.

Complete Care: How To Make Cacti Bloom Easier?

Unlike other houseplants, you can’t force cactus plants to bloom faster. However, you can make their blooming session more effortless and extended with some smart tricks. These hacks will help you to prevent stunt-blooming phrases in your cactus plant as well. Let’s learn them quickly and steal the loveliest form of growing cacti efficiently-

Water your cactus plant once to twice a week, depending on the drying rate of the soil
Never keep your plant at a low-humidity level, not even for a single day
Provide your cacti plant 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness before 6 weeks of flowering
Avoid exposing it to bright and direct sunlight, especially during the budding period
Check the draining quality of the soil as well as the planter properly while planting your cacti
Never let your plant suffer from root jammed ever with the small size of the pot
Don’t let your plant suffer from drought stress ever
Feed your cacti with any houseplant fertilizer in liquid form with half of the strength
Make sure the fertilizer is rich in phosphorus and low in nitrogen
And give a close look at your growing plant once every week until it starts producing flowers properly

FAQ:

How Much Time Do A Cacti Need To Be Bloom?

A flowering cactus plant could take anywhere between 1 to 10 years to reach its proper blooming period, depending on its chosen species.

How Does An Overwatered Cactus Look Like?

Overwatered cactus can have a fungal infection in the soil that initiates some apparent signs to your plant, like black or brown spots, mushy stems, etc. including no blooming issue.