Easter cactus or Spring cactus is adorable succulent. But do really easter cactus likes Sunlight! In this article, I will answer this question. Plus I will tell you how the easter cactus gets sunlight in its natural habitat.
And what kind of sunlight easter cactus needs in order to thrive in your place.
But before diving deep into the details I will put the answer for our main question as simple as this: do easter cactus likes the sun? Easter cactus needs and likes bright but indirect sunlight in order to grow and bloom well. Direct sunlight will burn its leaves. While too little sunlight and darkness will cause the plant to wilt and lose its leaves.
Keep reading to know how to give your easter cactus the light it loves.
Why easter cactus need sunlight
All plants need some kind of light in order to produce sugar (food), and your easter cactus is not an exception.
Easter cactus produces its food by turning water and carbon dioxide into sugar. But this process requires energy. Here the role of sunlight came.
Sunlight provides the easter cactus with the required energy in order to make its food through a process called photosynthesis.
Easter cactus will eventually die and suffer in complete darkness.
How easter cactus gets sunlight in its natural habitat
The secret to successful gardening is to know how your plants live in their natural habitats. Then trying to mimic such conditions as possible as you can in your place.
Easter cactus is native to the rainforest. Although it is succulent. Most people will picture that all succulents are living in deserts under a hot sun.
While most succulents are native to the deserts, But some are epiphytes living on the rocks and other tree trunks in the rainforests.
And easter cactus is one of those succulents. In the rainforest, easter cactus do not get direct sunlight. Instead, it gets indirect sunlight.
Because it lives under the tall plants’ shade. Those taller plants block the direct sunlight from reaching the easter cactus.
This is what easter cactus evolved through thousands of years to handle and live with. This is what the easter cactus likes and needs.
How to give easter cactus the light it needs
Below I will tell you the lighting requirement in the case of indoor planting and outdoor planting.
Indoor lighting
If you want to grow your easter cactus plant indoors then you need to locate it in a place that gets bright but indirect sunlight.
North or East Facing window is the window the gets only bright indirect sunlight throughout the day.
Therefore placing your easter cactus in such windows will be ideal as long as you give the plant appropriate space from the window glass. Let’s say ten inches.
Because the glass will be too hot during the afternoon period. Such heat may burn the plant leaves and stem.
Avoid putting your easter cactus in a south or west-facing windows. As such windows are exposed to afternoon hot direct sunlight.
Although the brighter indirect sunlight your plant gets the more blooms the plant will have and the healthier it will be.
In case your place is dark and there is no bright indirect sunlight you can solve the problem by installing grow light. Grow light will be as effective as the indirect bright sunlight.
Installing grow light will not only benefit your easter cactus, but it will also benefit all your houseplants. Most houseplants need bright light in order to thrive.
Outdoor lighting
Your easter cactus or spring cactus can grow outdoor as long as you locate it in a location that gets indirect sunlight, especially during the afternoon.
The morning direct sunlight is ok for your easter cactus. Also if you live in a place that has weak sunlight during the winter season you can place the pot in a location that gets direct sunlight in winter.
But those are the only exceptions otherwise, keep your easter cactus away from direct sunlight in order to avoid leaves and stem burn.
Also, take into your consideration that easter cactus suffers and dies in temperature degrees below 40 F.
So if the outdoor temperature falls below 40 F at night in winter it is better to bring it indoors.
Can easter cactus survive in low light?
Easter cactus will not tolerate low light. Low light will cause your plant to wilt and drop its leaves and it will not grow well.
Also low light will hinder the blooming. Easter cactus blooms through the entire year.
If your plant does not bloom consistently most probably it does not get enough bright light.
In conclusion
In this article, I hope I answered the question: “do easter cactus (spring cactus) like sunlight”. Easter cactus likes bright indirect sunlight.
Avoid exposing your plant to the afternoon direct sunlight. Although easter cactus will tolerate and benefit from direct sunlight in winter.
Because in such season the sun is not intense. In case you don’t have a location that gets bright indirect sunlight indoor you can install grow light. Grow light will be as effective as the bright sunlight.
