Mmoy asked on June 2005:

I bought an Easter cactus during the Easter holiday because of its beautiful and bright pink blooms. For a couple of weeks thereafter, everything bloomed and the plant was gorgeous to look at. Then all of a sudden, all the blooms shriveled up. I don't think it was due to overwatering because I live in SF and we had a spell of wet weather which I thought would take care of its needs. What do I need to do to bring this plant back to its former health and beauty?

We replied:
It sounds like you are taking good care of your Easter Cactus for it to be blooming. Often times, bud blast can be caused by a sudden change in a plants environment. For instance, maybe your plant experienced a sudden chill, or else maybe it experienced a change in light, watering, or humidity. It sounds like you cut back on watering during the wet weather, which is a really good practice. But maybe the plant became too dry, which could have caused the bud blast.

If your Easter cactus is blooming then it sounds like you are taking good care of it. I would say continue what you are doing, and the plant should be fine. If you haven't already done so, you may want to fertilize it a little during the summer. Then once it gets closer to blooming time, just make sure the plant is exposed to the environmental cues that it needs, such as lengthening days, and cool nights.