This month is of special interest to a favorite yuletide plant that we know and love, the Christmas cactus. To don its gay apparel come the holidays, it’s going to require a bit of perseverance on your part for the next eight weeks — here’s why:

Some plants bloom because of the increased amount of water they receive (think blooming desert plants), others the air temperature, some the length of daylight hours and others a combination of any of the above.

But the Christmas cactus is a bit unique; we can nudge it into setting flower buds two ways, either by subjecting it to a lengthy period of cool temperatures or by controlling the number of hours of light it receives.

For those of us who have a protected place outdoors to leave the cactus — and stretch the growing season to the last possible day. Just leave your plant outdoors until daytime temperatures drop permanently below the 40 degree mark.

Ideal locations for this temperature treatment can be an unheated porch, sunroom or on an open porch that receives sunlight but has a roof over it to protect from frost.

Your goal is to keep the plant out in the cool air but not directly exposed to it for a full six weeks.

Do not leave it in a dark garage or shed — photosynthesis requires sunlight.

If the “cold shoulder” is your method of choice, keep an ear to the weather forecast, bringing the cactus into an unheated spare room when below freezing temperatures at night are expected, then moving it back outdoors as long as the daytime temp is above 40 degrees.

Do not bring the plant into a heated room for the night and then back outside during the day, as this will result in a setback for bud formation. During this treatment period, keep any supplemental lighting to a bare minimum (the unheated room must remain dark) and allow the soil to become slightly dry until the buds are set. Once you can feel the little buds form at the ends of the segmented leaves return to watering normally.

For those of you unable to leave the plant outdoors, you’ll need a room where the temperature will hover at 50 degrees day and night while the amount of light is controlled. A plant whose bloom period is triggered by minimal daylight hours is referred to as a “short day plant.”

The trick with manipulating the light is there needs to be an eight-week period where this light treatment remains constant.

If you choose to set the buds in this way, early October is a perfect time to begin treatment. It’s not difficult to do, but it does require dedication and perseverance; in addition to the 50 degree room temperature, the plant requires 12 complete hours of uninterrupted darkness for eight full weeks. Many folks put their plant in a closet, some cover it with a box; whichever you choose there can be absolutely no “light pollution” during those 12 hours of darkness or the bud set will be delayed. During natural daylight hours, move the plant back to its bright sunny location.