I'm guessing it probably has to do with how far north or south you are too. Not to mention what zone you are in. Believe it or not, here in Arizona, we have to do it completely different than all the rest of you. If I left my Christmas Cactus outside during the summer, shade or no shade, it would surely die. It just does not like our extreme heat. So here, I bring it inside in the summers hottest months, late June through mid to late September, and then I move it outside until it sets buds, which believe it or not, is usually right around Christmas. Then I bring it in till it's done blooming, and then put it outside again till June. And sometimes if I am really lucky, I'll get another set of buds before it gets to hot to enjoy. I still love reading about how 'everyone' treats their various plants, because it gives me ideas on what I might be doing wrong, if I am not succeeding. It took me a couple of years to realize that leaving them out in the summer here in the desert just does not work for the Christmas Cactus. Now my friend Robin, who I had lunch with last night. She lives in Kingman, Arizona. She does the opposite of me. But they are at a higher altitude and cooler than we get here in the low desert. So even within a state you can have differences. The magic is what you learn works for you. I like hearing everyones methods, and no one is wrong or right :)
Alan
