This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Christmas cactus

Heather,
        T'is the season for Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus!  If your
plants are in a heavy soil mix, *whacking* them might have some beneficial
effect; as holiday cactus grow best in a coarse-textured potting soil. The
main requirements for bud development are at least six weeks of cool
nights--65 degrees or below (don't keep the house too warm at night) and at
least 14 hours of continous total darkness every night. Last year my cactus
plants weren't forming buds because of indirect light from adjoining rooms
and a street light.  This year--at night, I'm keeping the plant room door
closed and covering them with a light weight black acetate fabric to protect
them from the street light.  They are loaded with buds.

        I'm looking forward to the bloom!
Kathy (meistrel@nwarl.com) in zone 6--Fayetteville, Arkansas
    

>Last year my Christmas cactus started dying, so I took as many healthy
>segments from it as I could find to try to get a new plant growing again.
>At the same time, I bought a new one.  A few weeks ago, I noticed that the
>cats had not yet knocked over these plants, so I picked up the pots and gave
>the sides a few good whacks.  This week both plants have tiny little buds
>starting!  
>
>Last year I made the claim that every time a cat knocks over one of my
>Christmas cactusses (really, that's a word) the plant starts to bloom a few
>weeks later. I wonder if coincedence has helped me become superstitious (I
>really need spell checker) or if there really is something to loosening the
>soil.  I let the plants get pretty dry in the fall, then keep them wet while
>they're blooming. It's got more to do with a short attention span than a
>real plan - blooming plants get my attention better.  
>        Heather
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index