Gail,

I tried to email you but unable to find an address.
Where in SE Mi do you live ? Perhaps you can drive by
and get some cuttings. I live in SE Ann Arbor couple of
miles from UM.

or I can mail you a few cuttings, LMK

Best
Usha

Hi Usha,
I use to be able to get e-mails. I just checked my profile and re-checked the box so that they can, again, come through.

Did you not even get my e-mail to you through GW?

I'll try to send you one again so as not to gum up the posts with personal info.

Gail

saw a pic of a same cactus grown as a tree. I think, it's a live plant, but can't tell really. the article was about xmas cactus, so should be live. interesting, no?
never seen anything like that.
{{gwi:97610}}

Usha, that was a fantastic find, and I hope Arlene is radiant after a summer of TLC. I am the current caretaker of a similar cactus which was my grandmother's and then my mother's. Most of what is sold nowadays as Christmas cactus is actually Thanksgiving cactus. The Thanksgiving version is more common in stores because it blooms earlier, so merchants can offer it in early December in bloom. Yours has the scalloped leaf edges of a true Christmas cactus. Arlene may wait until January to bloom.

Some tidbits I've learned while tending my cactus: Like many houseplants, they love being outdoors in summer. I keep mine in the shade to prevent sunburn. It may be possible to gradually adapt them to sun, but I've never dared try. Mine's a living heirloom and my family would freak if I hurt it. Beware of slugs and snails which enjoy the succulent leaves. If you have a sheltered spot outside where Arlene will be safe, consider giving her a summer vacation next year.

Short days and cool temperatures trigger bud formation. Less than twelve hours of sun, and 65 F or cooler. As the seasons change the plant will naturally get the cues that it's time to set buds. There's no need to stuff it in a closet, put a bag over its head or withhold water, all of which I've seen advised in plant books.

Last year mine made new leaves instead of buds. We didn't have a thermostat in that apartment. The upstairs neighbors had one, which controlled the heat for both floors. They kept it warm. Which was comfortable for all of us, but meant no flowers on the big cactus parked in the middle of the living room. She was very happy with the never-ending summer and produced shiny new leaves instead. A small pot of cuttings which fit on the chilly windowsill did flower.

I'm glad to read I can prune more often and cut further back. I've been scared to trim much. Thanks to those of you who shared that info.

Petrushka, looking at that photo I see a cactus trailing from a hanging basket, or a basket on a pole. Doesn't look like a tree to me. Though I do like the look. I have a hoya lacunosa I perch on a tall candle holder to produce a similar effect in miniature.

here's a closer shot of same. sorry, can't make it sharper.
it has a long draping? trunk. now that I look closer I think I see a white basket, which is sort of invisible against the light. and the rest drapes down.
the basket is on a long pole?

This post was edited by petrushka on Tue, Sep 3, 13 at 22:28

I've got one of those. It just keeps getting longer and never blooms.

This is making me wonder again how old these Christmas cacti are?!

That pic is awesome, Petruska!

Petrushka, I can't tell how the basket is supported from that picture, but the cactus is definitely dangling down from the basket rather than growing up from the lower pot. It's possible the basket is hanging normally and the bright light made the white plastic hanger invisible in the photo. It's beautiful. I envy the grower for being able to keep the plant in the same spot long enough to get it to trail that far. I've moved every few years and my ancient cactus gets some damage every time, so it's been pruned repeatedly by accident.

Purple, thanks for linking that thread, wow that's gorgeous!

This group of cacti can live a long time. Family legend says that our cactus was used by my father's mother in a high school science project. I think she was class of 1930. So the plant is at least that old.

Its a grand plant and, for the same reason why outdoor plants are not cut back more than 25%....each year if necessary--I would suggest you not cut this houseplant back by more than that.
The roots over the span of years is giving nutrition to the foliage above....and the flowering that accompanies....to remove as much as suggested.....40%.....50%...may be too much --the roots are still putting out to feed the whole plant and unless you intend to reduce the amount of roots, I'd suggest no more than 25% annually.

I think too the old adage....if it aint broke.....
so steps you take to correct any one problem, make sure you are not causing a bigger problem.
Turn your plant every other day to give all areas of the plant equal sun. I would not move it away from what sun you are presently --and have been--giving it. That can cause problems of bloom drop.
It looks like it could be a problem testing its moisture with your finger....but that's as safe a way to test as anything.
Sections that drop, can be quickly planted to make more plants.....they grow so easy you might consider giving some sections away to friends and neighbors who want them.

Aside from its difficulty in moving it, does this plant go outside during summer---it can if you climatize it slowly--outside for sunny periods, back inside--back outside--back inside....you get the idea.....and not letting it be touched by a hard frost.

For those readers who might wonder by this....Christmas Cactus can be pushed to create bloom when subjected to low temperatures---but never a hard frost....then back indoors to a sunny window where it remains, unmoved, and flowering can be expected in a few days.
If, however, it has been kept inside, in a room, and never gone outside, it should stay in that room and not go outside where conditions are entirely different. It could upset the normal life of the plant.

C.C. can have flowers drop by moving it away from the sun it has got used to. Like the sunflower that turns to sunlight, C.C. will do the same and if it strains the branch with the flowers to try to go back to the sunlight, it can cause the flower to twist its head off.
So where you put, llet it stay, and if you have to remove it to another room to water it...such as the laundry room, be sure to place it back in the exact same position it was before.

Watering a large plant like this might be difficult and it should be allowed to drain properly, the excess not allowed to sit under it for any extended time which might cause the limping if the water is sucked back up.

Limping can be normal....if its not a regular occurrence.
Try moving it to another location while it is not flowering---see if this doesn't perk it up.
If it doesn't, then there's another problem that is causing it and should be looked at.

Thanks for some really cool pics and stories from people here. Edie_H thanks for the tidbits on getting christmas cactus to flower. I would love to summer Arlene outside in shade but she is very heavy so we will have to find a helping hand or two :)
Petrushka, thanks for the nice pics. its cool to see the cc
draping down ala waterfall like.

Here's a quick update on Arlene.

She has settled in nicely in her new home and I am beginning to find new growth on her. I discarded a whole lot of cuttings that I initially took from her, because they were very shriveled up.
A few that I rooted are now firmly rooted in Al's modified soil mix. Surprisingly, I found the cuttings that were most woody to root best.

I did manage to mail out a few cuttings to Eugene on Friday (let me know if they arrived ok).

Monet, I did not get any emails from you but if you still interested than pls contact me.

Regards,
Usha

may be you can post a follow up pic in a few months when it settles in and starts growing. and of course, when it blooms!
i feed my tc with orchid food - hi P formula for blooms.

Hi Usha,

Arlene's kids arrived today safely in the mail. I was sticking them in the 6' pot on the left but ran out of space at about 20 cuttings, so made another smaller pot of about 10 cuttings. I guess it was twins then. I set them on top of a grow lamp for a bit extra warmth during the day to help them root.

Hey, I re-read all of the above. Did you eventually have luck finding good bark for your soil? It was difficult for me in this major city away from any ag stores, but I lucked out eventually. I can send you a box to thank for the cuttings. I have filtered uncomposted bark of three sizes: dust to 1/8th of an inch that is good for Al's 5-1-1 mix (alone or mixed with the next size); then 1/8th to 3/8ths (good for Al's gritty mix or to make the 5-1-1 mix a bit more chunky) and >3/8ths which I use for orchids. If you want any, let me know - I'll be glad to send some over.

GreenToe / Eugene

P.S. Did Arlene the previous owner tell you what color flowers Arlene the plant produces?

This post was edited by greentoe357 on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 11:25

>> P.S. Did Arlene the previous owner tell you want color flowers Arlene the plant produces?

I am reading up on Arlene's relatives (PATSP blog never disappoints). Quote: "True Christmas cacti [flowers], on the other hand, are almost always red or magenta". So, I guess that narrows it down.

Also, apparently their flowers look very different from the more common Thanksgiving cactus.

This is my first holiday cactus, so this is all new to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: PATSP entry for Schlumbergera

Hi Usha,
I did sent a message or two. It looks like they didn't go through. My direct e-mail is mgh007@yahoo.com - thank you for thinking of me.
Gail

Arlene is pre-destined to have deep pink flowers (can you tell I am Indian, LOL).

goren, I have been turning Arlene around every now and then. re the tips on watering. I wont be able to take
Arlene to the sink for a deep watering so I am going to
have to underwater and keep a close eye. The main trunk is quite firm and heavily branched so if she looks
sad over winter I may prune her and repot.

Eugene, Lovely pics of Arlene's twins, they look so happy in their new pot !

Gail, I have emailed you directly.

Usha

Usha,

I might be late...but wondering if you would have any rooted cuttings in the future? I am located in MI and have been searching for this plant for a while.

Ken

I too have some cuttings of a true CC, but which blooms pink (not 'just red or magenta'), I saw the parent plant in bloom, definitely pink. I've got 3 small pots started at home in 3 different spots to see which works best.

We shall see.

Hi MittenGirl,
I will certainly have more cuttings to hand out, but I am afraid it is too late in the year to send them out from MI reliably. I did not get around to sending some to monet_g either but it is on my list of things to do.
so if you send me a reminder early spring, I will be happy to send you a bunch.
Usha

Any update pictures on the Christmas cactus?

Actually, there are a few colors for x buckleyii that are not magenta, red, or pink :) There is peach among other the other things! So there are a few possibilities, although the pink/magenta is probably the most common.

I'm in the minority, but I probably wouldn't have cut it back beyond what is damaged. My mom has a plant older than me and she never messes with it beyond repotting. It looked like it had a good structure. :)

I'm excited to hear how the blooms go!

Dear Usha, What an amazing plant. I have never seen anything like that in my life. I have not been on this site for a couple of years because I have not been too healthy. I was shocked when I saw the picture of this christmas cactus. You are very lucky to have found this. Take good care of it and it will give you many years of happines I am sure. If you ever have any extra cuttings I would be soooo thrilled to have some. I have been looking for one of the real cc for several years and here you found this beauty. Enjoy all the blooms you will get I am sure. Thanks for showing all of us this beauty. I have sent you an email and hope you have received it.

After seeing this post several times I'm finally going to comment. That plant is GORGEOUS! I would love to have an original Christmas Cactus one day. I hope Arlene flowers for you and you will treat us to some pictures.

Hello all ccaddicts,

The mommy plant Arlene looks the same, a few new leaves
but mainly sitting in her pot, budha-like.
I rooted a bunch of cuttings in different pots and they either
1)rotted and died or
2)thrived and are blooming now.
Heres some pics

{{gwi:97611}}

Here's a few other pics of my plants settling indoors
Kitchen Window (east facing)
{{gwi:97612}}
Craft room aka plant room (south facing window and some additional light from east facing window (now shown)
{{gwi:97613}}
Craft room corner (low light from east facing window about 12 ft away)
{{gwi:97614}}

my favorite hibiscus (North west facing patio door, blooms reliably through winter)
{{gwi:97615}}

newly acquired Ric Rac cactus
{{gwi:97616}}

Regards
Usha

Very nice! I think everything is looking great!

Usha,
you have a Thanksgiving Cactus, not a Christmas Cactus :-)

Josh

Josh,

Is that right ? I followed a thread about thanksgiving vs CC a while ago and thought I had identified mine correctly (but apparently not !)
Heres a close up
{{gwi:97617}}

and my "thanksgiving cactus" bloomed in October (its on the kitchen windowsill in my previous post) and has more serrated leaves (sorry I dont have a close up).

WDYT ?

Usha

Usha,
I think Josh is just joshing you. (Now we know where that term came from. ;-)) I think what he means is that your CC's bloom time is closer to a TC. Thus, kinda making it like a TC this year.
Gail

This post was edited by monet_g on Wed, Nov 20, 13 at 12:27

Usha,

Those are definitely S. x buckleyi type phyllocades and the bloom is the correct shape as well. :) Yours is just blooming a bit off season is all.

Yes, sorry for joshin' you! ;-)
You have lovely true Christmas Cacti!

Josh

Too funny, thanks monet and julianna.

and Josh it is thanksgiving around the corner,
not April fools day :)

Usha

Looks like a good example of the difference latitude can make, even when plants are inside.

I am desperately looking for cuttings from a old fashioned Christmas cactus. If anyone can help!

Desertplumeria -
I was going to email you, but you do not have that feature enabled. I have a Christmas cactus exactly like "Arlene" that is an heirloom to my family. I can offer cuttings of it. I have become a holiday cactus addict - I've always loved them, but I've only ever had the pink Christmas cactus and have just longed for the Thanksgiving and Easter cacti, plus all the other colors of Christmas cactus. I've recently discovered that there are white, light pink, yellow, orange and bi-colored blooms, and even feathered white blooms!!! There's also red, but I've seen that and the dark pink like I have in the stores since I was little. Never seen those other ones, or the lighter leaved one Cristen Aurea!!!! I must have one of each!!!
P.S. - I am in Ohio too!!!

This post was edited by Queen-Gardener on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 19:15

I have a Christmas Cactus that I have no idea how old it is. It has gorgeous, cream-colored flowers trimmed in yellow, and the stamens have purple. It was huge and now it's falling apart. :(

If I understand everyone correctly, I need to repot it by trimming the root ball, trimming off all 'limp' branches, and replanting it in a mixture of fir bark, regular potting soil and sand...is that correct?

Jordy, re-pot into a mixture of mostly fir bark, perlite, and just a pinch of regular potting mix. Remove as much of the old mix from the roots as possible. No need to trim the roots or branches necessarily.

Josh

I know this is an old post but I too have been looking for Christmas cactus cuttings.

How is Arlene looking these days? Did she ever bloom for you?

Mine is a little younger, but she is putting on a spectacular show this year.

My question is what do I have here and how on earth do I go about giving these plants a healthy life again. To me they look bad but their blooms are incredible. Huge magenta and red flowers. The leaves from the avocado tree constantly fall on them and they are filled with spiderwebs (not excited about the idea of getting my hands in there. I can't even see the soil and these things are so heavy I'd need help to move them. They are fully shaded all day from the trees. I hate the ugly plastic pots they are in. Basically I want to clean them up and give them love. Help!

I agree, beautiful plant that I would love to have a start of someday.

Thank you so much! I've done some research now. They really are beautiful plants. I'll take your advice and not disturb it too much. Just cleaned out a lot of the leaves. There are sooooooooo many spiders in there. Any suggestions on safely reducing their population without harming the Epis?

you can use a hose and gently spray them out with a sprayer. Actually unless you are bringing the plants inside or they are black widows or something else, I'd leave them. The spiders are good, they will eat all sorts of bugs that might harm the epis. I also wanted to add that in the fall you might be smart to allow the leaves to collect in the plants again to protect the plants from frost.

Any help?! I was just trying to repot a cutting of a Christmas cactus that apparently had rooted pretty far down and I broke it under the soil at the stalk... like completly detached it... what do I do?! It's old and I don't want to lose it!

Hi Johanna,

Pls. don't panic, it's likely quite salvageable!

Broke a branch or the whole plant? A pic would be most helpful.

This is a pretty old thread which discussion switched to another plant (an Epiphyllum).

So for next time, perhaps a separate thread would be best.

I don't know how to start a new thread... and it was a small plant that was from a cutting (I've had it growing for a year but realized the pot had no holes for drainage)

just pot it up, but make sure the very bottom segment is not soft(rotting) - then you might have a problem.

I would take apart that branch and start a new pot. The main plant probably needs to be repotted. Clean out as much as the old potting mix you can, trim the roots a bit and put it in a new fast draining mix. You can search 5-1-1 mix here and repotting. There are lots of explanations. If you are on Facebook there is a group called Holiday Cactus Lovers group with lots of helpful people. Most of them prefer to repot using a fifty fifty mix of potting soil and perlite. If you repot, tale your time and read up here. I'm happy to answer specific questions if you need it. My weekend will be busy so it might take a bit before I respond.

If the clades on the fallen branch are withered, sometimes they can be saved by putting them i a ziplock baggie full of water for a day or two. Just flip the bag every day. I actually forgot about one for about two weeks and it had sprouted roots.

Good luck!

Unless I miss my guess, this baby has been in the same pot for years. There looks to be some degree of nitrogen deficiency as well as potassium which could account for the paling of the green (nitrogen), reddening of segments (potassium), and soft feel of the segments which could also be potassium because this mineral helps plants produce and store carbohydrate which would give the segments a nice firm feel.

Repotting however is problematic because it would take several people to do it if left untrimmed. Cut back one third to one half then one person might be able to do it. An alternative would be to tap dress-remove any loose soil from the top of the pot and then put down a layer of good rich potting soil or compost. I've seen this treatment do wonders for other plants and when it works, needs to be done every three to six months to keep the plant healthy and vigorous.