Boothbay,
Sure it may bloom off and on thru Dec or Jan maybe later than that. Totally unpredictable. Lol I had 1 last year that off and oned thru mid May. But usually only get blooms until Feb.This pic was taken May 29 2012
cliff

I get confused by watering and fertilizing when they are in bud...should I withhold both?

I'd suggest don't fertilize, but I'd certainly water, seems to me they'd need water to grow those blooms.

One withholds watering for a month or so AFTER they're done blooming; I hold back water until it shows new growth again.

Well, those buds did not open up at all...even though i left it in the same area when it did bloom nicely. I wonder why they produce more buds and don't open.

Maybe lack of water????

This is good to read since all of the buds on 6 TC's I bought 2 wks ago have fallen off. Wish I had taken some pics 'cuz the little balls of color even unopened were really cute.

I lost about 1/2 of the buds on my lopsided TC that kept falling over during the first week I had it. My understanding is that they are very sensitive to being moved , so I wonder if even the trip from store to home is too traumatic for some? Sorry about you two losing buds! :(

Hard to say but I have confidence in them getting back to it as soon as they can. I know they weren't at the store long at all, I go by almost every week. So it could have been the trip from the grower to the store too. There was a new shipment Monday with tons more buds per plant. My theory is to check on them this coming Monday, purely for research purposes, of course...

Bought my First TC a few weeks ago.. for the most part, it's standing straight up. I guess from being nursery grown and jammed in with a bunch of others. A few blooms opened up and I thought things were going along nicely, but I keep moving it around and turning it to get the available light.. and from what I've read, I guess they don't like to be moved around! All unopened buds have darkened considerably and are now falling off..
I plan on taking cuttings from this plant and hope for more shape in the next generation.
Interesting plant. I can live with just the green.

Charlie

So, does this mean they don't want to be turned? How much moving constitutes "a move?" Picking it up? Should they not do the outside/inside shuffle? Seems like the time to bring them in is just before or at bloom time.

And how do they get to the store and keep blooming, but not go from the store to our house? Does the "I've been moved so I will not open these buds" thing take a while to take effect?

On the weekend, I usually open the window coverings a little later, sometimes an hour. Is that an issue?

This is confusing.

"I can live with just the green." No doubt, these are great "leaves!" I am starting to see some new tiny pink/peach dots at the some of the tips, so maybe new flowers are forming.

I think move means move at all in any way. I haven't rotated mine/ turned mine at all, and , since I've kept my lopsided one from knocking itself over, the bud drops have stopped. When it was falling , it was only falling 2 inches over, but that was too much impact. These guys seem sensitive!

I am keeping my window blinds open generally 8 to 6, and I don't think I'm having any sun-related issues. Today i didnt pull the blinds up till 10.I think your Saturday late-window opening will be fine. They aren't as sensitive with sun as with the moving

I believe those are new leaves (segments) forming.

IME, holiday cacti are usually grown in some sort of peat, and this makes the watering of them really tricky. There's a fine line between mix that is comfortably moist, and that that is too wet or too dry. In the wild, it's not really a big issue if buds drop once in a while because the weather's not cooperating. That's probably why the repeat bloom is built in. People are always wanting to do something to their plants, and especially when they have a new one with buds they just brought home. They quarantine, they try it here and there. "Now just where was I thinking I would put this when I was in the store?" I think what HC really like is to be cool, and folks in lots of places(except for meyermike) are getting their furnaces going. Probably a HC in bud is not a good candidate for moving in and out of the house. Probably the growers know exactly when to ship for best results, but then they really only have to get them off the store shelves and into your home and beyond that isn't their concern. So they don't care if the peat turns into a brick in the next year. I think those that summer them outside bring them in before they bud up, but I haven't done this, so I don't know for sure. There's always the next year, when you have forgotten all about the plant and aren't hovering anymore(because you have gone out and bought about ten more) and then it will bloom nicely and surprise you. Purple, I think those are new segments growing too.

Anything it's growing besides mold is good! Ha!

I don't know that I'll ever see flowers from these plants. I never leave any plant alone, let alone not move them, and I won't tolerate any lop-sidedness from any plant. May not be a good plant partner for me but I like the leaves. Time will tell...

I've turned mine and moved mine after the buds formed and it didn't make any difference. Mine usually bloom first on the side closest to the window, and then bloom on the other side. So of course I turn it so I always get the best view. I've invited a couple to dinner various times with no detrimental effects. I always lose a couple of buds, but never so many to make the bloom not lovely. It might look like it is making new buds, but the small ones are actually aborted ones that never mature. They eventually fall off, about the time the opened blooms are failing. I really think that watering can be more of an issue than moving them around. If mine are going to repeat bloom they usually don't bloom again until they do some more growing, sometimes about the next time the days are about the same length, sometimes later in spring.

Hurray for surprises! I love them.

Mike

"I won't tolerate any lop-sidedness from any plant." People who haven't finished their coffee yet can really be cranky. Sheesh! What kind of crazed tyrant said this?

Ha ha, purple! When I read that from you, I was like , she probably would've given up on my 1 TC by now ! Lopsided to the Max! :D

I was just having a moment, u know? I was thinking about that later while I was looking at various lop-sided plants. It happens. Usually ends up in propagation experiments, but it happens and apparently I'm tolerating it just fine.

I had to read this 3 times till I got it "I've invited a couple to dinner various times with no detrimental effects." Like, this plant is so sensitive, other people coming to dinner affect the blooms... Ha!

What about this cute line of tiny dots?

Oh, LOL! I thought that might be a confusing way to say it, but I didn't think about the two kinds of couples, so it really was ever so much more so. I meant moved a couple of plants onto the dinner table to be admired while they were blooming. I guess I don't have frightening guests!

For a minute I hoped purple never saw some of my plants, or it'd be the Alabama Lopper Massacre!

I think it's too soon to tell about the three dots. Either buds or segments, and either is welcome.

"Alabama Lopper Massacre" Ha! I promise it won't come to that!

I finally understood what you meant, but admit I was having a serious lack of comprehension moment. Really is funny to think about though. "I invited people to dinner and all the buds fell off my plant!" Hahahaha!

No doubt about the dots, whatever the plant wants to do is cool with me, even be LOP-SIDED! Just glad SOMETHING is happening.

LauraR was right about the first pic I posted here. They are clearly leaves by now. Thanks!

Over the years I've read, 'do not move a budding TC.' But, you guys make a good point.
If a TC is budding at the store, we then bring it home, it's being moved! What the heck?

Maybe relocating from store to home is one reason buds/flowers drop.

Also, many of us here leave TC's outdoors until budding, then bring inside..Once again, it's being moved.

Even if a TC/CC is placed in a closet a certain time every day, once budding occurs it's taken out of the closet and placed near a window..Moved!

What other choice is there?

Purple..Murphy's Law..Your TC is filled w/buds and blooms...you invite guest over for dinner, 'also to see your beautiful TC.'
The day they're due to arrive, buds and flowers drop. lol.
Never fails.

Moving a blooming Holiday Cactus is fine...but don't *re-Orient* the plant while the buds are small.
I move my budding CC's to the sink to be watered, and then I return them to the same spot in the same
relative position to the sun.

Josh

I have had my white TC since early December. Yesterday I touched/moved it for the first time since bringing it home. I lifted it for approximately 7 seconds so I could dust under it. This morning I found 4 ...wait, 6 aborted buds--- the first lost for this plant. I do not think this is a coincidence. No more dusting for me!

3rd edit: now I'm up to 12 dropped buds. I need to stop inspecting! Acks!

This post was edited by rachelthepoet on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 9:57

... so inviting people to dinner probably IS questionable! Ha!

Sorry about the buds, Rachel! Wish I knew where to tell you to get a magnet like mine, "Dust testing in progress, please do not disturb the samples!" Those who have tried and failed to grow a lovely, smooth layer of dust (and the makers of all of those confusing and stinky products) are the proponents of the fallacy of dusting. I suspect, as folks become more educated, cultural attitudes will embrace the new enlightenment.

Science may show that it is, in fact, better to not dust. I'm doing experiments to add to the bulk of knowledge. Your report is an important inclusion, I hope you don't mind. Preliminary examination of the data overwhelmingly suggests that leaving it alone is indeed best. Moving things around on the shelf can leave unprotected spots, detracting from the appearance of your dust layer, and possibly allowing damage to the exposed furniture surface. Touching the dust can leave unsightly fingerprints and is best avoided if trying to accumulate a thick, soft unblemished patina.

Periodic maintenance is required to keep your dust layer at its' best, much like trimming a chia pet or head. Dust that is past its' prime and overgrown can simply be vacuumed with the hose attachment of your machine. This allows light to reach the lower portion, where dust is most vigorous and able to rebound quickly and even more beautiful than before very quickly.

...not to mention the study also seems to indicate that spending the time doing anything else is much more productive and pleasant. Further research is ongoing...

Purple: found 2 more dropped buds after a day out!

Your dusting manifesto is amazing. I just about died laughing reading it !

Thanks, Rachel, don't know how I missed your entry originally.

Just a followup on the "maybe it will make more buds." Not here. So due to the abundance of aerial roots that showed up, I decided to make lemonade, so to speak. I twisted a lot of sections loose, many with the roots still attached, and have given them the soil they seek, kind of laying on top with the roots in contact. Some pieces that I didn't even notice had fallen to the surface at some point are already firmly attached to the soil with roots. Safety in numbers, right? I'm going to have a crap load of plants for possible flower making...

This is, to me, another type of surprise. I didn't know this plant could make pink leaves! Now I don't care if it ever makes flowers. Totally hooked.

This post was edited by purpleinopp on Thu, May 16, 13 at 17:14

Crap loads of plants = many gifts next gifting season, no?

Purple: your pink leaves are magical! Glad your thanksgiving cactus is doing so well!

Hi Purple,

Your plant does looks really healthy & happy. Those purple leaves are a reaction to growing in full, direct sun.

They don't naturally grow out in full sun light that, I don't know if it'd be good for the plants. If just for a couple of hrs. a day, then it'd probably be OK. Otherwise, it might burn them to a crisp.

Does sun exposure play a huge part in whether or not it will bloom?

...where is the line,yaknow?

FW, I'd love to share! But AFTER *I* see some flowers if you know what I mean. Nine pretty plants covered in buds that fell off a few days after coming home. Now condensed to 3 hanging pots and 1 in a tree-base washtub planter. That one's really pink too. It got a little frost bite but has recovered well.

Asleep, IDK. They'll be outside until frost looms, then I can't control the lights inside. That's what I have to offer, we'll see what happens in the spots I have available.

PG, the ones that are so pink/purple were right in the east windows for winter so were much more used to the direct sun. Paired with other plants that didn't get direct sun, you can really see the diff. although they've all been outside for 2 mos now. I keep looking for sunburn but haven't seen any yet. I put a pot of cuttings where it gets sun all day, literally, and it doesn't seem to be burning, has cute tiny new leaves, raspberry pink. Some get only morning sun, that really pink one's sticking out in the sun most of the day, the wind blows it in/out of the shadow of the porch roof. Early in the season yet, I'm watching... You know I'm not afraid to burn a plant to find the "too much" point.

The cuttings (with a piece of Haworthia, top center):

{{gwi:112282}}

Another plant:
{{gwi:112283}}

Purpleinopp,

What are the clips int he first photo for?

Hey Tilly, they're U-shaped things to hold the aerial roots against the soil. The pieces wanted to be in a different shape, curled the wrong way.

Took another pic just now, rained last night.

...don't understand why/when I'm still losing pics.

This post was edited by purpleinopp on Thu, Jun 6, 13 at 12:46