Arum, it's just you are trying too hard, the plant needs a rest now. It's done it's job and flowered, sit back and stop watering, don't push it. You need to relax, the plant needs to relax. If you want security, take a few leaves off, or put the ones that already dropped off into sandy soil in a tiny 1" pot don't water until some roots form, you can tell this by very gently pulling up the leaf and see if it holds in the soil, good luck and let us all know when they take root. Put these little pots into a warm place to start, perhaps on top of the water heater, or a warm bathroom, or kids room, the warmest room in the house. Their growing season is really in the Spring, so you may need to try and start them again that time of the year. Norma

When was it repotted the last time? How old is it? What kind of compost do you use?

Thanks Nora for the pointers in getting it going again, but the plant is pretty big, about 10 inchs across I guess. tjicken, I water it in the spring with some very weak miracle grow water, and it isn't root bound I don't think. I potted it a couple years ago and it just does this weird thing. The leaves seem to loose their water, and they just fall off.

I think the plant needs more, rather than less water. Sometimes the fact that Schlumbergera is a cactus and "needs" to dry out is over emphasized. In their native habitat it rains a lot. The water drains away quickly but the plant never goes long without a drink. I would sit the pot into a bucket of luke warm water and let it soak for an hour. Then I would not water again until the soil approaches dryness. I'm talking Schlumbergera dry, not Crassula dry. Keep the plant on the cool side, away from heating vents. After a short hiatus following the bloom period, the plant will begin to grow as the days begin to lengthen. Thats your cue to increase watering frequency. During the growing season forget the plant is a cactus and pretend it is a philodendron. Just make sure the drainage is good. When you do water, do so generously. Just do so less frequently following bloom until the plant begins to grow again.

Hi Arum,

You said you:

"give it lots of sun". These plants don't really like direct sun, they grow naturally in the canopy of trees, so what they want is dappled light, or bright INDIRECT, like the edge of a window or thru a sheer curtain.

These plants usually rest for at least a month after blooming; they need the recovery time after that big blooming effort. I agree w/ Norma, it needs to be left alone for a while to recover.

Tho' people here often say not to water on a schedule, just to give you an idea, mine is on edge of west window, in plastic pot on pebble tray. I water it well once a week, in peak summer maybe twice a week.

Pls. don't fertilize until you start seeing lots of new growth.

Sometimes they just shed segments or even branches like this; some folks think it's one of the plants way of reproducing, that it drops segments here & there, some of them taking root where they drop.

As you fuss w/ it less this should subside.

Karen thank you, I just gave up. There are several articles about this plant now, some you can just download, instead or arguing with anyone, go here
http://cactus.biology.dal.ca/paulS/christmas/christmas.html I think the article is excellant. There is a whole CSSA Journal on this subject this past month, and in every catalogue that sells the plant where is a page telling you how to take care of it. But then you may not believe them either. Mine grow in filtered light along a north wall, I can grow them outside because of our climate. Others I do grow in a hot house, to duplite jungle clime. Karen you repeated exactly what I said. Common sense must be used whtn growing all plants. The plant will indicate what it wants, learn to read plants. This is for all who is reading this now. I give up, do what you want, if it doesn't make sense do it anyway. Karen you may edit what I say anytime you want, thank you, Norma

Well Norma, we tried (I don't know how to post links); I guess I felt if several people said the same/similar things it might get thru.

Then too, I'm a sucker for this plant as it's native to where I grew up (Rio). Interestingly, I don't ever recall seeing it as a child, tho' I have vivid memories of seeing Euph. miliis, Sans. by the boatloads, giant-leafed philodendrons, assorted other Aroids, Cannas, but I never these.

I grew them here in NYC for abt 6 yrs. before I accidentally discovered how to bloom them (when my kitchen light fixtures blew out at the same time & it was a couple of months before they were both replaced). That prompted my first blooms.

When I had these wilty, translucent segments drop, I just ignored 'em. Over time & experience w/ the plant, this stopped, now happens maybe 1 single segment or 2 per season, had 1 segment just last week. My plant's blooms are opening right now, it usually blooms around New Years for me (color is Fuschia & white, exactly like the bloom currently shown in close-up at the Cactus Gallery).

Fred: it's a bit of a misconception that it rains a lot in Rio, tho' it does in the rainy season (January, when it can rain most of the month). The key is really that when it rains, it can rain very hard for short periods of time then dries so thoroughly, that had one not just seen the rain, one would be hard-pressed to believe it had happened. Very humid tho' much of the time, certainly in their summer. My Dad, now living in Ft. Lauderdale, often comments that weather there reminds him of Rio.

I guess it's really true what Norma says that it's all abt learning to read the plant as it WILL tell what it wants.

Thanks to you all for your excellent advice, I really needed some feedback on this one. I do injoy this plant, and look forward to the blooms each year. Now I wiil try to apply these suggestions, and see if the plant does better. It's good to know that other folks have had the same problems, and that my cactus isn't doomed. :) arum

Hi Pirate Girl,
All I know is that my Schlums like quite a bit of water; a healthy, happy schlum should not wrinkle up or wilt even during the dormacy period. In regards to light, I keep mine outside in dappled bright shade as much as possible, but indoors in the winter, my Schlums love as much sun as they can get. The ones in a south window always are much happier and out grow the ones in the recommended eastern exposure. How cool does it actually get in that area PG, do you know? I ask because mine seem to like really cool conditions.

Hi Fred,

I DO agree abt the amount of water, took me a while to get that right. I also started w/ C&S mix initially 'til I learned better & if I recall correctly, now I use more of an AV mix augmented w/ lots of perlite or pumice.

I too agree abt a dormant one shouldn't wrinkle or wilt. I finally have it to the point where the only way I know it's dormant is that it's a month or 2 after bloom, but that I see no new activity on the plant for a while. All looks well & fine even, yet it just seems to stop growing &/or putting on any new growth until all of a sudden, Oh, it's growing again, time to fertilize soon ;>)

Sorry, I don't really recall how cold it gets (I left there when I was 10 yrs. old). As a kid I don't recall wearing more outergarments than a sweater. Maybe like early Fall in NYC?

I have often heard teasing that if it gets down to 50 degrees F, folks in Rio are donning overcoats!

Brazil is a HUGE country w/ lots of different climate zones, I only knew Rio which is VERY tropical. 5th largest country in the world in size (land mass) behind America & that's only if you count Alaska.

My days of offering advice on this forum are over. I never promoted my suggestions as the gospel, its just what works for me. Apparentley some people are extremely threatened by this. They have such a high need to be considered Garden Web Guru that any contrary advice is considered argumentative and competitive. Why do we need people to offer advice anyway? If you have a plant related problem just let the plant tell you what it needs. Or you can just move to California, where everything can be grown "because of the climate". So you can relax Norma, your crown is secure and your title intact.

I am always sorry when it seems people are fighting. All anyone can ever do really is tell what works for them. I appreciate everyones' responses, and realize that nothing is really right or wrong, until it proves to work or not work. Advice is just words, and whatever anyone says still is subject to the reader putting a meaning on it. Lots of things that are given as advice are really subjective and subject to a reader's interpretation. It's the reader that really has the last word here. All writers can do is type away into cyberspace and hope that readers understand what we mean. Neither writers nor readers are clairvoyant, so we better look at the plants while we weigh the advice, right?

My Thanksgiving cacti leaves turned red in a south window, which I think means too much sun, but my Christmas cactus is nice and green, so I've assumed it likes a south window. In the winter I keep my house pretty cool. I don't like to turn up the heat much, so it's about 65 in the day and 55 at night. I let them "dry out" between waterings, but then that's pretty subjective, isn't it? These temperatures seems to work for the cacti in the winter, but rooting things is another matter. I have to supply bottom heat if I am rooting things.

I am sorry also. I enjoy giving advice but have had nothing but snide remarks and snotty comments from the above named individual since I came on this board. How very childish. I should just ignore it but I'm fed up. If anyone wants to e-mail me I will help in any way I can. I don't want to contradict someone else's anal retentive advice.

Hey Fred,

Pls. don't go, what on earth happened here, last I knew (Fri nite) we were just talkin' abt CCs & how cold in gets in their native habitat?

I have no idea what happened here (where??), but pls. deeps breaths all around everybody. Could we all pls. just agree on differences of opinion, respectful ones?

Hi Pirate Girl,
I haven't gone. I just don't give advice on growing plants anymore. Privately but not on this forum.

Schlumbergera grow in mountain areas at 500-2000 m altitude, where the temperature is relatively low, and can occasionally reach the freezing point. I don't know much about Rio, but it seems to be located approximately at sea level.

Well, I apppreciate everyones advice and don't have any mean things to say. :)

I am going to also say that if I repot or find the cactus wrinkling, they seem to like to go in a bag and get some humidity for a week or so until they stabilize again. I think Norma was indeed out of line. I found that in growing any plants it is always a learning process and I have to keep an open mind.

Fred,

I don't know you but I've learned a lot from the advice you've given me and others. I agree with you 100% that there are a few people on here who, like you said, give "snide remarks and snotty comments". It's happened to me quite a few times for the little while I've been here, and it made me want to stop being a member. Difference is, I wouldn't be missed since I'm new and people don't seem to like me! Maybe I'm just too sensitive, but a few times I addressed posts to particular people and they just ignored me....oh well. I truly believe there are people on here who only reply to posts when you are doing something "wrong" with your plant (not to help with an ID, or tell you how beautiful your plant pic is, or to answer a simple question about something)...maybe it makes them feel better about themselves.

Anyway, I don't think you should stop giving advice and I'll tell you why. People who believe they are "Garden Web Gurus" (and I'm thinking of a few people) may know a lot, but the way they convey their information is snotty and actually confusing (one person I'm thinking of sometimes makes no sense at all). I'd much rather get advice from someone like you, who is helpful and doesn't only reply as a way to put people down.

So please continue to offer your advice. I'd much rather have you on here than the know-it-alls who like to belittle people. By the way, you are not the first one to speak up about this while I've been on here...someone brought this same subject up not too long ago (and I'm not going to lie, I was happy they did).

I will repost this in the new thread that was started about you, in case you don't see this. Take care Fred.

Gabi

Alot, I never would have considered doing that. Great tip. ;-)

Hi arum,

I don't post on the cactus forum very often, but I have quite a few Schlums and other jungle cactus. I'll tell you what I do to keep them from drying out. I have found that most of the soil that Schlums come in compact and get stiff when dry, so I make sure to keep them moist. I don't water from above because this can cause the plant to mold, have black rot, mush, or have dieback. When I buy a new plant I take the plant immediately out of the plastic liner, this has been the death of many schlums. Water it really well, (to remove the crust on top of the soil and remove fertilizer from the soil) then put it in a catch pot 1-2 sizes larger than the pot size.

How I do this is put about an inch of gravel on the bottom of the catch then put the pot in and adjust the gravel level until the plant is level with the top of the catch pot. I then measure water to the level of the gravel replace the pot and then fill in the gap around the pot with more gravel all the way to the top, this anchors the pot and helps keep it from tipping, I also put gravel on the soil of the plant. When it begins to droop or the soil begins to lift from the side of the inside pot I know to water it again with the same amount as before. Water the gravel, not the plant itself. This works like hydroponics, in a way. You can also mark a stick and insert it into the gravel to guage the water level. Never let the water reach above the pot's bottom.

I have also planted Schlums in the clay AV self watering pots, the same size as the pot they came in. Schlums like tight toes. Just remember that in the US it is not as humid as where they are from that a complete dry out can cause them to shrivel up. They like to be moist, but not soppy or drippy.

Mine love light and as long as they are not moved and kept moist (not soppy) and on the cool side, (below 75*) minimal bud drop occurs. As soon as you see new growth you can start to feed your plant 1/4 strength liquid tomato like fertilizer, I've been feeding mine for about a week now. and they have been growing like weeds. I have one that evey stem has new growth.

Another thing I'd recommend is when you go out to buy a plant in any cold weather at all, keep a styrofoam cooler in the back seet and immediately transfer your plant to that before leaving the nursery. I also have one handy for aquarium fish. This helps reduce the shock of warm, cold, warm, cold, etc..

Mentha. Thanks for the excellent pointers. Sounds like you know your stuff! :) Arum