This is not the best time to repot a cactus but in life or death situations we have no choice. Here is what I would suggest, find a terra cotta pot that is a little smaller than the plastic pot the plant is in now. Get a bag of cactus mix and mix it with pumice, one part cactus mix to four parts pumice. Plant the cactus in it after shaking off all the old soil from the roots. DO NOT WATER THE CACTUS FOR AT LEAST A WEEK AFTER PLANTING IN THE NEW SOIL. This allows the damaged roots to heal so that they are resistant to fungal attack. You can find pumice at many animal feed stores as a product called Dry Stall. It is used in horse stalls to absorb moisture. Before you use it you should wash out the dust by putting some in a bucket and running water over the top until it runs clear. You want particles that are about 1/8" in size. If you can't find pumice look for scoria (crushed red or black volcanic rock) of the same size. Wash it also. Let the pumice or scoria dry out before you mix it with the cactus mix. All of the commercial cactus mixes I have seen contain way too much organic material and will retain too much water. That is why they must be mixed with some inorganic gritty material with large particle size. After you begin watering the cactus let the soil dry out almost completely between waterings. Dig down with your finger up to the first knuckle, if you feel moisture don't water. The general rule with cacti is "If in doubt, don't water". Good luck. Jack

Hello, I have had Schlumbergera for only a few years but this is my advice to you. I would take the half torn segment off and separate it into 2 to 3 segment pieces and put them in as many pots as you want (put them all together for a full plant or separate for lots of little plants) and let it root. Some Schlumbergera are slow growers but for aesthetic reasons you may want to just take what you want from the old plant and root it into a new one and get rid of the not as attractive segments with holes. I don't know where the holes are in the segments or if it is affecting its growth. Under the right conditions you can get a Schlumbergera to flower before the cutting reaches 1 year. I have had mine for 3 years but only got them to flower this year. I am not very good with watering and I moved around a lot (which they hate). I have finally settled down and have found them a spot they seem to like that gets some sun (not too much), gets cool at night, is fairly humid and stays dark at night (no artificial light). Some people can get them to bloom without lifting a finger while others struggle to find just the right environment. I found it frustrating when mine would bud only to have them drop a week later. Good luck!

I'm sorry about your TC. They really are my favorite plants. I saw your post last night and I woke up this morning with an idea. Why don't you wait until early spring and get some cuttings from a TC with a color you really like. I'm sure one of us would have something you would like or you could purchase some from eBay or an online nursery. Then, with advice from people here who know, root the cuttings and grow a new TC from the ground up, so to speak. Read up on GW until then on what kind/size of pot, different soil options, where you are going to grow your plant indoors, etc. Put this plant out in the summer in an appropriate area and then with some luck, you'll have blooms next Thanksgiving. This way you can kind of get in tune with a plant that you've grown yourself from healthy cuttings starting out the right way rather than trying to save something that was going downhill when you got it. Of course, we'll all be here to give advice as you go along. Just a thought.

Ninecrow, hi there, just checked my TC's out and one out of three has some tiny buds just beginning to develop. It's the one shown in the hanging basket in the first post in this thread. It survives 365 in my g/h. I may treat it and the others to a warmer winter this year by moving them into the bathroom. It's colours nothing spectacular really, but it has sentimental value as it was a rescue from my mums house, so it's a keeper for that reason alone. I've said I'm not going to get any more plants, but there will soon be TC' s of every hue for £1 each in all the supermarkets and markets won't there? Just maybe........ Gill