Ancient Christmas Cactus
7 years ago
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7 years ago
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Crossing Christmas Cactus with Thanksgiving Cactus
Comments (52)Thanks, puglvr! It's maybe not as bloomy as the parents, but once I get it repotted and pruned next spring we'll see how it does then. If it doesn't shape up, out it goes. juliana, maybe we would have to do it after you get back, or try to fit in a mailing before you go. I have to look at the weather before May 15, but sometimes it can work earlier than that. Just remind me about it in April and we'll go from there. I'm thinking of repotting all my cc's and giving them a prune job, so it wouldn't be hard to put a couple of the trimmings in an envelope. Anyway, earlier would fit better for me if the weather cooperates. Once it's nice out, I had better be done with the fussing with the house plants because the acre veg garden calls....See MoreThanksgiving or Christmas cactus? Groundhog day cactus?
Comments (56)Purple, I've enjoyed reading this thread and wanted to add my $.02 worth. The first thing I noticed is that the stems appear to be flacid.....wilty. That could be caused by over OR under watering.....whichever might cause the roots from being able to access water. In this case, I wonder if the water you're applying is evacuating before soaking the whole soil volume. One thing about these plants (all plants) is that though they need to dry out somewhat between drenchings, the potting soil must be completely saturated on watering day. This is true for all plants, even those cacti that are native to extremely arid regions. Have you ever seen "Medicine Man ", a movie starring that gorgeous specimen of manhood Sean Connery? It takes place in the rainforest of Brazil. There are scenes of my lovely Sean ziplining through the forest canopy, sharing the scenes with huge epiphytic cacti and other plants. Really neat movie. Plus, it stars Sean Connery. I get that it's difficult to understand how those prickly, barrel shaped desert cacti have ANYTHING to do those graceful rainforest plants. Here's what I "think " is a good analogy, but don't laugh at me toooooo hard if it really stinks. Take your dog into consideration for a moment. It's a mammal. So are you and the pesky squirrels in your yard. Big differences amongst those three mammals yet they share essential similarities. Still with me? Now, think of those incredible bottlenose dolphins familiar to anyone living in coastal areas. Superficially, they seem to have so little in common with your dog, but those porpoises are just another type of mammal. They live in a different environment, for sure, but the similarities are much more important than the differences. You just need to try to provide the kind of environment your dolphin needs. :-) Dorie...See MoreChristmas Cactus Wicking Questions
Comments (7)Hi Donna, I DO have wicking experience & can say that Christmas Cacti (CC) are not something that comes to mind when one thinks wicking. It's more commonly used w/ things like African Violets, (where I learned it), Sinningias & other Gesneriads. I've never heard or read of anyone else trying it before this, but likely someone somewhere has also wondered about it. Since CC plants naturally grow in the crooks & branches of trees, they can handle frequent rain because they don't actually grow in mix, rather just bits of leaf debris & stuff, anything that falls into the crotch of that branch; since they drain almost immediately. Given that, I'm not so sure they can handle the constant moisture provided in wicking. My sense is they would rot, but one never knows, I could be wrong on this. (I'm currently growing a Sans, or Snake plant from leaf in Hydro (Water & clay pellets), where one could easily think it would rot & yet, it's happy as a clam, grown into a whole new plant.) So I try not to assume things like this anymore. If that's the only part of the plant you have (on the wick), I'd take cuttings to root to grow in mix, just in case. Pls. let us know what happens, good luck w/ it....See MoreChristmas cactus/thanksgiving cactus question
Comments (4)Hi King, Not such a weird question, but no, they don't spread. As stated above they get longer, & sometimes branch. When long enough, a portion breaks off & drops off, taking root where it lands. They don't spread sideways because in nature, they don't grow in soil, but rather in the crotch of tree branches, So to get a full pot of the plants, one should plant multiple cuttings comprised of at least 3 segments each. To give an idea of amounts, in a 3" diameter plastic pot, one would pot 3 or 4 cuttings, so if using a bigger pot, use more cuttings....See More
7 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago- 7 years ago
Hi Ann, my Mother has the same issue with her Thanksgiving Cactus. Yours is probably a Thanksgiving Cactus (TC) as well if it has claw-like leaves. Mom insists on keeping her TC on her window sill in direct sunlight, which is not good for the plant. Her plant is very old and has also has developed woody trunks. I am adding a picture of her plant below.
I recently took healthy-looking cuttings from her plant. I tried to take Y shaped cuttings or at least cuttings with 3 segments of leaves. One Y shaped cutting I rooted in water and potted. I recently got one new leaf on it. See pic in green pot.
The other cutting I laid atop moist soil ( the same soil the mother plant had ) and it just started to root. I will pot it up soon in the right soil mixture. See pic in dark blue pot.So, what you can do is experiment yourself with a few cuttings from your beloved plant that was given to you by your son. You will start new plants from the MOTHER plant, that are healthy. Do not keep in direct sunlight. A TC should have bright light but not Direct sunlight. In my opinion, Direct sunlight is when the rays of the sun are actually hitting the plant. Move the plant away from the window ( if you have it there) and away from any hot air vents. Also it is best to propagate new plants after the flower buds fall off, so the plant can use its energy to form roots ( rather then blooming). I have limited experience but I hope this helped.
- 7 years ago
Ann, one more thing... When you take your cuttings make sure the bottoms of your cuttings are not injured and are in tact. You can gently twist your cutting loose or cut just below the bottom of the leaf segment. THEN make sure you let the cuttings air dry to form a callous on the bottom for a few days to a week prior to sticking them in water or in soil. Here's a pic of some of my cuttings. Number 2 are the cuttings I took from my Mother's woody plant.
7 years ago- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
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