Rescued large Christmas cactus from thrift store- advice for a newbie
While browsing at my local thrift store today, I saw a ginormous Christmas cactus for $30 and decided it wanted to come home with me. I've always wanted a Christmas cactus, and this one looks to be a fine specimen- but I don't know a whole lot about proper care. I did some reading online and saw one source that said they should not get direct sunlight, but that they like light. I even saw one source that recommended moving them outside from June-September, in dappled shade.
Questions:
1. Can anyone speak to ideal light conditions for Christmas cactus? I have a spot in mind for it that gets direct sun, but only for an hour or so in the late afternoon. It's simply bright the rest of the day. Will that work, or should I put it in a spot with NO direct sun?
2. Should I repot this once it's done blooming? It's potted up in a green plastic pot with drip tray. As you can see in the photo below, the pot is totally obscured by the plant since it is so large. I have some glazed clay pots waiting for residents. I read that clay is not as good as plastic for these guys-- let me know if you all agree.
Here is a photo of this beauty:
Just for fun, here are two other additions to my houseplant collection: a mini cactus (unlabeled, so not sure what kind it is), and a dish garden with a ficus tree and some other lovely mosses and grasses.
Thanks for advice!
Comments (9)
Embothrium
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoKottr (6a)
7 years agoRelated Discussions
HAVE: Adopt-A-Newbie ongoing list (group maintained list)
Comments (150)I've poked around many, many a day on the forums here, and finally made an account today. I would love to get an herb garden started this year. My interests are in tea and medicinal herbs, succulents and cacti, and trees. However, more than anything I enjoy surprises- so add "random/grab bag/any" to the list, too! I prefer indoor planting / potted planting, if this makes a difference. (But, I'm up for anything!) Sad story time: When I was about 11, I had to move across the country about 2 months after I had 3 tiny maple trees start growing in a long trough-like pencil holder in my windowsill. My parents said I couldn't take them with us, even though I said I would hold them in my lap the entire way there (in the car!) I loved my "tiny trees". I planted them in my favorite hiding spot, but when I moved back to the area, construction had destroyed where I planted them. Ever since then, I've wanted to grow more trees but just can't seem to get them going... :( But, that hasn't stopped me from trying!! Therefore, I am also looking for tips, advice, and suggestions on how to plant and maintain any seeds or plants provided me. Thank you so much for considering me!! This post was edited by Cirrus on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 22:56...See MoreWhen it the best time to buy cheap/good roses from mega-stores?
Comments (23)Louis, if you do not own the home you live in, I would recommend keeping them in large pots so you can easily move them with you. Just a thought. We are only trying to help you avoid wasting your hard earned money on a plant that could be disappointing, will die, or worse yet, infect your other roses. The Own-Root question: "Body bag" roses are generally roses that are grafted onto the root stock of a faster growing rose. This makes them grow faster in a shorter period of time. That's fine, unless the rose dies back and the root stock grows up instead. Then you are stuck with a very fast growing rootstock that will most likely disappoint you with climbing limbs and only one bloom in the spring. Own-root roses won't do that to you. That's just the tip of the iceberg--I am sure others can tell you their main reasons for own root preference. But some people don't really care much about own-root vs. grafted. I prefer own root, but it won't stop me from getting a grafted rose if the conditions are right. However, my 100-year-old house used to have a whole row of "Dr. Huey" (a common root stock) roses growing along the fence, and I guarantee you that at one time, every one of those Dr. Hueys was growing as something else. Trust me--we were all once newbies to roses. I used to buy the $5 plants in bags because it seemed economical at the time--but more often than not I was disappointed in the results and/or lost the rose. My husband always tells me that "We don't have the money to buy cheap s@!t." What he means is that when you buy junk, you have to keep spending money to replace the junk and eventually, you've spent a fortune on junk. But if you invest in a good, long-lasting product just once, you spend less money and have better results. I recommend that you invest a bit more money in fewer plants. That's just my two cents. Honestly, it sounds like you have a list of excuses to not listen to the advice. *shrugs* Think outside the box and consider other options rather than shooting them down. We're only trying to help....See Morenewbie in MA looking for 'tried and true'
Comments (14)Welcome to New England. Another vote for taking inventory for a year before making major changes. Getting someone to ID plants, or taking photos and posting them on the Name that Plant forum will be a good start. (If you do post there, let us know so we can jump in!) Many plants can be ID'd in early spring as they sprout, and woody plants can often be ID'd from winter photos including close-ups of twigs and buds. Also, you can take photos now (before leaves) from your top floor windows or roof to get an overview of layout or measure and make sketches. What plants you have now may influence what choices you make in your ongoing yard and garden plans. For instance hemlocks and pines are both evergreen, but there's an insect, the wooly adelgid, that infests and may kill hemlocks, so which of those trees you have will strongly affect how you decide to manage that part of your yard. (Do you want to deal with pest control if hemlocks are what you have?) Another factor that is much bigger here in New England than in CA is the seasonal changes in light levels. Sun angle, day length, and tree leaves all strongly affect the light levels at different times of year, so what may seem shaded now may get sun in the summer when the sun is higher above the horizon, and places that seem bright now may be shadier once leaves emerge. Photos or sketches will help you keep track of this as well. As others have mentioned, container planting is a great way to get your feet wet. In addition to your zinc planters, you can keep an eye out for other containers - wicker laundry baskets, old buckets or containers from various inexpensive stores or sales, and have containers for sun and shade to move around the yard and dress things up for this year. You can do your veggies and herbs in large containers as well if you'd like until you know where your sunniest areas are. I add a bit of the "water crystals" to my containers and mulch the surface lightly with compost so they don't have to be watered as often. A few things you can do during this year in addition to container planting and taking inventory would include soil improvement of both lawn and garden areas, mulching if needed, getting soil tests done, and starting a compost pile for yard debris. A light mulch (2-3 inches) of organic material like shredded bark or compost on all existing garden beds will cut down on watering and begin improving soil. You may find that your town has a composting program for yard debris where you can pick up compost for free and then use it for mulch or spread lightly on your lawn. I think there was a discussion here in the last year about where to get soil tests done, but if you can't find it, I'm sure another MA resident can help you out. You may be able to take a class at the Arnold Arboretum or one of your local nurseries on pruning, but at the very least get a good book out of the library and a good pair of by-pass pruners and remove dead branches in your shrubs and any branches that are rubbing against another - nothing too severe for now. Start watching sales fliers for yard basics like a lawn mower, a spade, and a leaf rake if you don't have that type of equipment, since often there are preseason sales that will save you money. Both now and once things warm up, you can keep a camera in the car to take photos of yards you like. Since we have so much winter, planning your yard for winter interest is important. If you have photos of layouts or affects you like, it will help you when it comes time to tackle your own yard. Also, you can take photos of particular plants in neighbors' yards or visit some local nurseries or garden destinations to make a list of plants you like. (Arnold Arboretum, Garden in the Woods of the New Eng. Wildflower Society, and Mt. Auburn Cemetary are just a few places in your general neck of the woods that have great gardens.) Good luck! You don't have to tackle you whole yard at once. You can spend this year getting a plan, and then gradually work on putting it in place over the next several seasons. Keep us posted. Here is a link that might be useful: Name that Plant! forum...See MoreBest Soil for Christmas Cactus?
Comments (75)I cannot thank all of you enough! Nomen you definitely know you stuff and it is very kind of you to take the time to share your expertise with me and everyone on this site! Silenteyesspy, thanks for the offer! I will remind you this coming summer. please don't forget me! I just noticed last evening a small bug moving in the soil of two of my plants (wispy webby stuff and brown at bottom of stem of one- could be spider mites). I had just got one of these plants from Trader Joes. I did seem to resolve fungus gnat Problem. I have not seen one! I quickly quarantined the plants that seem to be affected and am going to get a good general organic spray recommended by my local garden center. Thanks to everyone again and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Lynn :)...See More
socks
7 years agoHow fun to get such a large plant to care for.
Mine are outside year-round in dappled shade. Obviously you cannot do that. I keep them elevated in the hope that it discourages insects crawling in the bottom hole. I never kept them in the dark, they always bloom. Not sure about that hour of driect sun, but it might be ok.
Others here might not agree with me, but after it blooms I would cut back maybe 1/3, then repot. I just don't care for so much sprawling. I recently did a small one, tied it up as shown in the photo for handling and a day or two after until it settled in.
Repotted in September 2016, and it bloomed in December.
bananastand
7 years agoThanks for the advice! I'm glad to hear the recommendation to cut it back a little. It's incredibly sprawly, even in the large space where I placed it! Socks, I see that some of yours that have been pruned have relatively large diameter (almost woody) branches-- I have that too. A few family members expressed jealousy at me finding this large plant. If I trim off a large branch, will it root if I put it in soil? Or do cuttings need to be smaller to thrive? I do have Orchiata bark, should I try to re-root in that (seems unlikely), or just a seed starting mix?
Here is the plant in place. This is on the north wall of the room. There's a long narrow window across from this on the south wall, and the window in the upper left of the photo faces west.
Here's the juncture where it gets sprawly and there are pretty thick stems. Do I need to worry about cutting at a particular point on the stem to ensure re-rooting?
One more pic from front on. The light is coming off my grow lights, over some seeds nearby on the west wall.
socks
7 years ago
silenteyesspy
7 years ago
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
7 years agobananastand
7 years ago
silenteyesspy