You are asking a very difficult question there ! ;-) I have rooted Thanksgiving Cacti and Christmas Cacti many times , and it differs so much "from one rooting to another" how fast they START growing, and the RATE of growth. - No rule there , and I honestly don't understand what factors it is that make the differences. Right now I have a pot with 4 cuttings that were planted in April and by now I'd call them a "cute little PLANT". I also have some cuttings ( 5 different hybrids ) that I received in trade in May that have just started growth , and I'd definitly call those things CUTTINGS. So what we do is ; give them the best care we know of and let them do things at their own speed. Not a clear answer , but it's the best I can do , maybe someone else can be more definite ... ( If you don't have any mature plants , I hope you can find a nice blooming Thanksgiving Cactus ( or 2 ! ) in the shops , so you can enjoy the beautiful flowers also this fall. I know it's not the same as plants you have grown "all the way" yourself , but still ... And next year you'll feel there "all yours" ! )

I guess it is a pitifull germination rate result. If I was a farmer, I'd starve. But I never got any seedling to that point before so it is exciting for me. I don't know what the method is called for the seeds planted in the builder's sand. I was looking to experiment, found the instructions on google and I only planted one cup that way. The theory is that the seedlings aren't in danger of fungus or gnats. But, the other cups planted with cactus dirt didn't have problems with fungus or gnats either. I'm feeding that fat baby with a very dilute fertilizer, but at some point the build up could kill it since there are no drainage holes. I think I'll let it grow a little bigger and then try to transplant it. That will probably kill it and my yield will be zero. It seems that the key for me is not having drainage holes for the first few months anyway. I planted these in summer when it is super dry and then the house continues to be dry in winter due to the forced heat. I have to admit that I wasn't as diligent about checking them around the holidays. There should be no problem adding holes to the cups later. I'm working crazy hours until June (Nevada Legislature is in session) and then I'll be ready to try again. Thanks for your thoughts and input--I do appreciate it.

Hi..here is a picture of my rat tail... yes it has brown spots and has gotten very thin and dryed and brown in places..I hope you can see in my picture....what is wrong with my cactus??? and how can I help it..I very nice member here sent me the cuttings and I really don't want to loose it, I looked for a long time to get it...and she did send me another one but I lost that one....:(..... any help would be great....linda

I remember reading about this about a year ago. I tried to search, but I must not be wording it correctly. I think this works great because you can see the roots as opposed to when they are set on dirt/sand. My question is how long do the roots have to be before I can plant the cutting? I started one a few months ago; the roots aren't very long, and I just started another one yesterday. Would I be better off to continue the rooting process for both until spring and just keep them in a bright, warm spot? I can try to get a pic later if that would help.