Hiya Cyirra and all, Congrats on the blooms! They're really, really lovely! I don't have any of the yellow/gold types so it's really fun to see yours. What conditions are you growing yours in? I still have the one in these older pics ('Dark Marie')--it's in my den right now and is budding up nicely (and making a couple of early blooms each week too). Here's a pic of one of the early blooms from this week, it will make its larger flush in a month or three. I've gone a bit overboard with Christmas cacti over the last couple of years, but they're so durable, and they love it here (indoors) and they bloom regularly for me (although often not until mid to late winter) so why not, right?? Here's a pic of a small rescue plant I got two years ago as an utterly wilted MESS with only five segments. Some bright light and occasional water have helped it revive. Happy gardening indoors and out everyone, and tomato, please post pics of yours when they bloom! Grant

My advice is to get rid of it. Save your Christmas cactus. I hate schefflera. It IS invasive here. The birds (or critters) planted one in the middle of my huge bird of paradise. It was well established before we noticed it. We had to dig up the bird and dig out the stump and roots. We used a come-along and truck to pull it out. On the up side, we gave away 8 birds to several people and all are doing well, including the mother plant. Our landscaping was well established when we bought the house. I had a big bush-style shefflera at the side of our house - too close to the foundation and under a window. I decided it had to go. It was then that I realized that shefflera drop air roots and establish new trunks with its own root system. It was a jungle. To make matters worse, the horrendous root system was near and around my water pipes! I spent a couple of weeks chopping off stems, pulling up roots and finally getting to the main plant - which had huge roots going under the foundation. This is the stump of the main plant. It is 3 feet tall. The roots ran all the way to the left edge of the picture.

Seeming as not everybody lives in the same town where someone else lives it's very possible to find a TC in a local grocery store and also garden shops today. Not saying that the same someone lives near you nor how far you MIGHT have to go to find a grocery store offering TC The closet store to me gets em in and have em sold over the next few days. On a lighter note there is no way your going to find a CC in any store garden center as they are slightly elusive to find for purchase( explained below ). Note the somewhat crab claw looking shape of a typical Schumberga trunkata AKA Thanksgiving cactus which is common to all TC's including the hybrids To answer one of your questions: Yes the new foliage should thicken and or widen during it's growing season. TC's found on line or some garden canters also have many flower colors to choose from leave sizes and colors may also vary but TC foliage remains consistent in shape. IME TC's are easier to store as they can be kept as an upright if an option. Unlike it's counter part CC with one ( and only one) flower color the elusive CC also has short a scalloped shape foliage with three to four distinctive bumbs that tend to sprawl and not upright. In time a CC needs a lot of plant real-estate As mentioned CC are considered heirlooms A CC isn't rare but finding one at most any garden shop or local market is. CC has one ( and only one) flower color making it an original IMO CC's are admired more for there age . Soil: Any pH neutral soil will work from BBS bag O crab to AV soil but ( Always a but isn't there?) The pic shows a bark mix it does provide very good moisture retention assisted by perlite and poultry grit for better drainage Before you run around finding these items consider that you may encounter a water learning curve Understand the mix you see is idealistically used for a tropical epic type cacti ( Which both TC AND CC are) may arouse a different or several questions from you.... With that in mind if someone doesn't want to be repetitive on different but same questions thread(s) that same someone should choose not to read your thread.

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.