Xmas cactus don't have leaves. Each 'branch' is a stem composed of numerous little segments or joints. At the end of each segment are the cells that will initiate new root growth. And more stems, down the road. Stem cuttings won't work unless they are nice and healthy. Don't even bother if the stem sections you're trying to propagate are still soft and wrinkled. Each cutting should consist of three or four segments. Don't be tempted to take large cuttings (with a bunch of segments), as that will greatly reduce your success. I actually never let mine dry out for a few days, but I know that others urge that you do so. As long as you use plenty of perlite in your potting medium, rot will not be a problem. Take as many cuttings as you like. I will typically take three from the same plant and insert them (together) in a small clay pot for rooting and growing. These cuttings result in a well-balanced finished plant. Also, I'd strongly suggest that upon sticking the cuttings into your perlite/potting medium that you drench it then and there. Those cuttings will need moisture in the beginning. Again, by adding plenty of perlite, you reduce the chance of rot. (You can even use 100% perlite, which is what I do.) Attached is an image of a cactus stems consisting of about three segments each.

Hi Jerry! I have known Toni for a long time and the funny thing is, after talking to her all this time, it never occured to me to use the stuff..lol. I will tell you though, Toni has helped me many times over since I have joined here. She is a gem to these forums!! The sick plant I am refering to is a Corky plant..It is a rare tropical that I have only had a short while...I transplanted it a few weeks ago, and it hasn't done well ever since...I thought it was the bare rooting process that I had done to it.But No.. Toni told me that this particular plant is a spidermite magnet! Yes..Everyone on these forums knows me as the paranoid pest member..lol I have been bug free this far...But it NEVER occured to me to examine this one...Gues what? It was LOADED with mites..ARGGGG!!! So I treated it tonight and had to seperate it from all my other plants, including my citrus..I pray to GOD that just one day in my plant room, it didn't infect the others.. Now I won't know if the ST works, since I have no other sick plants..But I am getting some anyway, to keep it on hand just in case..Some swear by this stuff, and others not. Guess I will have to see for myself when in need. I wonder if this stuff is good for just an additive with fertilizers..? Hum.. How are your citrus doing? have you a favorite yet?. Take care... Mike..:-)

I agree, I would never buy/take a used mattress. HOWEVER, we bought a furnished condo and it came with a bed/mattress and I had no problem using it. I also have no problem sleeping on beds/mattresses in hotels and they are "used", and they are actually "used" by numerous strangers. So, I really don't know why it would bother me to buy/take a new looking, slightly used mattress from very nice and clean looking stranger, but it would... just seems different than sleeping behind strangers in a hotel bed. But, I'm sure there are lots of people that would love to have the used mattress, and if it was between sleeping on the floor and sleeping on a used mattress...I'm sure I'd take the used mattress.

Parker,I have been thinking of the same thing too--about the cold, particularly about the damage that was caused to it in 2010. I think the fertility of the tree might have been greatly compromised because otherwise the foliage growth seems to be prolific. In fact, I have had to trim off the branches every year up to 3 ft from their tips. Trying to keep it from growing taller and broader was a chore .. lol. Right now, it stands at least at 16 ft if not 18 ft. This all happened after the tree died down to 1/3 of its original size. Before the freeze, it was about 6-7 ft tall. I think something weird must have happened that made this tree to behave in a way that is most unpredictable. My other lychee trees although are slow in catching up, they do eventually put up a show of a full crown blooms. This year, I'm so happy to see my Hap Ip and Sweet Heart in full blooms. I'm thankful that my Brewster regularly fruits, although it seems to be showing a year of heavy alternate with a year of light bloom. This year, it's going on a light bloom mode. Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will go well as I also have to keep down the web worm infestation. So far, the BT we're spraying seems to be working. It's not a chemical, but a kind of a bacterium culture that the larvae from the web worm feed on. It makes them sick so they'll stop eating the young floral parts. They have been eating my Sweetheart every year until we found this wonderful spray. We're also spraying it on our mangoes as they also attack them. If you keep some lychees in your yard, it would be nice if you share pix of some of your plants.