Christmas Cactus broken off at base (growing, bugs, spring, autumn)

[cully]

I have a wonderful Christmas Cactus that has flourished. Unfortunately, spouse took over watering for a while, did well with other plants, but overwatered this one. I discovered it sort of splayed this morning. Seems the soil was too wet too long. I got it out of the pot. Very long roots. However, it is mushy and coming away at the base of the plant.

So, what can I do about the roots? If I cut them back a bit and just plant that ball with the brown piece sticking up what will happen. Hate to have the roots go to waste. Or are the roots no longer any good because of the water that caused the break at the base of the plant?

For the thick branches with the green brackets. I have found online how to plant the green pieces individually...but always love tips.

But how about the stem that the green pieces are on? Can I plant that piece without taking the green off and potting just the green? Or is the stem piece a gonner since it came separated from the root. If I need to plant all the green pieces individually...whew, that would be a lot.

Don't want to lose this plant. It was given to me years ago and has been wonderful till now. I hate to do it but rather than lose it, it looks like it will need to be several small plants.

Thanks for you advice and information.

[phonelady61]

see if you can sqeeze the water out by putting several thick paper towels and rolling and sqeezing all the water out and then replant it ... hope this helps .and don't water it for at least several weeks just keep an eye on it .

[billsmith444]

THey come back quick.

[cully]

Thanks. And what about the whole plant abouve the soil that was so mushy it just came apart at the soil line. I was drying out the roots a bit so I'll just put the roots back below the soil and I guess we'll get something new one day from that.

Now what about the "branches" (that had gotten thick over the years) and the green brackets?

[phonelady61]

im sorry but I must not be catching what you are saying ? do you have pics ? pics might help and then maybe we can help you .

[shadowfax]

The mushy parts are dead and you need to remove them. Also you need fresh soil. The decay can infect the healthy parts as well as the soil. You should be able to replant the solid healthy thick branches without removing the green. They will put out new roots pretty quickly. This plant is very hardy and can handle some abuse. I have one in my office that only gets water about once a month. They really do better with neglect than with too much love and watering as you have discovered.

Also to get a really nice bloom on them it is good for them to be outdoors in the autumn when nights are cool and days are warm. Just don't let them be out in a hard frost, but the cold air seems to really stimulate them to make buds.

[cully]

Originally Posted by shadowfax

The mushy parts are dead and you need to remove them. Also you need fresh soil. The decay can infect the healthy parts as well as the soil. You should be able to replant the solid healthy thick branches without removing the green. They will put out new roots pretty quickly. This plant is very hardy and can handle some abuse. I have one in my office that only gets water about once a month. They really do better with neglect than with too much love and watering as you have discovered.

Also to get a really nice bloom on them it is good for them to be outdoors in the autumn when nights are cool and days are warm. Just don't let them be out in a hard frost, but the cold air seems to really stimulate them to make buds.

Ah, good point on the soil. Okay, another project today.

So it looks like the many many root tendrils would not be good either, right? And I should just toss the whole part of the plant in the soil.

The part above the soil is broken off at the soil line. So the thick branches with the green on them are not connected to anything. (Their fading and falling flat is how I found the plant.)

So I could just stick these branches in soil? And roots will form?

That would be great because there are so many of the green pieces to root individually.

Yes, a great plant to take care of. I will never let anyone else water it.

I used to enjoy putting various plants outdoors in spring or summer or autumn depending on the plant. However, where I am there are so many many bugs. Just when I think I've figured them all out, something new comes along. And there are the bugs that like to delve into the soil in the pot and come out indoors when it warms up....which I was able to guard against in previous homes but not here. Our properties along here were carved out of old woods and issues remain. But love the nature.

At any rate, thanks for your ideas and looking forward to reading your answers. Not sure if it is understood that the plant is broken off at the soil line so branches are not attached to the root ball.

[cully]

I see what may be a problem in my communication. In researching repotting, etc. I see pix not at all like mine and realize in further research mine would be called a mature Christmas (or Thanksgiving) cactus with woody stems. So I've been thinking of stems and brackets/green pieces where in younger ones they look like all green pieces. Here is a picture to give you a basic idea BUT mine is NOT at all long and overgrown like this one. My green pieces are not thin and spindly and mine is one that grows up and out rather than sort of weeping. But this does give the idea of the woody stems I have.
How to take care of a 26 year old christmas cactus ? - House Plants Forum - GardenWeb

So, imagine those woody stems cut off at the soil level. Actually not so much cut off as just separated because of being mushy and came apart. So...root those woody stems in perlite mix?

Thanks

[wit-nit]

Your plant is a zygo succulent plant sometimes called xmas, Thanksgiving or even Easter cactus.
From your description, the brown area and down into the pot is rotten. Cut off the plant at the green joint area above the brown. Throw out the soil and remaining brown stuff. It's all rot or soon will be. To prevent the rot from spreading to the new plant that you'll be planting, sterilize the pot and then re-pot with fresh new cactus soil.
When re-planting the cutting into the new soil do not water it. It has no roots at that point and would rot all over again until it has a root system that has established itself. You may need to put a stick into the pot to support the newly potted plant for support until the roots develop and hold it on it's own.
New roots should start to develop in 3-4 weeks depending on how warm the area is that's it's sitting in. At the 3-4 week period you can either pull the plant out and see if roots are growing then replant it and slightly tease it with water with no more than 2-4 oz. or if you don't want to pull out the plant then at the 4 week period slightly water the plant again 2-4 ounces and watch for new growth. As the plant grows about once every 4-6 weeks water. Next year in the spring as it completely roots out in the pot then again every 4-6 weeks give it a thorough soaking making sure any excess drains out of the pot.
Next year if you want to stimulate healthy growth they respond quite well to a small dose of liquid fish emulsion fertilizer.
My 10 year old zygos are in pots and get watered once a month, all year around, they are inside the house near a sunny window with constant temps. I change the soil every other year and fertilize 3 times a year.

[cully]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

Your plant is a zygo succulent plant sometimes called xmas, Thanksgiving or even Easter cactus.
From your description, the brown area and down into the pot is rotten. Cut off the plant at the green joint area above the brown. Throw out the soil and remaining brown stuff. It's all rot or soon will be. To prevent the rot from spreading to the new plant that you'll be planting, sterilize the pot and then re-pot with fresh new cactus soil.
When re-planting the cutting into the new soil do not water it. It has no roots at that point and would rot all over again until it has a root system that has established itself. You may need to put a stick into the pot to support the newly potted plant for support until the roots develop and hold it on it's own.
New roots should start to develop in 3-4 weeks depending on how warm the area is that's it's sitting in. At the 3-4 week period you can either pull the plant out and see if roots are growing then replant it and slightly tease it with water with no more than 2-4 oz. or if you don't want to pull out the plant then at the 4 week period slightly water the plant again 2-4 ounces and watch for new growth. As the plant grows about once every 4-6 weeks water. Next year in the spring as it completely roots out in the pot then again every 4-6 weeks give it a thorough soaking making sure any excess drains out of the pot.
Next year if you want to stimulate healthy growth they respond quite well to a small dose of liquid fish emulsion fertilizer.
My 10 year old zygos are in pots and get watered once a month, all year around, they are inside the house near a sunny window with constant temps. I change the soil every other year and fertilize 3 times a year.

A wealth of info. When you say cut off the plant at the green joint area...you mean at the first green joint I come to as there are lots of green shoots off the woody stem. That's what I'm going with first thing in the morning then.

At this point since there are a few woody stems I'm going to go with a few pots.

With other plants it can be a good idea to cut back to help the adjustment. Do you think I should cut off the top end green pieces....maybe cut the section back by half? Those pieces wouldn't be wasted. I'd just put them in other little pots. There are lots of pots on sale now. Hope the ones I saw last week are still available.