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I have a small family of Christmas cacti that started with 2 plants given to me at different times (I've had them for approx. 4 years). In an office environment, the poor things didn't bloom at all, but when I moved them home into a garden window, they thrived and bloomed all year long.
I have since moved to a place (temporarily) that doesn't have a garden window and the plants are not happy. At first, they were exposed to too much direct sunlight on the deck and a couple of the "kids" were burned and the leaves became reddish at the tips. I moved them to an area where they only receive direct sunlight for part of the day and they seem to be doing better, but are no longer the deep green that they used to be...the color is more of a lighter/yellowish green in some parts, which looks unhealthy.
I water them regularly, and am wondering if maybe they are getting too much sun exposure, still, on the deck. I could move them indoors but then would risk them receiving too little sunlight. I think these guys are pretty angry with me about the lack of garden window (only 1 bloom out of 5 plants!), but I can't do much about that right now. I've attached a pic of them in their happier days...hoping to get them there again.
Are there any other Christmas cacti cultivators out there who have tips/suggestions about what's going on?
Last edited by Wanderlust07; 09-12-2007 at 06:27 PM..
It sounds like you have the general knack for keeping them happy. My guess is that you should keep them where they get indirect light. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to a couple of months for them to recover from too much sun. Feed them with some dilute liquid fertilizer and don't over water. Good luck.
It sounds like you have the general knack for keeping them happy. My guess is that you should keep them where they get indirect light. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to a couple of months for them to recover from too much sun. Feed them with some dilute liquid fertilizer and don't over water. Good luck.
Good advice from ellie!
I had mine in direct sunlight in a window (afternoon sun), but moved them two weeks ago to the screened porch where they don't get direct sun. Don't know why I moved them, except that I have more room on the porch. The green seems to be fading a bit, so I'll have to move them back in. Even though they don't get the sun out there, it's been very, very hot.
They say you should start feeding the cactus about 6 weeks before you want it to blom. A Christmas cactus should bloom at Christmas time, right?
I never followed exact feeding schedules, so mine bloomed at Thanksgiving, regular as clockwork, whether I fed it or not. The main plant is about 20 years old, and I started a smaller one from it that is now about 10 yrs.
Thanks for the tips, ellie & southward bound! I'll try the fertilizer...it's been a few months in their new environment, and they just aren't doing well. I hope they'll snap back!
southward, I created one of the "kids" by taking starters from both "parents" and ended up with one plant that will sometimes bloom in both fuschia and pink, and sometimes just one color. Aren't genetics fun? I'd like to give more "children" to friends, but the people I've given them to haven't cared for them adequately (e.g., I had to take one back that had been terribly burned from being left out in the direct sunlight, but is now doing much better).
My Christmas cacti were still blooming a couple weeks ago...I've had steady blooms since November (they start blooming around Thanksgiving). This has never happened before, but is a most pleasant surprise.
Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus are some of my 'specialties'. I have grown a lot from my own crosses. I have mine in hanging pots, and hang them out in small trees in the spring. I bring them in in the fall and hang them in a room that has no direct artificial light. They always bloom abundantly.Once they start to set on sizable buds I move them into the livingroom so we can enjoy them. ( I have never ferltilized them).
I believe they like to be let get rather dry before they bloom,
Last edited by Towhee; 04-19-2008 at 06:03 PM..
Reason: added info
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The main plant is about 20 years old, and I started a smaller one from it that is now about 10 yrs.
