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Time to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas Cactus’

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I have two cactus like plants. One is a Thanksgiving Cactus and the other is of the same species, Schlumbergera, and is known as a Christmas Cactus.

christmas cactus

General care for plants of the Schlumbergera species is to give them moderate to bright light in the Spring and Summer months. Lighting depends upon exactly which species you own.

I’ve found that these cactus can burn in direct bright sunlight so I generally put mine outside in the summer time in an area where they only get bright direct sunlight for a couple of hours. The rest of the lighting they receive is usually fairly bright but not direct.

Come mid-September this year I moved my two cactus’ to my enclosed front porch. The porch faces north so the light levels are very low from September through to April or so.

Generally, to get these plants to flower when they are supposed to flower you should put them in a cool dark place from Mid September through October and barely water them if at all during that time. At the end of October you can bring them out of the darkness and place them in a fairly bright area of your home and water them as you normally would.

Occasionally fertilizing the plants through summer and a weak dose of fertilizer shortly after you bring them out of dormancy might help them to flower as well.

I experimented a bit this year.

You see, my Thanksgiving Cactus is about 6 years old and it’s always been a fairly good flower producer. My Christmas Cactus on the other hand, which is treated almost exactly the same as the Thanksgiving Cactus, is rather stingy when it comes to flowering.

When my mother died in 2004 my sister and I each took one of the 50+ year old Christmas Cactus. We knew one flowered better than the other. Guess which one my sister got? She just has to look at it and it flowers! I’m so jealous!

This year instead of bringing the cactus’ to the cool dark basement in Mid-September I put them in the enclosed front porch as I said early. Their lighting was diminished and they got the benefit of the cool late summer nights while on the porch.

It was only two weeks ago when outside night time temperatures were starting to come close to zero or lower that I brought them inside to the dark basement.

Checking on them today in the basement I noticed that both cactus have tiny flower buds on the tips of their thick succulent leaves. It looks like my experiment might have worked!

Now I do have to confess that I made a real rookie move that I should have known not to do.

The Christmas cactus is old and as a result it’s HUGE. Like 3+ feet in diameter. How can you bring that into the living room or kitchen and place it somewhere where it won’t be disturbed and where it will bloom prettily?

Christmas Cactus

I trimmed it! I really should have waited until the plant finished blooming before I trimmed off the newer growth. By trimming it before it flowered I might have destroyed it’s ability to bloom this year. Oh well … it’s not like I’m used to that Cactus blooming much anyway.

Of course I only trimmed a little bit off the edges. It’s still more than two feet in diameter. If you’d like to trim your Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus’ wait until they’ve finished blooming and then only trim a little bit of the soft newer green growth from the tips. Do not trim back to the older woody growth as that could damage the plant. Also, never trim too much off of any plant at one time as that could send it into shock.

I’ll let you know if the Christmas cactus blooms well, poorly or barely at all this year as a result of my experiment and my too early trimming!

I’ve brought both plants up and put them on tables or stands in my living room dining room and upon close inspections both have a fair number of buds. Perhaps the Christmas Cactus will bloom well, if early, this year?






Caring for flowering plants

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The holidays will be upon us soon and one of the gifts that is given most often to friends, and relatives as we travel back and forth from dinner party to house party is the flowering plant. Flowering plants mark festive occasions, convey best wishes, and brighten our holiday tables.

Some of these gifted holiday plants may become members of your household plant family, others that are more difficult to care for or to get to rebloom will be discarded shortly after the holidays end.

Most gift plants will benefit from strong natural lights in order to help them grow and build up extra energy for reblooming. If given warm sunny conditions the plant will require more water than if they were to be kept in cool offices or stores that are illuminated by artificial lighting. In most cases you will need to keep the plants soil moist but be very careful not to over water or under water as over watering will lead to fatal root rot, and under watering will cause wilt. Foil wrappings and plastic-lined baskets are popular pot covers, but allowing water to collect in them keeps soil saturated and causes root rot. Water your plants with tepid or room-temperature water to avoid shocking roots.

If you keep the plants in cool locations the blooms will stay fresh and colorful longer. They wither or drop when exposed to cold drafts and the extremes of heat common near fireplaces and radiators. Dry air can reduce bloom time, too. Increase humidity by grouping plants on a tray of moist pebbles.

Christmas cactus is a long-lived plant that can bloom heavily each year if given the proper treatment. Keep its soil moist from now through next September, then let it go quite dry. Cacti grown dry and cool in fall will set buds in time for the holidays. However, flower buds may drop if Christmas cactus goes too dry or if humidity is too low.

Huge trumpet-shaped Amaryllis flowers perch atop a massive stalk. As flowers fade, remove them but leave the stalk to wither on its own. Then grow your amaryllis as any other sun-loving houseplant, fertilizing regularly from spring until late summer.

Provide amaryllis with a two month rest in late autumn. Quit watering and allow the foliage to yellow, and dry up, then trim it away and put the dormant plant in a cool, dark place until November. At that time, you can start to force new growth by giving it sun and water.

Gardeners seeking maximum bulb growth often plant amaryllis directly in a sunny garden outdoors, after the threat of frost in spring. Otherwise, leave your plants in potbound condition, repotting only every two or three years. Both amaryllis and Christmas cactus are among the most reliable indoor bloomers.

Cyclamen is an attractive flowering foliage plant that comes from the store with mature blossoms as well as buds in all stages of development. Give it a cool location and all the sun possible. Making it bloom again next fall is a challenge best reserved for experienced gardeners. Most plant hobbyists choose to discard the plant after the blooming period is over.

Christmas peppers are pungent-fruited ornamentals that remain colorful for weeks if given strong light and cool temperatures. Raised from seed, peppers are inexpensive and easy to discard once they lose their red fruit.

A pepper relative, Jerusalem cherry, is covered with round red fruit, poisonous if eaten. Care for it as you would Christmas pepper, discarding the plant after fruit drops. Keep its soil moist.

If your poinsettia still looks good after the holidays, place it near a sunny window and keep the soil watered. New shoots will appear as the weather warms. Cut back the stems after bracts fade or drop off. If your poinsettia has gone downhill, prune it back to about four inches, set it near a sunny window and water often enough to keep it moist. It should sprout new stems when spring comes.

Bringing poinsettias back into bloom next year is possible if you water and fertilize through spring and summer, pinching new growth to encourage good form. Around October first, give your poinsettia total darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day. Anything less than complete, absolute darkness during these hours will interfere with blooming. Continue fertilizing and watering, and your plant will show color by December. When bracts start turning red, you can stop the dark treatment.

Gift plants – tips and care guide

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Do your gift plants whither and die quickly?

Have you ever received plants from the florist or nursery – gift plants, such as ones you might get when you are in the hospital, ill at home or when a child is born or when a loved one has died? The florist plants are lovely aren’t they? An assortment of small plants that just look gorgeous together. Why then, if they are so nice do so many of them end up not doing well and dying? Is it because we get these gift plants when we have other things on our mind- such as the examples I’ve given above? if that’s true that likely leads to improper care of these plants.

As stated above improper care, incorrect light levels, and excessive heat are cited as the leading cause of failure of caring for gift plants. Often these plants are grown in greenhouses, where the night temps are cool, and the light is adequate for their needs and the air is humid. Then these plants get brought in to dry hospitals and or homes, stored in areas where light levels are too low and temperatures remain constant giving the plants little reprieve. Most people don’t expect gift plants to live long and treat them as they would gift flowers- well yes they expect them to live longer than a bouquet of roses, but not much longer.

Here’s a few tips for plants that are commonly given as gifts. These handy tips might help you keep these plants alive for a lot longer than you’re used to:

Poinsettias

Poinsettias requires bright light, and medium temperatures of 65 to 70 F. They should be kept away from drafts. Avoid temperatures below 60°F and above 75°F. Keep plants well-watered but do not over water – let the soil dry between watering. Some of the newer, long-lasting varieties can be kept attractive all winter.

Gardeners frequently ask whether they can carry their poinsettias over to bloom again next year. The quality of home-grown plants seldom equals that of commercially grown plants. However, for those who wish to try, the following procedure can be followed.

After the showy bracts fade or fall, set the plants where they will receive indirect light and temperatures around 55 to 60°F. Water sparingly during this time, just enough to keep the stems from shriveling. Cut the plant back to within 5 inches of the soil surface and re-pot in fresh soil. As soon as new growth begins, place in a well-lighted window. After danger of frost, place the pot outdoors in a partially shaded spot. Pinch the new growth back to produce a plant with several stems. Do not pinch after September 1st. About Labor Day, or as soon as the nights are cool, bring the plant indoors. Continue to grow in a sunny room with a night temperature of about 65°F. Since the poinsettia blooms only during short days, exclude artificial light, either by covering with a light-proof box each evening or placing in an unlighted room or closet for a minimum of 12 hours of darkness. Plants require full light in the daytime, so be sure to return them to a sunny window. Start the short-day treatment in mid-September to have blooms between December 1 and Christmas.

Azaleas

Azaleas require direct sunlight to remain healthy. A nighttime temperature of 60°F will prolong the period of bloom. Keep the soil constantly moist, but not soggy. If the leaves should turn yellow, the soil is not acid enough. Use any commercial acid fertilizer and follow the application instructions. Do not use softened water. When re-potting, use a potting soil high in sphagnum peat moss.

Azaleas can be planted, pot and all, in a shady spot in the garden during the summer months. Examine them frequently and keep them well-watered during dry periods. Greenhouse azaleas are not hardy,and need to be brought indoors before freezing weather.

Azaleas need a cool, rest period before they are forced into bloom. Place the plants in a room with filtered light and a temperature between 40-50°F. During this rest period, flower buds will develop. Then place in a well-lighted, warm (65°F) room around January 1 to bring them into bloom. Unless you have the proper growing conditions for the azalea, you should not attempt to carry the plants over in the house.

Gardenia

Gardenias grown indoors need special care. They demand an acid soil and should receive the same nutritional care as azaleas. Nighttime temperatures should be near 60°F and the humidity around the plant should be kept high. High temperature and low light intensity will result in flower bud drop. Gardenias are hardy in the warmest parts of Virginia, but will not reliably overwinter outside of Zone 7b.

Amaryllis

The secret of growing amaryllis is to keep the plants actively growing after they finish blooming. Keep the plants in full sun, with a nighttime temperature above 60°F. As soon as danger of frost has passed, set the plants in the garden in a semi-shaded spot and continue to water. Bring them in during the first part of September. Stop watering to allow old growth to die back, and store in a cool, dark place to rest. Your amaryllis will be ready to force again about November 1. Bring them into a warm, well lighted room and water moderately to begin a new growth and flowering cycle.

Christmas Cactus

The Christmas cactus has become increasingly popular with the development of several new varieties. At least three related species are sold in addition to a number of cultivars. All have similar cultural requirements.

The secret of good bloom is influenced by nighttime temperature and photo-period control. Christmas cacti will develop buds and bloom if given bright light, short days, and night temperatures between 55 and 65°F. Christmas cacti bloom best when somewhat pot-bound. Re-potting is necessary only about once every 3 years. Full sunlight is beneficial in midwinter, but excessively bright light during summer months can make plants look pale and yellow.

Christmas cacti require less water from October to March than they do when actively growing from April to September. A rest period is very important if plants are to bloom abundantly. Dormancy should be started about the middle of September and continued for 8 weeks. Care should be taken that the soil never becomes water-logged during the short days of winter.

Cyclamen

Cyclamens require full sunlight and a nighttime temperature between 50 and 60°F. They are heavy users of water and must be watered whenever the surface of the soil is dry. Flower buds will fail to develop if the nighttime temperature is too high or if the light levels are poor.

Cyclamen can be carried over, but as with the poinsettia, homegrown plants are seldom equal to those grown by a commercial grower. Let the leaves die back after they finish flowering. Allow resting bulbs to dry, but do not allow them to become shriveled. Repot the fleshy tuber in June with the top of the structure above the soil line. Use a slightly similar pot size each year, as cyclamens perform best when slightly pot-bound.

Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera Daisies should be considered as a short-term plant which should be replaced after 2-3 years maximum. Their showy flowers are long-lasting, and plants should be kept in a temperature range of 40 to 70°F when in flower. They respond well under bright light, with limited full sunlight exposure. Re-potting can be done in spring when dividing plants in a peat moss-based potting mix. Allow the soil to dry thoroughly between waterings. Susceptible to thrips and mites.

Calceolaria

Calceolarias require bright light, but no direct sunlight in order to flower optimally. They should be grown in a fairly cool environment with a 50°F daytime temperature and a 45°F night temperature. Plants should be kept moist at all times and should not be allowed to dry, but be careful that soil is not soggy. After flowers have faded, discard the plant.

Cineraria

Cinerarias require bright light with a minimal amount of direct sunlight. To prolong the flowering period, plants should be kept in a cool environment at a temperature of about 50°F. The soil or medium should be kept consistently moist at all times. Once flowers have faded, the plants should be discarded.

Kalanchoe

Kalanchoes are a diverse group of plants grown as either flowering or foliage plants. They should be grown under bright light, but short periods in direct sun (especially in winter) will be acceptable. Normal room temperature, at a minimum of 50°F, will promote good growth and flower development. Plants should be watered sparingly in summer and allowed to dry out somewhat during winter when at rest. Some cultivars are difficult to bring into flowering for a second cycle, and should be discarded after flowering. If re-potting, an all-purpose soil or potting mix can be used. All kalanchoes are short-day plants requiring a minimum of 14 to 18 hours of uninterrupted darkness for 4 to 6 weeks to initiate flowers.

You know what’s really odd? I can barely keep African Violets alive, the plant that most people have no trouble with, yet I’ve kept Poinsettias, gardenia, Amaryllis, and Christmas Cactus going for years and years. I guess I do my best work with temperamental plants.

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