Hello!

Holy Machinoly!
These temperatures….
After all those weeks of above average temperatures……
Oh, that Mother Nature……… How cruel……… How sadistic…………..

So – today, right now – is definitely out!
Let’s stay inside where it’s warm… Inside where it’s dry…. Inside where we can still enjoy the beauty of all those holiday house plants that we got for Christmas.

Hey, did you get a Christmas cactus for Christmas? Is it blooming yet, or still? Hey, let’s talk about this wonderful flowering winter pick-me-upper!

Now sometimes this Christmas cactus is also called Thanksgiving cactus or holiday cactus, because that's when they're supposed to be in bloom, or should be in bloom. Actually these are related; their leaves are slightly different!

Whatever they are called, these cacti are all part of the Forest Cacti family. They typically grow in their native woodlands and jungles attached to trees. And, actually, the name cactus is a "misnomer" because this plant is a succulent. It is not a dry, hot, sand, sun, desert lover like a real cactus. These long time favorites usually bloom between November and March. But usually they will deck those halls with boughs of blooms in December and January, or in February and March. And with the following suggestions those blooms will be all but guaranteed. So, here it is: Christmas Cactus 101!

If you are lucky enough to get a Christmas cactus cutting, plant it in a pot no larger than 5" in diameter. Use a gritty, porous soil composed of garden loam, leaf mold and sand. If you can, throw in a generous sprinkling of well-rotted cow manure, or even a handful of that bagged, composted deodorized cow manure will do. But don't use any bone meal or lime.

Keep in mind; these Christmas cacti are creatures of habit, so locate these plants in a permanent place. While they are indoors, keep them out of direst sun and away from any drafts. And you can put them outside from June until September, but keep them in the shade. Around Labor Day, Christmas cacti should always be brought in. Place them in an east or west window. But if there is only a south window, diffuse that sun through a curtain. And if there is only a north window, protect those plants from too much cold during all those really cold spells of winter.

Water when necessary, but don't drown them. Feed them with a weak liquid manure mixture every 2 or 3 weeks. You might want to spray mist your plants with plain old water, since indoor winter air tends to run on the super dry side.

To encourage those beautiful blooms, keep the soil almost dry until the flower buds begin to appear. Avoid giving the cacti a lot of strong artificial light, particularly when they are getting ready to bud. And once they start to bloom, get ready to enjoy their beauty. This blooming season should continue from the holidays well into the winter. Water moderately until the plants are finished flowering. After this, reduce the watering to give the plants a well-deserved rest. You might want to cut off any straggly grow during this resting period. (Gees, maybe you can use these pruned branches as new cuttings for more new plants!) And when the new growth begins again in spring, start to water freely again.

Now sometimes, Christmas cacti will drop their buds before they have a chance to open. This condition is stress related. The source of this stress can be too many Christmas credit card bills! No, no, no! This plant stress can mean too much water, or too little water. It can be a sudden change in temperature. Or, maybe the plants got caught in a draft. Or it can be the presence of manufactured gas or smoke in the indoor air. Or maybe the plants have been handled too much. Like I said before, these Thanksgiving or Christmas cacti are creatures of habit. They don't take easily to new situations. This is especially true when those flower buds are developing.

Good luck with your Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti blooms. I know that after years of having a non-blossoming Christmas cactus plant, I listened to my own advice a few years back. And then my plant was overloaded with hundreds of these magnificent brilliant red flowers. And some of those branch tips even featured double blooms. And now this year, my Christmas cactus started blooming a week before Thanksgiving and it isn't showing any signs of stopping!

So hang in there! Be patient! Be consistent with your plant's care! And perhaps you too will be blessed with a bounty of beautiful blossoming blooms. Well, actually your plant will have the blooms, but you will be blessed just looking at them! (Instead of having to look outside!)

Remember - Eat Smart New York!

And bye, talk to you soon!
D