Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Beautiful Christmas cactus, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Snowrose,

Geez! Blooming until April? Mine always bloom around Thanksgiving and then have a weak second bloom around beginning of march. Yours is awsome! Must like your cooler temps!

You all DO know that there actually is a true "Christmas Cactus"? The one we all call by that name is more a "Thanksgiving cactus". A true Christmas cactus has a lot more rounded leaves )not so many of those points) and the flowers are a bit fuller. I just cut out an article on it from a magazine--now I cannot find it.

I read somewhere just now also that after the Thanksgiving cactus blooms, one should cut back all the ends and then start fertilizing it. So, I cut all mine back this morning. I hope it will not affect their growth any. All the ends did seem so weak and long.....Now I have a big tray-full of cuttings. Will try to root some of them....
Does anyone else cut theirs back?

I always put mine outside in partial sun and treat them as all my other plants. When the weather gets cold--like into the 40's, I leave them all out another 2 weeks or so. It helps set the flower buds. You don't want them to freeze, but they appreciate the cold weather for a while before being brought inside.

Here's a picture of mine last Fall. Gita