Holiday Cacti General Discussion Forum

JB, you must take pictures and post when you receive the 3 holiday Cacti you ordered from Direct Gardening.

FYI .... Direct Gardening does not have a good track record.

I hope you receive nice plants.

MARY

Yesterday, I decided to look-up the web site of my favorite place to purchase plants ... they are closed until March.

When I looked at their spring plant offerings, I noticed Sunrise Cactus in the listing.

Upon further investigation, I learned that Sunrise Cactus is another name for Easter Cactus

Following are links for Sunrise Cactus


http://www.hanabayflowers.com/careculture/SunriseCactus.pdf

http://www.hanabayflowers.com/sunrise.html



http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cacti/msg0201024210471.html

http://www.rogersgardens.com/Sunrise_Cactus.asp

JB, the garden center that I purchase most of my plants is only a few miles away from my residence. They offer a wider selection, larger plants ... at lower prices than the big box stores. Only problem .... if you see something you like ...do not hesitate to buy it as if you go back one or two days later it is no longer available.

MARY

Mary, those are awesome. I will have to look for some very soon. They would make a gorgeous addition to my collection of orchid cacti.

Is anyone growing any for sale other than JB and possibly me? Just wondering.

Will check in later.

What a day, 10 more inches of snow, wind blowing like crazy. I hate this!

Mary, what great links they are. i want to do some additional research on the Sunrise Cactus. That name is registered and I wonder if it is just called that by Bay City Flowers. They are wholesalers I feel sure. I read some of the posts but must go back and read them all. I am just too tired to do it now.
I have been having a reaction to the medication Toprol that my new cardiologist put me on. He has now taken me off of it after four days of complete misery. It lowered my BP so far I had no energy at all. I also take other BP meds and it is just too much. My BP is not that high to start with. GRRRRR I hate doctors.

Have you decided what you are going to sell, Ibar? And, where? We can discuss that if you want. That is still a topic HC people may be curious about especially if they decide they want to raise HC to sell.

I must rest. I am just not thinking clearly; Have a good day. JB

Merry--

In the second link--the one with the red "sunrise" blooms look the same
as the blooms on mine. Can't see the leave's edges from that far away.

Loved the pale, pale pink one! That is so unusual!

Perhaps "Easter" is associated with "sunrise"----as in Sunrise Services.
Might just be another name for the same....

Yesterday, coming home from work (about 6:30PM) there was a very fine ice mist.
Cold too--couldn't keep my windshield wiped clean. It froze right on the glass...

Just got home from work. We got about 4" of snow last night.
Temps are in the high 20's. A bit windy too.

I feel sorry for you further up north. You have now been hit twice!

Gita

I believe the SUNRISE tag is because buds open at sun rise and close up in the evening.

Still---Is it a different variety than the regular Easter cactus???
Or--the same one....

I think Sunrise cactus is just another tag being used for Easter Cactus. Could be a marketing idea to increase sales. But I can be wrong ...just an educational guess on my part.

By the way Gita ... HD does not seem to carry shredded pine bark mulch (I talking about spring & summer). They have pine bark nuggets ...which is not suitable for tapala's recommended recipe for potting medium.

Fortunately, when my favorite garden center is out of it, I can purchase it at Lowes.

Mary

Merry--

If you are talking about the really fine, Pine bark nuggets-bits mulch--that are like 1/4" pieces--
NO! We do not carry it....
I loved it in a Nursery in Seattle when i was there visiting my daughter
.
I had never seen it! Does Lowes have it? What is it called????
It would make a great soil amendment! Almost too fine to use as mulch.
HD has regular Pine Bark Mulch (shredded)--and then the larger nuggets one.
The larger ones are used more in mass landscaping. They are more like chunks.

Oh, We have the Red and the Black, and the Rubber, and the Hardwood, and the Cypress,
and whatever else....All come only in 2 cf bags. Not the 3cf ones. They are too heavy
for most people to pick up.
I can get the 3 cf ones at local nurseries for about $5.

Have you ever checked out the "Organic Choice" Potting Soil? It has bright red tomatoes on the bag.
That soil has NO dirt in it.....Very good for all kinds of beds. Comes in the tiny bags also--8qt..

I was also, pleasantly surprised, at the quality of the Scotts Top Soil---It is like a better mix of Top Soil.
Only $2 or so for the bag--and it was loose and full of tiny bark bits....Very good stuff!

Gita

I am pretty sure that Sunrise is just a company name invented to sell the plants. Like inventing a new 'common' name. I credit Hana bay for using the Latin in the text. But coming up with a new common name and possibly adding to our confusion just makes me cringe, a little bit.

I too think it is a sale tactic. The practice of using a catchy name on the plant tags drives me nuts when you are entering a plant into plantfiles or adding to you DG journal. It wouldn't be so bad if they kept the botanical name on the tag somewhere.
I just have to laugh when I get catalogs from companies like Spring Hill (which I do not order from) they are always coming up with catchy names.

Morning ..................just wanted you to see what I saw when I woke up this morning. This old girl is still blooming and her age is unknown. This is the magenta and white, regular old fashion CC.

JB, that is gorgeous!
I like the sunrise/easter cactus, but do question why nobody else has ever referred to it as sunrise. Definitely a marketing gimick if you ask me.
I'm going to work in the greenhouse today, so if anything is blooming, i will post a picture. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hey gang, I was looking at the new Logee's catalog and they have a great page on "Orchid Cactus". I was interested in the one called Ephiphyllum 'Blue Paradise' "Orchid Cactus" because when I saw the leaves, they are similar to the CC. Am I seeing things or is their a resemblance?

Ibartoo, have you decided what you are going to grow to sell? I am almost convinced to give up on everything except the Holiday Cactus, Jasmine "Maid of Orleans" and my Aimee.gardenia. I have a few little gold fish plants and some anthurium. I just do not have the room or the time to get a larger variety, yet some of my customers ask for other things. I will be happy to refer anyone to you I can when you get up and running.

The Orchid Cactus are interesting but I am not sure how easy they are to propagate. What are your thoughts or has anyone grown them.

Jb, The orchid cacti are very easy to propagate. Just like the Christmas cactus. You have to let them scab over for a little while, but I have a nice collection going and they are really easy to grow. At 1 time I thought I would grow those to sell, but then life happened and I didn't do it.
If you ever stay up all night to see 1 bloom, you will be addicted forever. LOL

That blue paradise is pretty.

I grow mostly daylily, hibiscus, hosta,lantana and a few ground covers and as many tropical things as I can squeeze in. I am working on my plan for this spring now, so I will send you a list when I get it put together.
If it roots, I like to grow it, but I have to be very limited in my space.

gotta run.

ibartoo--

I have had a Kopper King Hibiscus for several years now. It is gorgeous!
You can click on my name--and at the very bottom is Moi and this Hibiscus.

It makes seed-pods--but they are empty. It does not make seed--so it must be a hybrid.
Do you know what would be the best way to propagate it? Something easy--if it is too
complicated--I won't have the attention to deal with it.

This is from last year....It is perennial.
Gita

Sorry to digress, Guys! Just one more picture.....a close-up of the bloom.

I took more cuttings of some Th-Giv. cactus. I now have 50 tiny pots sitting on all
my window sashes. If they all root---I will have a load to share by the Plant Swap.

Any volunteers yet to hold it? Gita

Digress all you want, I am into mostly house plants, but patio plants are very high on my list also, so as long as you are in the ballpark, enjoy. Speaking of Hibiscus, I have one that I will be happy to share with you all if you want. I take cuttings and just stick them in water for a few days and then plant them in pots.
They take very little care and they do grow. Not too fast, but I would imagine if I took better care of them they would grow faster. LOL.

JB - that is gorgeous. Love the color. Can I bother you for cuttings for the salmon color hibiscus?

This message was edited Jan 17, 2011 12:56 PM

Speaking of mulch ..... my DH bought cedar mulch when it was on sale last year. I hear you talk about all the other kinds of mulch, but not cedar. Will it be OK in my flower beds?

Sorry, I know nothing about mulch. My SIL is in charge of that!

Crit--

HD does sell Cedar Mulch as well. It is yellowish in color.
The benefit of Cedar Mulch is that it repels insects and also Termites...I believe.
It also does not decompose quickly. Don't they use Cedar shakes for siding?

To me the color would be detriment....I like darker--more natural mulches.
The Red mulch has become very popular, as well as the black.
G.

This is a nice variations of tans and browns. I think it will be pretty against the sand stone on my house. Just wanted to be sure it would not be detrimental to my plants and flowers.

He got it rather than the other because of repelling insects.

Yes, they use cedar shake on houses and use to use cedar shake shingles on houses. They have gone to fake shake now, because of the fire risk.

Thanks!

Crit, The only problem I have ever had with cedar mulch is it came in to my yard with those stinky orange fungi. My son calls them old man's nose, but I don't really know what they are. Anything that would repel insects is a plus in my book.

Gita, those hibiscus should be easy to propagate. I would suggest cuttings dipped in root tone and stuck in soil with a tent for humidity. I love the kopper king. I have Moi too and I really like it as well. If you wanted to try them in water, I would suggest a bubbler in your tank. If you want to trade cuttings for something, send me a dmail.

JB, that is a gorgeous hibiscus. I can't keep the tropical hibs alive through the winter, so I quit trying to grow those. I mainly focus on the perennial hibs.

Gotta run, I really need to work today!

I trimmed my Hibiscus when I brought everything in for the winter. They have been in a rooting solution for the last 2 months and have done nothing

I finally just dipped them in rootone and planted them a couple of days ago, to see if they might root. I don't know what I am doing wrong, everyone says they are so easy to root.