Holiday Cacti General Discussion Part #2

Gita, could I get a start of your Dr. Suess? I lost my little one this summer.

crit---

Lets continue this kind of stuff by D-mails.
I find that requests for plants or seeds tend to go into long conversations.
No fair doing it here.

SO! send me a D-mail and i will take it from there. Gita

Hi Everyone, hope your weekend was productive and fun too. No comment on how productive I was. I had a thought after looking at my CC this morning. I have very few that will bloom because I have been cutting all of them for starter plants, and the younger plants I doubt will bloom this year. So, why don't we start showing pictures of our Holiday Cactus as they begin to bloom this year. It will be fun to watch, that includes the Easter Cactus as well or any Holiday Cactus you come up with. I am really anxious to see the one plant that was given to me. It is to be Orange and Pink and I just hope I left enough stems on there to get one bloom so I can at least see the flower. I am also waiting patiently to see the pink that I have that is a russeliana bloom.
My lastest investment was the Siruis Rhipsalidopsis for my daughter (it is patented and that is a no no to reproduce for sale); The Schlumbergera 'Aspen' Christmas Cactus and the Schlumbergera 'Christmas Fantasy' CC. It will be at least another year or more before they bloom. I swear Logee's starter plants are getting smaller and more expensive as time goes by. These had to be the smallest plants yet. They are in the 2.5 in pots and tiny as can be. I paid $9.95 tor one and $11.95 for the other. The Sirius was $14.95. Oh well. You can't take it with you. LOL

Must get into town and ship an order of 8 Schlumbergeras to KS. The ladies cat ate her old ones and she is replacing them. I think I would have put the cat outside. Did you know cats like CC as a snack???? Have a good day Ladies and Gentlemen. See you later. Send those pictures, don't forget. Hugs. JB

JB---

Are the Schlumbergeras the true X.C.? As compared to the Zygos which are really a Th.-Giv. Cactus?
Do you have the Easter Cactus in your collection as well? You know that I have one....

I think I have seen the orange/pink CC for sale at HD. If it is the same--to me the orange-pink looks weird.
Those are just 2 colors that do not fit together. UGH!
Pretty soon, HD will have CC for sale. If you have one nearby--I would check about once a week when they start having them.
All X-Mas stuff went out this week. Artificial trees, all the blow-up figures, wreaths--the works.

I will keep an eye out and let you know when we start having CC for sale. Will keep a sharp eye out for
broken off pieces as well.

Gita

Gita, from what I have read and kept notes on, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter are called Holiday Cacti.
You already know this information but so the new people can keep them straight, I thought I would give a brief description so when we begin showing pictures, they can appreciate how far back these beauties go.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are members of the genus Schlumbergera while Easter Cacti comprise two species of the genus Rhipsalidopsis. This information comes from Paul's Notes Recognition and Culture of the Holiday Cactui.

The true "Christmas Cactus" is Schlumbergera x buckleyi, a hybrid between S. Russelliana and S. Truncata produced in the late 1840s in England by William Buckley at the Rollisson Nurseries. There are two maybe 3 slightly different surviving clones of of three hybrids of this cross names S.x.buckleyi 'Buckleyi', S.x buckleyi 'Rollissonii' and possibly S.x..buckley 'Snowii'. There is a difference in the flowers of these three. Magenta is the primary color. (We would call it fuchsia I think). Characteristically, the True Christmas Cactus has branches which are decidedly arcing and the pendent and the stem segments do not have the little points along the side. It is difficult to describe without you having the picture to follow. But the fact there are no little points along the sides of the little stem segments. The flowers are completely pendent and radially symmetrical (actinomorphic).
The blooming time is actually between November and May and many times it blooms too late for the Christmas Sales, that is one reason it is so hard to find. Mostly old plants handed down from family to family , etc. are the true Christmas Cactus. I have two true CC and that is the one I call Petra's Pink because it was given to her by an old lady and she gave it to me for my collection. Also, the one I sell many of, the old fuchsia and white one, that I now have two stock plants going. Those fuchsia will bloom before Christmas and not stop until April or May, but they are the true CC. The pink plant stems and leaves are much thinner in width than the old fuchsia, which I call S x Buckleyi on plant scout, so I call the pink S. russeliana because that. If you compare the leaves they are different. So, the true Christmas Cactus the ortet was one of Wm Buckley's hybrid S.russelliana x S. truncata plants in the 1840's.

The Thanksgiving Cacti is sold in Canada as Christmas Cacti are Schlumbergera truncata cultivars. They are clones selected for their colors and growth habit and given cultivar names. They bloom about a full month or more before the true Christmas Cactus, given the same treatment and so are more easily made to bloom at the best time for Christmas sales, but the flowers might not last until Christmas. They are also known as the "Link Cactus", "Grandmother's Cactus", etc. Their flowers are asymmetrical (zygomorphic). not normally pendent, but bent somewhat upward at the ovary, so that they grow outward, rather horizontally from the tips of the segments on branches which are usually much more erect that those of the True Christmas Cactus. The colors range from pure white to a deep reddish violet. In 1982 the first yellow one was grown . Now there are many beautiful colors available, but they will be Zygo Cactus as some also call them. I have some I call Zygo because they arrived from the grower identified as such.

Because both the Thanksgiving and Christmas Cactus bloom twice each year between Oct. and Feb. then again in March and May, many people confuse them with the Easter Cactus.

The Easter Cactus is Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri. It is not nearly as popular as the Schlumbergeras because it is rather more difficult to grow well, and it has the disconcderting habit of shedding its stem segments at the slightest dry spell, or whenever over or under watered. It may refuse to bloom for no apparent reason. But it is quite magnificent in spite of all of the problems you may have with them. R. gaertneri is the species with scarlet flowers.'Crimson Giant' and 'Rainbow' are some of the cultivars. All are beautiful when in bloom.

I hope the above is not to difficult to understand without the pictures. Maybe I can scan the shots I have and put them up before the busy season starts. Remind me if I forget. We are getting ready for the Christmas Season to start since we do live on a Christmas Tree Farm and we open Thanksgiving weekend. We have a short season this year so we have to make our money in about three weeks. LOL Watch us have a blizzard like last year. Oh God! Please NO.

Gita, I do have Easter Cactus. I have about four different colors, which I gave to my daughter for her office. They are all patented and I of course can not cut and sell any of them. I think they are beautiful plants and flowers and I hope she can grow them without too much trouble. If and when her plants get older, I will take come cuttings to share with friends. I will let you know when the time comes to give me your name.

I apologize for the lengthy post but I really think it is so much more fun when you can tell what you have and what you have purchased. Also, it is fun to see what others call the plants..........and you know the real difference. LOL
Enjoy and if I bored you, please forgive me. I get carried away with my love for these babies. JB







This message was edited Oct 17, 2011 3:12 PM

This message was edited Oct 17, 2011 3:14 PM

JB---

OH, My God!!!!! Why on Earth would you feel a need to appologize for getting carried away??
You are such a wealth of information! We all should copy all this information out and save it for reference.
You have NEVER BEFORE explained all this in the detail you just did. Awesome!!!!
Thank You!!! Thank You!!!---I will print this out and add it to my endless memory bank files....

To all of you that may be new to this topic--please know that JB is somewhere around 80 years old
still gardening and growing and selling her Christmas cactus for a living in her G-House.
Also--AWESOME!!!! Gather Ye this information while you can!!!!

JB.
I can post pictures of the fuchsia/white CC as well as of the Easter cactus.I have both.
Just so people that are not familiar with these can see.
I do not have, and never have seen, the true Christmas cactus plant. You can find it on PF's though.
Maybe I will take a look and post it here--to, sort of, keep it all in one place....For reference purposes.

Gita

Here is one of the most common color Thanks Giving Cactus--the fuchsia and white bloom.

Here is my Easter cactus in bloom this past June.

A closer up look at the blooms of the Easter Cactus.

Thank you Gita, but I can not take the credit for the great info. I wish I could find the link for that information. I really want you all to see the pictures so you can really see the difference that goes with the explanation. Try googling Paul/s Notes and see what you get.

And, I am 83 now. Time flies when you are having fun. LOL. I am beginning to get old and I hate it. My body is not keeping up with my mind. I have a few aches and pains and just got over a month of inner ear virus that darn near sent me over the edge. I have no patience when it comes to doctors and meds. Waste of time and money.

Your pictures are great. The Fuchsia looks so much like the True CC except for the points on the leaves. My fuchsia has two points and they are at the very top, the side of the leaves is smooth, so I can not be sure it is a TRUE. The Pink one I am sure of. But the old Fuchsia could be a hybrid of some sort. I do not like to say anything is for sure when I get a plant and it has no ID. It is also an old plant, so God knows????? I really don't care.
I met a young man, I think he is Indian, and he works at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I sent him a bunch of cuttings and some plants. We are in touch and he is the one that told me if I could get my hands on a Schlumbergera microsphaerica to grab it and save it. They are very scarce and very different. If you look up the word Schlumbergera you will get so much information you will not have time to read it all. That is what I do and I can not remember one darn thing, so I have to print them out.

The Easter Cactus R. 'Sirius' , the one I paid $14.95 for is not easy to find. It is White. Gita, maybe you have one and do not know it. LOL. I have no idea what makes it so special. My daughter is waiting for it to bloom.

I am out of here for the night. I had a busy day and must get ready to watch Dancing with the Stars. I must be crazy to watch that, but I do. I love some of the music and I also remember when I was young and did a lot of jitterbugging to Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey (Frank Sinatra used to sing with him before he became famous) and I dream of the days of when I weighed 98 lbs. Wow, that is a nightmare now. Oh well, off I go . Nite all. JB

Hey JB I think this is the link you are looking for. It is titled "Recognition and Culture of the Holiday Cacti" by Paul Brunelle

http://cactus.biology.dal.ca/paulS/christmas/christmas.html

The drawings are great.

Such GREAT information and pictures. TY, TY, TY for all of it!

I didn't think I had any buds on my Holiday Cactus, but I noticed yesterday I am getting a few! Yippeeee I will be glad to see which colors they are. I will be sure to mark them this year!

That is the one. Great Job......keep that if you can.

Here is the one that compares the leaves. You will see the difference on page 2 of the different Schlums and some additional info.

http://cactusepiphytes.pagesperso-orange.fr/z_page_les_cactus_de_noel.htm

These two have so much good information. I use them as reference all the time. The Paul's has a much more complete description than what I copied for you. If you are really interested in getting to know the plants, these two will be very helpful. If the liink does not work, please let me know and I will try again. I cut and pasted it so it should be accurate.

I think we have a good thing going here just now and hopefully we can enjoy sharing our beauties and information over the next few weeks. Talk later. Have work to do. JB

Thanks, JB & coleup!

Tina (tmbolin) did an article some time ago, "Will the Real CC Please Stand Up?" and I think she used Paul B. as a resource too

She gives a pretty succinct explanation. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/392/

I think all of mine are actually Thanksgiving cactus. Two actually started blooming this week.. must get photos... a white and a peachy one, both from Doc.

Thanks Critter, that is a good article by Tina...pretty much the same information, which is always good. I only saw one thing that bothered me about her growing the cactus. It has been my (and again, my way is not always the right way, but it works for me) understanding that you start your cactus either in water or soil, whichever is your choice, and you move it to a pot only a few inches larger than the one it started in so the roots have a chance to get stronger rather than longer and spread out as they would do in a 12 inch pot, which is what Tina used. Again, I she may have had several cuttings in that pot, but it would seem to me to make sense if only one little cutting was in that big pot that the roots will just get long and not full and healthy. Any thoughts on that Gita, and others who have propagated these plants.

Would that be peaches and cream, critter? Or like many of us, it was not marked when you got it. LOL. I absolutely must start to refuse to purchase any that are not marked. I swear that is the most frustrating thing that can happen to a person. When I send my plants I always put a marker in with the plant giving the ID and usually the date it was propagated. It makes it so much easier for the new owner to enjoy and actually know what they bought.

Off to clean bird cages. Have a great day, hope to see you all later. JB

JB--

I have seldom seen variety names on much of anything at HD.
Only if they plant comes with the colorful tags that have the pictures on them.
Then there will bee all the correct information. They never have the names of the varieties on CC pots.

Re the propagation---I would never, ever think of putting a cutting of anything in a large pot.
I should take some pictures of my little ones so you can see how well they are growing--especially the red ones.
These seem to have a more compact growth habit. I need a new memory card for my camera.

CC does not have much of a root system anyway. They tend to be shallow-rooted as well.
I say this having pulled up older CC from their pots to transplant. They are about the same as AV's.

I went looking for that picture I have of one of my mini-CC with a big bloom on it.
Could not find it. I will come across it sometimes...

Well--I need to get ready for work....gita

Gita, the same with HD Orchids....some are marked and some not. Then here they try and sell you a book so you can see what you got. LOL. Just kidding. They do have some good orchid books at our HD. No, I do not grow orchids, I cannot, they hate me. I have one blooming now but someone gave it to me. I never buy any.

I feel the same way about putting a cutting into a large pot. In fact, when I get plants from Logees and they are in the 2.5 in pots, I even worry about going to the 5 inch pot next, just because I am so careful about the root system and how it grows. I guess it is the way I was always taught.

I am off to feed the barn cats. They think I died or something, but it is pouring and it is a blowing rain off the ocean so it is nasty out there, but I cleaned the bird cages and need to go to the barn with the trash, so now I have to put on all the rain gear and get going. I really hate getting wet and having to change clothes again. Crap. JB

Morning Everyone! I can't believe I haven't been here in so long. Thanks JB for the invite. Some of my christmas cacti are setting buds and some haven't begun yet. I repotted quite a few and still have more that need to be re-potted. I am interested to see which will bloom this year that haven't bloomed before.

Did anyone order from direct gardening. A couple of years ago, I ordered several christmas cacti and an easter cactus from them. The Christmas cactus did beautifully, but the Easter cactus didn't make it. I may order from them again.

Hi Linda, I am so glad you found time to join us. You have had a miserable time of it with all that is going on in your life. Thanks for coming over and saying Hi. I am glad to hear yours are setting buds. Some of mine are, and some are not. I will not be surprised if I get very few this year. Between the hurricane, earthquake and so much rain there is no good reason for these plants to bloom on time. I have had the shade cloth off the GH for the past few weeks and the sun has been very warm. Today I did not even open it or go in because the heater was on and it was like a Nor'easter out there today here in Wrightstown. I got soaked this morning feeding the cats.

Got a lot accomplished yesterday in the GH and watered late yesterday so all is well I am sure and the temp. held at 83 with good humidity so I stayed out of there. It went down to the 50s last night but worked its way up today. I was concerned it was too warm, but there was a cool wind blowing all day and it just held steady so I left it go. They needed the wet heat instead of that burning dry air we had for a week. We either get completely drowned or we get a drought.

Have a good evening. I am tired. This was a busy day getting inside things done. Cleaned bird cages, some laundry and a few floral design orders completed and I had the cook detail today because the kids needed to have an early dinner and they both worked late. I am now finished and ready to relax. Off to have a glass of wine. First since I was sick. Yahoo. JB

Great technical info!

My...um...whatever it is that I call Christmas cactus, same as all the stores sell... has lots of buds and I do think they're going to open way before Xmas.

Sally--
That's because they are Thanksgiving cactus....

Whatever it is Sally, it does not make any difference as long as it makes you happy and you enjoy it. Take a picture of it for us when it blooms, please. We all want to enjoy our Holiday Cactus blooms, no matter what the time of year is.

Our weather is definitely Fall like now. It goes down to 40s and no higher than 65 during the day if the sun shines.
It is about time. I can not help but wonder what this weather has done to the turning of the leaves up in Pa and CT and MA. Boston has had temps many degrees warmer than usual. Am I correct that we need a good frost to turn the leaves? Anyone know, or is that an old Amish tale?

I need to work in the GH today when I get back from town. I am not sure my jasmine cuttings are happy. I need to give them all a good feeding and hopefully today will be that day.

Have a good one everyone. Check in when you can and keep those pictures coming.

Can not wait until the Peaches and Cream as shown below blooms. It is a Zygo so it should be pushing buds soon. Unless I cut them off when I took cuttings. Oh my, well, you can not have everything. Later.

The other day, I brought home one of those very large, round, black plastic trays they put subs and
sliders on when providing food for a company. It has a really high, clear plastic lid over it.
You all know what I mean????

I am thinking of putting all my small pots of CC on this tray, bringing them inside and covering it with the lid at night,
and throwing a cloth over it for the night. Someone (JB??) mentioned above that they cover theirs for the 12 hrs. of
darkness to set buds. I would keep this on my DR table.

Might do it today--as the nights are getting really, really cold now.

What do you all think? Gita

JB .... I have 'heard' that the leaves will change colors no matter what the temps. When the sap moves to the roots for the tree to go dormant, the leaves change colors. We had trees changing colors here and have not had a hard freeze yet, because of the lack of water. We are in a drought. It is their 'survival mode'. Let me know if you find out differently.

I saved a container like that that a 1/4 cake came in from Wal-mart. Thought the lid of it would make a nice planting container then covering it with the bottom as the top.

I'm not positive, but I think the darkness isn't needed for blooms on the zygos ("thanksgiving cactus," although I'm with Sally, all mine get called Christmas cactus unless I'm in a forum where I need to be precise with botanical names). I think making sure they get a properly long dark period is only necessary for "true" CC's. And I still think that since we're getting 12+ hours of darkness now anyway, that should work without additional measures.

Anyway, the only time I've covered CC's with a dome is when I'm rooting cuttings in slightly moist potting mix, or when a little one slips to the back of a shelf and gets super wilted.

Gita, I do not move my cactus to give them darkness, I think I said my daughter moved hers and she has my fuchsia which hers and mine both have some buds now, but her buds are much larger. Let me be very clear here regarding moving cactus to bring them to bud. I DO NOT BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE THE ROOM. LOL I wish I did so I could have flowers, but I do not.

Critter, I am not sure where you got your info regarding Zygo cactus, but according to one of the wholesale growers, Whitton, they say the following about Zygocactus.

Zygocactus are thermo photoperiodic in their flowering response. CC buds initiate with short days and lower temps.Maintain a night temp att 50-60 deg. during the short day bud initiating period. In addition, let CC dry out more between watering. Do not fertilize during this bud initiating period. If you wish to delay bud initiation and have crop bloom later, use supplemental lighting to counteract normal short days. You se the same technique that's used for mums. Start lighting Sept. 1.. Upon appearance of some tiny buds on crop, resume normal watering and a night temp of 65 to 70 deg. If you use a low nitrogren formula your CC will bet a higher bud retention. The 20-20-20 formula will give your CC faster bud development, but not as high a bud set.

You can go to their website and look for their cultural tips for Christmas Cactus. They specialize in Zygos. You can see all of their colors also. I spend too much time looking when I visit their site. It is so interesting.
Enjoy and if you find the information I just gave you is incorrect, please let me know. Schlumbergera are all thermo photorperiodic. And by the way, putting them in the closet is not the answer to quicker blooms according to the CSSA . See you all later. JB

I think that agrees with my experience, JB, sorry if I was unclear. Sounds like shorter days and cooler temps as fall & winter come on initiate budding without our having to further shorten their daylight period by putting them in the closet or covering them.

I have had Zygos bloom toward spring and even in the middle of summer, so maybe some of the newer hybrids are less in tune with mother nature.

I'm not trying to get mine to bloom at a particular time (like growers who depend on holiday sales), so I don't move them to the light shelves to delay budding or anything like that. Letting them get dry and then giving them a thorough watering does often seem to do the trick if it seems like they "should" be starting to bloom but just aren't.

Jill, I think this crazy weather has everything off schedule. My cacti bloomed from Nov. to April this past year. They finally stopped blooming, I took the cuttings and then it was soon time for them to set buds again and I know I will not have many blooms on some of those late bloomers.

I am sorry if I misread what you wrote. I did not mean to sound as if you were wrong, I do however want to be sure it is clear for everyone who is reading this and if me being a dummy about understanding it, maybe someone else would also. Thanks for clearing it up.

Time to sign off for now. I have things to do I must have done today. Have a good evening. JB

I appreciated the information, JB, and I definitely had it wrong about "real" CC's... I was just thinking that maybe the reason I'd never moved mine around or covered them up to give them extra darkness was because mine were all Zygos.

I wonder if cool weather might be even more of a factor than shorter days... my little ones that have been blooming at random times are on a windowsill, so when we have a few chilly nights they probably feel it more.

Joyanna spotted the first bloom on one that's white with pink stamens, and she was just entranced. I didn't get a photo of that bloom, though, because she picked it and put it in her hair. LOL

I have always left my CC out until near frost...It is getting to be that at this time.

Checked my little ones--many of them have buds on them.
I do not have 100% darkness on my patio--as I have the perennially "ON" moon. My round Patio light on a pole.

My small CC have been sitting on my patio table, tucked up against the house and totally under the roof, now for a couple of weeks.
I moved them there to get less rain. I did not want them to be too wet.

Checked them today....some of them are already budding to bloom.
Will leave them out there a while yet--depends on the weather...NO frost!!!

I have never been able to provide total darkness to any of my CC. When I bring them in--they are, usually, loaded with buds.
I have some older CC that are too woody and not soo apt to bloom any more.
Cut all the scapes off of it early this summer and stuck them all in a new, big pot to root. Will see if I was successful.

I tend to go with the flow--If something does not work--and I have tried my best ti make it happy--it is BYE-BYE!!
OR--I take cuttings and toss the mama.....I have no room for plants that are struggling....I do NOT run a rehab Center....:o)

Gita

My poor neglected plants. They stay outside until it almost frosts on them and then I run around frantically trying to get everything in the greenhouse before it does freeze. Thankfully here it is much later when I get the first killing frost. ( I guess I am not really mid- atlantic, but I am not quite deep south either. LOL)
I didn;t think you should feed them when they are setting buds. maybe I will try it and feed mine tomorrow.

Have a great night everyone,

Linda, I just posted this yesterday and maybe you missed it.

"Zygocactus are thermo photoperiodic in their flowering response. CC buds initiate with short days and lower temps.Maintain a night temp att 50-60 deg. during the short day bud initiating period. In addition, let CC dry out more between watering. Do not fertilize during this bud initiating period."

In fact, I was going to give mine a shot of fertilizer yesterday until I read that article by Dave Kohlschreiber of the CSSA. Maybe you missed that little line because I was rambling. Sorry. I was copying from his article.
It does go on to say how you should fertilize when growing them, so maybe it was not clear.

We are to have frost next week. Guess I should get my act together and be sure everything is safe and sound.
Most of my plants are already in because they are so tender below 50 can stress them.

Later, I must get busy. JB

So what are you folks using for a soil mix for these? I've heard peat and perlite, Orchid bark mix, etc.

Let's hear your recipes!

JB--

I cut back and brought in 2 of my Brugs. The small maya still had buds..will let it bloom--IF we do not get frost.

Then--I have to tackle the BIG Dr. deuss one. That is also dug into a bed in a pot. It has grown pretty massive!
If anyone wants cuttings to the Dr. Seuss, speak up now. I will only keep a handful.

I may bring in my little cacti. Don't want to move them after the buds start to elongate.
Right now, they are only nubs. Will line them up on my window sashes as before.
Then--wait to see which ones get buds....Today may be a good time to do this...

JB--have you ever had any bug issues on your CC? I have not treated my little ones--but they have never sat
near the ground at any time. Gave them all a good watering yesterday. They were SO dry in those little clay pots!
Without knowing--seems I did the right thing...ass this was mentioned above as something that might initiate budding.

Better quit lollygagging on the computer and get going.....Gita

Gita, I would love a cutting of your Dr. Suess. I lost mine this summer.

Tommy, Hi, I am not a good one to talk to about soil mixtures. I keep it simple due to lack of space and I am too old to mess with lots of mixes, etc.

I do however keep some info on hand regarding the different soils and Whitton suggests you grow CC in a sterilized media on raised benches. Any light, well drained, well aerated soil mix should be adequate. If necessary add dolomite to bring ph to 5.0 - 6.5 (6.0 optimum).

Another suggestion is, that the CC do better in tight pots. If when you repot, do not go higher than one size at a time. This seems to be something we all do wrong. I tend to go two higher because I am lazy and it saves time.
But I have always learned from the beginning, when starting new cuttings, go one size pot at a time to guarantee the stronger roots.

The Cactus Succulent Society of America mentions the ideal mix for Schlumbergera was a "Cornell" mix which is 2 parts of peat moss and 1 part perlite. But then they go on to say that a good potting mix is just as good with some #2 perlite added. the potting mix is actually a composted peat. I honestly think it is a matter of choice and how your plants respond to what you are doing. Not only that, but depending on where you live, you have a difficult time getting some of these items to mix together. My best advice and it is what I do when I do not want to mix is get Miracle Grow Potting Soil or another good mix and go with it. In the end it saves me time and money. It may not be the way to do it according to all the big professionals, but it works for me. That is what is important.
I do however, in some cases, start my cuttings in coca core. But, eventually they need to be moved to soil, so I have eliminated that unless I am not doing a large number of cuttings or I am just too lazy to prepare the core for the pots.

I would just like to point out that there is a big difference between MG Potting SOIL---and MG Potting MIX.
The MIX is what you want to use for rooting cuttings. It does not contain any soil. It is mostly Peat Moss and
Perlite and some others stuff...It also contains a slight amount of MG fertilizer.

JB--what is your opinion on having a slight bit of fertilizer in the mix?
Im my thinking--it would be OK--as the CC cuttings root fairly quicky, and then they would have a bit of a boost.

OK! Brought all my little CC inside. Now my LR and DR window sashes are all full.

Just as a side line--one of the cuttings I had rooting was in a 4" pot. I wanted to transplant it to a smaller (3") pot
so it would fit better on my sash. I went to pull it out--and the pot was 3/4 totally full of roots.
I squished them all into a 2 1/2" pot. Kind of going the opposite direction with pot sizes....teee...Heee....

My 6" and larger CC are all still outside on a plant stand under my patio roof. They get a bit more light
from my "moon" at the corner of the patio.

OH! I also dug in all my dug up and potted Wintersweet seedlings. Also--my 2-6" pots of the Hydrangea cuttings.
They are all rooted! I have about 4-5 cuttings in each pot. Will separate them in the spring....

I am in for the day...it was getting chilly and a bit windy. Not much left to do except deal with my Dr. Seuss processing
so it can also come in. A Dr. in the house is always welcome....:o))

Gita

Gita, i use all MG Potting Mix for everything, even my potted plants. I buy it in the biggest bags they have and I buy 10 at a time to get my discount. If things do not want to grow in it. Then they die. LOL. I used to mix my own, I had the sand, vermiculite, peat and all those bags in the barn and it just got to be too much for me. I found MG Mix to be the best, plus I use Coca Coir for some things. If there is some fertilizer to start I do not think it is harmful, there is not that much in the mixes anyhow. I fertilize my cuttings up until the time they are ready to bloom. Not often as I should but they get the same fertilizer that all the other plants get. I am not one to mess around anymore with a different fertilizer for each type plant. I find it works fine for me. I do not recommend it unless you check and make sure the type of fertilizer you use is o.k. for all plants.....which it usually is not. So, read the labels. Please.

Your Brug is beautiful. I never got into keeping them because they got so big when I did have them they outgrew my area so quickly I just gave them all away.

My windowsills are pretty full too but there is always room for more. I have the stands sitting around with plants on them too. My house is too small for much more.
Just finished cleaning out the dead cuttings that did not grow in the greenhouse, now tomorrow I need to get busy and plant some more that are not doing well in water. They need soil I feel sure, so that is what they will get.

My Camellias are all setting buds now. I am so excited. I took cuttings in August and some of them are going to make it. Yahoo. I love Camellias. Have a good evening. I am out of here. JB

CAMELIAS!!!!!!!!! i HAVE ONE--AND IT IS GORGEOUS!!! Variety--"Bob Hope"...

PLEASE tell me what you do to root cuttings.. When" How? In what?

My Camellia "guru" has always been Mike Quinn in GA, I have sent him boxes-full of cuttings.
He seems to know how to propagate them.

Two years ago--I cut back my Camellia to the nubs. On Mike's advice.
They were having some kind of fungusy leaf issues that would kick in the middle of winter....
I have photos...bur won't hog the space here to post them.

Mike told me to cut back my Camellia severely and let it re-grow.
It has been re-growing--but there are no buds on it for next year. Still re-growing....

I want to take some cuttings of it next spring. Missed out on it this summer. always meant to--but never did.
Now the new growth has become "woody". Have to wait until late next summer to take cuttings.

Here is how it looked after I cut it back.

At least the camellia is not dead. You keep it outside all year. I guess we should either go to the camellia forum or start a thread on them because they are very interesting and nice plants for indoors and out. What do you think?