Last year after many years of doing nothing my Thanksgiving Cactus was covered with blossoms but most of them dropped off before opening. Anybody know why?
ANY tips on growing and caring for Christmas & Thanksgiving Cactus appreciated.
Soil requirements? Watering? Light? Fertilizing?
Thanks! :)
Blossom drop on Thanksgiving Cactus :(
Cottage Rose, I grow mine in a hanging basket and keep mine outside all year on a covered patio. You would have to bring yours indoors though to protect it from frost in your area. Schlumbergera plants like bright light and need well-draining soil and have average water needs. I don't think I ever have fertilized mine, but there is a fertilizer made specifically for cactus that might work well. Check this link here for more information: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/go/1510/index.html and here: http://davesgarden.com/pdb/b/Cactaceae/Schlumbergera/
There is a product called BLOOM 0-10-10 put out by Liquidnox. We only fertilize after they flower. That is we water first weekly then fertilize weekly after the watering. We use a mix equivalent to 1.5 tbs per gal of water. I believe if I remember correctly some flower for eEaster. Christmas, and also Thanksgiving check this out. The general rule is water and fertilize when they are showing growth. I didn't make up this rule. Norma
Rose, I have kept Christmas cactus outside and well fertilized (good ole Miracle Gro)and watered all summer as long as they are putting out new growth. When you bring it in, put it somewhere where it is dark until buds are well formed. Then move it to a good light position. Someone told me somewhere along the line, that they need a period of dim light to set and develop buds to bloom indoors. This would make sense as people who leave them outdoors experience a "fall" season of reduced light.
Cottage Rose,
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Thanksgiving Cactus needs to be left outside until the nights get quite cool (45-50) for a couple of weeks. This helps set buds for flowering. By the time I bring mine in, the tips all have flower buds on them. I don't do anything special either, but they need that cold snap!
Bud drop can occur for several reasons. The ones I know of are:
Too much heat (they love cool temps), over watering, and changing the plants orientation to the light source. As the buds lengthen, they orient in one direction--to the light source. If you rotate the plant, or move it around, the buds will try to re-orient to he light source by turning around. This is enough to cause buds to drop off.
These cactuses are not desert cactuses, but jungle-cactuses and require regular watering. Not too much, though, but you cannot let them dry out like regular cactuses. They also do not like full sun for the same reason.
As for fertilizing--do it when they are in the growing phase, NOT when they are flowering.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cactuses are all different plants,. not the same one blooming at different times. The one most comonly sold in the Fall is the Thanksgiving Cactus. Inm all my years of working with plants, I have never seen an actual Christmas cactus! Easter cactuses (aka as Star cactus) are sold around Easter here. I have had one for 3 years, and it has never re-bloomed! It is alive and growing, but NO flowers!
Just my two cents worth! Gitagal
I agree with Gitagal's comments and would only add that I think that I read somewhere that this plant needs 12 hours of complete darkness for eight weeks or so at night in order to set buds. That is why leaving it outside for several months in the fall is a good idea because it will get the proper light exposure outside. You can also induce buds artificially indoors in the way that Seeds suggested. Mine stay out all year, and the temps drop into the low 40's at night in the wintertime, and my plants do fine on a semi-protected patio area.
Now, that's very interesting, Norma.........0-10-10 up here is called Alaska Mor-bloom......I had always wondered what the US name for that was?? This stuff works magic on all my flowering greenhouse plants....no N! Elaine
Wow, thanks for the info. I bought a Christmas cactus in the Spring and am really looking forward to it blooming. I am going to do what you said and put it outside. Interesting about it being a jungle cactus! So... should I put it in a shady spot? It doesn't have any blossoms yet either. Hmmmm....
Thanks much for all the tips. :)
Sure, Cottage_Rose!
Sunnyskies, yes a shady spot and just keep your eye on the nighttime temperatures because you don't want your cactus experiencing temperatures below 40. It should set buds if given the proper amount of reduced light.
I just ran across this site and thought you might like it: http://www.cactuscollection.com/info/cacti/christmas.html
Thank you Clare, that was very helpful and I saved that info. :)
Clare, I just went to that site you gave Cottage_Rose. That is a very nice site. I found it very inform it. Thank-You. Binky :)))))))
My pleasure:-)
But not too much shade. Mine get enough sun that the foliage turns pinkish and that doesn't seem to hurt them and they bloom well. (Pictures are from last year or the year before.)
And the white flowered one.
My Gold Charm bloomed earlier but is still forming buds. Camilla will be fully blooming later on today, and I'll post a pic.
Well, I guess my christmas cactus isn't going to bloom this year. After I put it outside it started dropping it's "leaves", not alot but enough to make me worry. I kept it out though until temperatures made me bring it inside. It just doesn't look like it is going to do anything. Maybe next year.