A Christmas Cactus Mystery?????

Years ago my Mother bought a beautiful Christmas cactus. It was white and red. It was really two Christmas Cactuses planted in the same pot, one white, one red. For years both bloomed and the Christmas cactus grew and grew. It’s very large now and still very healthy. But for the last several years the white side blooms but although the red size is still very healthy looking it no longer blooms. Can anyone answer my mystery? Holly

Is the red side getting the same amount of light as the white side? In other words, if it is sitting in a window, does your mom turn it weekly so that light is evenly distributed?

I'll ask her but it is growing pretty evenly. I think she turns it. I'll take a picture when I go visit.

She can't be turning it that often enough. The white side is getting the coolness it needs to set buds but the red side isn't. Try leaving it outside this fall until buds form and swell but bring in BEFORE the first frost.

I find the cool fall temps is what sets the buds for me each year.

Tom

I think tommy has a good theory there.

I think so too, sallyg!
Seems to me it's the ones I leave outdoors until almost the first frost are the ones that do bloom for me....others don't!

On the other hand, I have a friend who has a really large Schlumbergera and she never takes it outdoors, but it is right in front of their front door, so I imagine when the door opens it's getting enough blasts of cool air to induce blooming.

I have a weirdo one named 'Katherine' that started setting buds in September and it was still hot here then! Go figure, huh? By and large, most of the ones that I have sitting by a cold windowsill and I do mean smack dab under the sill, will set buds. The majority of the buds are on the side next to the window, although there are some on the side farthest away. If they are kept warm, they do not set buds. Cold temps definitely send these babies into bloom.

Now, do you you think my Easter Cactus will behave the same way? Do they need cold temps? I set it up under my windowsill as sort of a good luck thing, since all the CC that were there bloomed this year. :)

GH

Here is a picture of my Mom's CC. Funny it bloomed at Christmas and has started to bloom again. Not a lot but a few you can see a couple in the picture. I took a good look at it and it looks like there are still two separate plants in the pot the White is larger, it is in the front. The red side is not as full but looks pretty good. She says she does turn it but not a lot. It always sits in this corner close to the window but there is a heat vent under the window.They do keep their house a little on the cool side. They have a gas fireplace in the living room and like to use that so they set their heat a little lower. She never puts it outside.

That CC is huge! Hope mine gets that big. Mine was at a window sill and I moved it to a shelf closer to the floor. It is getting buds too. Our floors are hardwood and they are cold!

Melissa

They're just so mysterious, aren't they?! ! LOL!!
What I've read is that Schlumbegera are "thermo-photoperiodic" - that blooming is triggered by the *combination* of day length and temperature, but that the day length is the most important (it's said that even indoor lights and streetlights can affect them...not sure how true that is, though!)
When I put mine outdoors, they're on our rear deck which faces north and east, where they get absolutely no type of light whatsoever when the sun goes down.

That is a beauty, Hollyann!!

GH...I've read conflicting information on whether or not Rhipsalidopsis need a cool period to set buds....I guess it can't hurt? Though mine was outside 'til the temps were in the 40's at night....no sign of buds yet!