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Christmas Cactus

Started by Chuck White, December 18, 2015, 07:40:18 PM

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Chuck White

Trying to save our Christmas Cactus!

Anyone have an idea as to WHY every once-in-a-while a whole limb will just fall off of the cactus?

We had one a few years back and it did the same thing as this one's starting to do, and after a while, it just died!

Any help will be appreciated.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

POSTON WIDEHEAD

P L E A S E Chuck, don't get me started.  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D


Goat Cactus  - Quinta Mazatlan

Farmers use it to keep goats out of gardens. Succulent roots produce branching dark green stems. Flower is pink and fruit is dark green.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Chuck White

Biggest reason we want to save this Cactus is that it was my Mom's!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Gary_C

Chuck, my wife is also caring for her mothers Christmas Cactus and since I know little of how she cares for and has sent transplants to our daughter, I looked up this info: Care for a Christmas Cactus

Hope this solves your problem.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Ianab

Where is the cactus sitting?

Lack of light, too much light, too cold, too hot, too much water, too little water. All can mess them up.

I seem to be able to grow them OK, and they are easy to propagate from cuttings, but then I live in a mild humid climate that seems to suit them. They naturally come from moist mountainous coastal forests in Southern Brazil, where they grow as an epiphyte on moss covered logs and in rock crevices.

Gary's link mentions increasing the humidity for them, as it may to too dry in a heated Nth American house? We have to work to keep our humidity DOWN to 60%, so it seems to suit them.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Chuck White

We (up until Gary's post) have had the cactus in a South facing window with the blinds turned so the sun won't shine directly onto the plant.

We just moved the cactus on to a shelf, off to the side of the window, we'll see how it goes!

I think we'll try misting it with a spray bottle once in a while!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Jeff

I remember something about my mom shutting hers up in a dark closet for a certain length of time at a certain time of the year to make sure it bloomed. I don't have a clue about the details though. So. I'm no help atall  :D
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Chuck White

That rings a bell here also, Jeff.

Thanks!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

sharp edge

I got one at walmart it blooms in October.

SE
The stroke of a pen is mighter than the stroke of a sword, but we like pictures.
91' escort powered A-14 belsaw, JD 350-c cat with jamer and dray, 12" powermatic planer

Ianab

My original one is a cutting I tool from Mum's maybe 35 years ago. It's still "alive" but looking  rather bedraggled on the back porch. I've got a healthy new cutting of it on the kitchen windowsill. It's Sth facing. so here it doesn't get much direct sun, but good diffuse light. As I said the temp and humidity are more like it's natural habitat.

I'm sure Mums one is still growing by her front door.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Kbeitz

After all that time I bet it might be root bound...
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Autocar

I have two up stairs setting in front of the patio door and they have been blooming sence November they both face south. Then two more facing west in the kitchen windows they also bloomed in November but still show a few flowers coming on. It seems to me the side facing the sun blooms then after they fade I rotate the planter and the back side will bloom.
Bill

Jeff

Mom had a thanksgiving cactus as well. I asked her one time what the difference was, and she said none, other than the timing of the procedures done to get it to bloom. Again, something to do with hiding it in the dark.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Chuck White

I have seen orange colored flowers on the same type plant and asked about it, and was told it was a Thanksgiving cactus.

Not sure, but that's what I was told!   :-\
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Tam-i-am

I have 2.  One blooms at thanksgiving and it has orange-red flowers.  My oldest one blooms twice a year Easter and mid-December.  It has a variegated fuschia and white flower. 
Get Stuff Moving Today!  www.bluecreeper.com  www.facebook.com/Bluecreeper

WV Sawmiller

Quote from: Tamiam on December 23, 2015, 06:59:08 AM
I have 2.  One blooms at thanksgiving and it has orange-red flowers.  My oldest one blooms twice a year Easter and mid-December.  It has a variegated fuschia and white flower. 

Tammy,

   Please remember that men see only primary colors. We like to keep things simple. I'm not even sure what "fuschia" is. Happy holidays.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Next time you look in a mirror you will see that your fuschia is variegated.   :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Tam-i-am

Let me translate then  Dark pink with white. ;D
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yukon cornelius

Quote from: Tamiam on December 23, 2015, 09:02:40 AM
Let me translate then  Dark pink with white. ;D

:D :D :D :D
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

WV Sawmiller

Quote from: Magicman on December 23, 2015, 09:01:20 AM
Next time you look in a mirror you will see that your fuschia is variegated.   :D

   That's what I was afraid of. Is it catching?

Quote from: Tamiam on December 23, 2015, 09:02:40 AM
Let me translate then  Dark pink with white. ;D

   Boy this has been a good week for me. First I learned what corbels were and now I know what fuscia is. At this rate in a couple more weeks I may be pretty smart. However, since my mental hard drive is full and for me to learn something new I have to dump some excess memory and forget something which is always a risk. (Now what was it my wife told me to do again?)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

mesquite buckeye

Christmas cactus will start falling apart either from too much or too little water. Too much and the bases rot = dead cactus. Too little and they start to fall apart. The branches are also brittle and knock off easily (read cat or uncareful human). Too much light and they bleach (start yellowing). Too little light and they slowly die. :(

I wouldn't worry too much about humidity in the air. We put ours outside in the summer with 100 plus temperatures and very low humidity in a shady area of our porch. Ours is just finishing blooming inside, but dropped the last flowers when it ran out of gas (insufficient light). :(
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

Tam-i-am

Quote from: Tamiam on December 23, 2015, 06:59:08 AM
I have 2.  One blooms at thanksgiving and it has orange-red flowers.  My oldest one blooms twice a year Easter and mid-December.  It has a variegated fuschia and white flower.

well here it is just about Easter and my cactus is in bloom.  the very center is white but I wasn't able to get the right angle.



 
Get Stuff Moving Today!  www.bluecreeper.com  www.facebook.com/Bluecreeper

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Julie's is blooming now.  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Magicman

Both surprising and pretty.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Ianab

Mine seems to like the South Facing windowsill over the kitchen sink. Decent light but practically no direct sun.





Only one flower, but lots more buds coming. This would be the Christmas flowering version in the Nth Hemisphere.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

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