topic Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now in Garden

thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

wagirl — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:30:14 GMT

Am a sucker for these cacti--have one that is over 100 years old from my MILs grandmother--it blooms too. Last summer I repotted them all in the right container size and put them in the right place for light, water them more often and I'll be darned----the 2 newest ones, from about 2-3 years ago, have so many buds and flowers now---one is a very soft pink and the other is yellow. the pink one had over a hundred tiny buds on it---got it from a grocery store but it only a few buds bloomed. the yellow one call-- limelight --only had a few flowers too, but now----WOW !!!!

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Desertdi — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:45:49 GMT

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Desertdi — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:46:46 GMT

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Shelbelle — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:54:50 GMT

Mine too !!!

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Kachina624 — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:27:25 GMT

I thought this one was pretty impressive. It's supposed to be over 50 years old.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

catter70 — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:38:35 GMT

My sister has one that belonged to our grandmother. Not sure how old it is, but it's up there in age.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

wagirl — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 13:46:33 GMT

@Kachina624 ---OMgosh!!!!! what a monster---I love it. I actually "cacti" sat for a friend of mine--they were moving and just couldn't find space--- theirs as it was just as huge as this--had it for a few months when they came to pick it up-------just plain amazing--thanks for the pic!!!

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

RedTop — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 19:13:07 GMT

@Kachina624

The picture you posted of the big cactus is very much like mine, which was started from the small cactus my farm grandma had in her bedroom when she died in 1969.

The cactus was seriously root bound, and was repotted last year. It took awhile for the plant to adjust, and I lost a bit of newer growth, but after moving it upstairs near a window, the plant has finally settled down and started growing again.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

wagirl — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 15:34:34 GMT

@RedTop ---that's what I did too--a couple years ago I repotted the 5 I have right now-----even rinsed the roots of the old dirt, then got fresh new soil--1/2 cactus mix to 1/2 potting soil--got pots that were one size bigger than the old ones--and re planted them--even washed all the greenery as it was very dusty, put them in the apporiate light and I saw a huge change within a month-----tons more new growth, a few flowers bloomed then, but over all so much healthier---I water more regularly now too--about every 10-12 days, now I have many buds. have a couple that bloom near Xmas, a few at Thanksgiving and even one that blooms at Easter and that one, half blooms at Xmas then the other half blooms at easter----

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

FastDogWalker2 — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 16:21:34 GMT

I noticed this morning mine are starting to get buds - yipee!

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

GinaV24 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:17:21 GMT

@wagirl that's awesome. Having one that is 100 years old is so wonderful. I've never seen one with yellow flowers but I've heard about them.

I'll keep my eye out. I have a white one and a dark red one. they both have blooms on them and I'm so happy to see them getting ready to bloom.

I had to bring them inside because we had some freezing temps so now they are on the glassed in porch where they can get sun but not too cold.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

GinaV24 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:19:42 GMT

Wow @Kachina624 that is spectacular! That's a great way to display it too.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

GinaV24 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:26:54 GMT

@wagirl may I ask when you did the repotting? was it after they bloomed or at a particular time of the year?

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Patriot3 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:34:29 GMT

These pics are beautiful!

I have two. One is probably 15 yrs old and the other one just last year. The big one has 11 buds and the new one, only one so far. It seems like the new one gets buds and then they dry up. I keep it watered, too. Some years the older one has just a few buds.

I don't know what I do wrong. Maybe the older one is root bound. I don't remember if I have ever re-potted it, altho I've read that they don't mind being somewhat root bound. Maybe next summer I'll re-pot with some new soil. I've read, too, to get a pot that is just one size larger.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Patriot3 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:36:47 GMT

@GinaV24 wrote:
@wagirl may I ask when you did the repotting? was it after they bloomed or at a particular time of the year?

I'd like to know that, too.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

wagirl — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 14:21:23 GMT

I repotted them in the summer time--none of them bloom that time of year for me. I mixed 1/2 cacti soil to 1/2 potting soil as per the people at my local nursery and used a clean pot that was one size larger than what they were in. Also I carefully rinsed off the old soil around the roots and trimmed them just a bit; put in a few shards of boken pottery for drainage. Mine were awfully dusty too, took a soft brush to wipe them down. I then found the perfect light in my house for them and I bet within a month, they looked perky and started growing new leaves and now i have so many buds!! I'd say that was about 2 years ago---also started watering them more often--about every 12 days or so-- that really helped--I got one of those moisture meters you stick in the dirt to let me know how dry/wet they are---seems to work

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Mary Bailey — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 14:44:07 GMT

Love all the pictures!

I bought mine last year from the grocery store. I repotted it in succulant soil It lived on the patio this summer. It tripled in size.

When I brought it in for the winter I put it in a dark room for a couple of months. It's got huge blooms now.

I pulled some branches off, to try to root. I found instructions on youtube.

I didn't know they lived so long.

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

Patriot3 — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 18:11:35 GMT

@wagirl wrote:
I repotted them in the summer time--none of them bloom that time of year for me. I mixed 1/2 cacti soil to 1/2 potting soil as per the people at my local nursery and used a clean pot that was one size larger than what they were in. Also I carefully rinsed off the old soil around the roots and trimmed them just a bit; put in a few shards of boken pottery for drainage. Mine were awfully dusty too, took a soft brush to wipe them down. I then found the perfect light in my house for them and I bet within a month, they looked perky and started growing new leaves and now i have so many buds!! I'd say that was about 2 years ago---also started watering them more often--about every 12 days or so-- that really helped--I got one of those moisture meters you stick in the dirt to let me know how dry/wet they are---seems to work

@wagirl Thanks for all the info. I'm going to try all these things!

Re: thanksgving/xmas cacti are budding and blooming now

KatieB — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 20:15:56 GMT

My two big ones are putting out buds for a second time. I pinched the flowers back from the first bloom when they looked aged. I didn't realize they would flower more than once. I have a pale, pale pink one and a pretty rose colored one. I have smaller plants in both colors and they have a few buds on them. This is the first year they've bloomed for me.