Christmas Cactus Finally Blooms

[smoke665]

It missed the mark by 4 days, but it finally did it.
no-image-available-grid.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

 

[DanOstergren24]

Lovely shot.

We've had one of these in the family for as long as I can remember, with several of my friends having plants propagated from it. I honestly think the original might be older than I am.

 

[smoke665]

Lovely shot.

We've had one of these in the family for as long as I can remember, with several of my friends having plants propagated from it. I honestly think the original might be older than I am.

Thanks, we got this one a few years ago. For some reason ours bloomed in August this year. Think its clock is messed up.

 

[DanOstergren24]

Thanks, we got this one a few years ago. For some reason ours bloomed in August this year. Think its clock is messed up.

Ours blooms several times a year. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I certainly don't mind.

 

[smoke665]

Up until last year ours always bloomed on Christmas day. This year our weather was all over the chart in December. Temperature, day length and sunlight trigger the blooms.

 

[smoke665]

Checked this morning to find four more tiny buds. I'm easily entertained

 

[SquarePeg35 6]

Lovely shot.

We've had one of these in the family for as long as I can remember, with several of my friends having plants propagated from it. I honestly think the original might be older than I am.

I have one that I propagated from my friend’s great grandmother’s plant. It is over 100 years old!

Up until last year ours always bloomed on Christmas day. This year our weather was all over the chart in December. Temperature, day length and sunlight trigger the blooms.

Yours looks like a Thanksgiving cactus from what little I can see of the clades in the photo, the ends look pointy. I have been looking for a true Christmas cactus for a while. They are always mislabeled in the stores and on Marketplace. The search continues…

 

[smoke665]

Yours looks like a Thanksgiving cactus

Yes, ours more closely resembles the one on the left. We bought it (online), they claimed it was a Christmas Cactus, but you know how unreliable the internet can be,

 

[snowbear113 45]

We had one in MD, but MLW found an infestation of ants in the pot. We haven't replaced it, yet.

 

[smoke665]

Feel like an expectant father....3 more tiny little buds have appeared! LOL

 

[SquarePeg35 6]

Time for some bloom booster!

 

[KJ_North]

Great shot

 

[smoke665]

Time for some bloom booster!

Recommendation?

 

[cgw114 140]

I coddled one a few years back that grudgingly popped a few puny flowers. Later another plant we had ignored under left-on gro lights went on to deliver a crapload of Royal Horticultural Society prize winner blooms...

 

[SquarePeg35 6]

Recommendation?

I use either Alaska Morbloom or Espoma Bloom - easily found at your local or online. Both are concentrated liquids that you mix with water. Jacks Bloom Boost is also a popular choice but its granules and messier, IMO.