For the past several years my Christmas Cactus has had three buds on almost every leaf, and almost always at least two. The first two photos are of the cactus last year. It was too leggy, so I trimmed it back, and now I don't have any three-bud leaves, but most are two. What causes the difference, anyone know?

Plus, up to this year, it always bloomed at Thanksgiving, but now it looks as if it will be a true Christmas Bloomer.

Here is the whole thing

I wonder if it takes a year or two for it to get back to where it will put out more buds? Maybe it disturbed it, for lack of better words...

Yours Christmas Cactus is beautiful. I have a Thanksgiving Cactus - purple flowers - and an Easter Cactus - red- that blooms in March or April. I've heard that you can change blooming time by changing when you WITHHOLD water and/or put it in a dark closet. I NEVER move mine, so I haven't tried the dark closet bit. Don't know anything about doubling blooms. When I get back to CT, I'll take a picture of mine when it's blooming. Both were started from stubs - the purple one from a friend whose plant is 50 years old; the red one from a stub that fell off a gift I was giving to another friend! They're amazing plants. You just about CAN'T kill them!

Wow, you have lots of flowers on it. It is beautiful. I over watered my Thanksgiving cactus so It dropped a lot of branches and I only had one bud this year and it fell off before it opened. I usually don't have a problem but I certainly did something wrong this year.
Yours is gorgeous.

Did you maybe skip a fertilizing?

have you ever tried to pot up the little cuttings to start a new plant? my aunt always did that very successfully. now that i've posted in here, where do i follow for an answer? duh :?:

That might be it. I didn't fertilize it at all this summer.

Yes, I have started new plants from one that my grandmother had given me 48 years ago, when my daughter was born.
I read to stop watering and fertilizing by Labor Day and keep the cactus outdoors until the temperature dropped to about 45 degrees at night, that would cause the cactus to set its buds. And then water when the buds have set.

Our plants are outside all year long, only brought in when it freezes. But when I first got it, it was indoors all the time. Mom's is gorgeous and she NEVER feeds or waters hers. All it gets is rain. So..... there's been no rhyme or reason to our plants, LOL!!

well, it it was wild and free that's what it would get, so that makes some sense.

now, where do i follow this thread?

Hi BFW. The way I understand it, you should receive this thread via Email UNLESS you have checked that you DON'T want to receive them AFTER you receive the first Email.

Clear as mud, right?

I use Oxygen plus with every watering of my houseplants...if you happen to over water, whatever is in that keeps the roots from rotting and leaves/foliage from getting as damaged :wink: I still would fertilize twice a year or add a little compost on top of the soil.

To double check if you are going to get notifications from a post, go up to the top of the page and above the first poster's avatar is the watch/unwatch button. It should say unwatch if you "ARE" going to get notifications. If you click on it, then it will say "watch" Sounds strange, huh!!!

Some people are plant people and some people are not, I have known people that can kill a plastic plant, in the old house I had quiet the collection including a summer cactus and a Christmas cactus, It may have needed the cut back to help it along, kind of like trimming a tree. I had a lot of luck with both of them flowering most of the time, I rarely fertilized and watered inconsistantly. But I got my green thumb from my grandma. since moving here most of the plants didn't like the change in water(we have high saline, and I try to mostly use the rain barrel now) and my schedule has changed and have a hard time watering at all. My violets would bloom most of the year and not just one or two, they would be covered. (violets like tea)

When I water any of my plants I add some plant food (usually Miracle Grow) to the water. Not much, just a little. And my plants have all thrived.

I don't know if I still have a picture of my split leaf before moving, it had hit the ceiling and was still going (DH broke it on the way here) and the leaves were huge on it, it rarely got fed more than some water when I thought about it, everyone was amazed at how big it was. I couldn't get my fingers to wrap around the trunk of it for lack of a better word, the thing was hard to keep up, I finally let it attach itself to the paint on the wall. And the leaves looked like they had been shredded, the happier they are the more that they split.

Your CC is beautiful. Mine got ruined (dropped) in our move :-(

My grandmother had two of them, and they bloomed beautifully every year. I just read your post this morning, and while I was out looking for an Amarylis, I picked up a Christmas Cactus too :) It's a small one, but it only cost my 4.99 at the florist, I imagine I could have gotten a cheaper one somewhere else, but whatever.
It's on my kitchen table now, I can't wait for all the blooms to open up!

Well, I hope it doesn't meet the fate of my first Christmas Cactus! My cats ate it down to the dirt within 30 minutes of my bringing it into the house and putting it where they could reach it! LOL

Gorgeous cactus. I have two big ones at work, as I have a southeast facing window. I really need to feed them more often. I used to have a wonderful white flowered one, but, in a moment of weakness, gave it to a client who fell in love with it. I've not found another white one since.

I will keep a look out for you Ducky, I can just see me putting it in a ziplock bag and mailing it off (might have to wait til spring so it doesn't freeze on the way)

i really wish i could grow them, but i have a black thumb.

It's gorgeous! Xmas cactus' are the only plant that I can keep alive - everything else dies on me!!

Well, my plant is on the Kitchen table. Orion was sniffing at it when we came in, but she's not allowed on the table, so hopefully she'll behave herself when we're not around. 'm not worried about Leia, she's too lazy to haul her but up to the table anyway, lol.I Maybe I could spritz vinegar or tabasco on the leaves to discourage her from eating it just in case?

I hear you, I hear you! We try, we really do! I've had the same friggin bird of paradise plant for a year and a half now... and it's not doing much. We planted seeds, only two sprouts came up. Sasha had the brilliant idea of putting the plant outside for some fresh air this summer when we were having a squirrel problem, of course the squirrel ate one of the sprouts!
This is after the same plant was dropped on it's head during our move, and the moron who dropped it LEFT IT THERE!!!
We planted two pineapple tops to try and grow a pineapple plant... now they're brown. We bought a pepper plant, with peppers already on it, it died, we have some kind of bromelaid (sp?) plant to replace the one we had at the other place that died, this one lost all it's beautiful colour and isn't doing anything now... it's still green, but it's not doing much.
We have two other plants, more like small trees, in the house that are surviving well, don't ask me how. We fully expected them to join the rest and croak.

When I worked in a physician's office we had out of date birth control pills. I had lovely plants all winter because we fed them the pills, one or two, depending on the size, each week.
dix

That might kill the plant....

LMBO I never would have thought of that :lol: :lol: :lol:

Wow that's big and beautiful!

I love your Christmas cactus. My mom had one she babied and it would never bloom for her. The first Christmas we had after she had passed away it had tones of blooms. It was like she was with us in spirit.

I have seen beautiful Christmas cacti! Yours is wonderful as well. I don't have any buds on mine. :-(

You have never seen what I can do to plants..without even trying.

But I do have a cactus which I picked up a week ago at the supermarket for the center of a side-table at a dessert party. I can't believe it.........it bloomed

There's always a first......so they tell me

My MIL's X-mas cactus actually popped the pot. It's roots were so strong. She has two green thumbs. I have two brown ones and a bad plantitude. (I'm in cute's "will kill plastic plants category).

I repotted mine in October that my MIL gave me a couple of years ago and it's not doing anything. I water it about every other month in the winter and once a month in summer....should I be doing something more/less/different? It's lovely when it blooms. but the last two years it hasn't put out more than two blooms total.

Not to sure about before, but they usually like to settle into a new home before blooming, they will bloom when they are truly happy, and just how that is achieved is anyones guess, plants behave differently and are different, people will say that I am nuts but they to have personalities of their own, Try giving it some attention, they know if they are loved.

Leota, if your plant has gotten pretty leggy, like mine did, pinch back the ends fairly ruthlessly. I always add liquid plant food to my water. And check to make sure that the plant has adequate dirt. Mine "eat" the dirt, and after a year or so, only a ball of roots is left, so I have to either divide it and repot in two or more different pots, or put it into a bigger pot with more dirt. And make sure that it gets good indirect sun. Good luck!

you mention watering but not fertilizing... I wonder if it is getting enough light? also some of these are picky about drafts, the do not like cold ones.

In response to all..
Lots of indirect light
I have never fertilized it ... didn't know cactus needed it
I talk to it and my Aloes on a regular basis.
I haven't pinched it back...but the "leaves" are shriveled some...like not enough water but I know it's gotten enough..
Not in a drafty place. but I don't put it in a dark place 24/7 either....

Leota, neither drafts nor dark matter, but the shriveled leaves mean it hasn't gotten enough water and/or nutrients. That is why it doesn't bloom. I water my cactus no less than every two weeks.