SEEKING ADVICE FROM DOC- XMAS CACTUS

I have been gifted with a grandma of a Xmas cactus. It has been in the same pot, same dirt, for ages. It has woody stems atthe base, and a few years ago was very full, but now some of those woody stems have snapped so its kind of gangly. We even broke a stem in the move. Dad has done well with it, through careful watering , but now its my turn. What do you really think I should do with it? Try to continue as he did with very careful watering? The pot has no drainage holes. Trim back for fullness? Or attempt a move to a new pot? Try to replace the dirt?

I recently repotted a monster CC into a slightly bigger pot (a nice hanging one with a self-watering reservoir base), and it's doing fine. I was careful not to get the soil too wet until the roots had a chance to grow into the bigger space. Mine had a lot of shoots/stems coming up out of the soil, so I sort of split it into thirds around the perimeter to spread it out in the new pot... hard to describe, I'm talking about making separations into the mass of stems & roots but not splitting it completely, letting the center of the plant stay intact. You know what those radioactive hazard symbols look like? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radiation_warning_symbol.svg) I took a round plant and made it into that sort of shape, then put it into a slightly larger round pot and filled in the spaces with fresh potting mix.

Oh boy....here and now I get to be nasty. LOL I would leave it in the existing pot and trim about a third of it to encourage fullness. They make diamond drills which could make holes in the bottom to insure safer watering into a dollar water catching dish.

Next January when it wants to grow trim the dickens out of it again and start some new ones. You can by doing this have your pie and eat it too.

If you just want to maintain your family cactus go with the new rooted cuttings until you are sure of a good rooting. Then dump and destroy the old if you dislike it for any reason.

It would be my guess that the old trimmed and revived Christmas Cactus would live for another lifetime or longer.

Doc, would you suggest repotting it with fresh potting mix? either shaking off as much old mix as possible or maybe even doing a little root pruning? Or is it better not to disturb such an established plant?

I REALLY DO NOT KNOW. What I do know is that grandmothers who gardened and did house plants had Christmas Cactus in the same container for thirty years or more. They would take them outside for the summer and bring them in to a cool relatively dark North side window where they sat all winter. They likely got a drink when someone thought about it.

I see them in dark hallways of industrial buildings somewhat shriveled up and looking pretty bad.....yet throwing a few flowers with almost no care at all. There is a South facing huge one potted in a restaurant window. It is musty and covered with cooking oils not to mention a lot of oily dust. It appears to have been there since the last generation ran that place of business. It blooms in spite of lack luster care. This one is in a half bushel old time metal container with no bottom holes. I would bet good money all it gets is a drink when they think about it. I gave my barbershop ladies a four inch pot of rooted cuttings maybe four years ago. It literally gets no care. It may have grown an inch over all yet the sucker pushes a bloom or two every year.

It is so easy to start new Christmas Cactus I have never messed with any doctoring of an old one or one that appeared to be sick. I hold them indefinitely simply by trimming to shape and limit size. I feed them weakly weekly at the rate of one third the label or less using fish, kelp, aerobic teas and a pinch of granular organic 4-2-4 about twice a year. I am in the process of losing one as we speak. Not to worry. Not to be concerned. I have new ones coming along nearly all the time.

Thanks for the discussion. I have so much else to do I am happy with trmming ( and rooting) and then maintaining the status quo with the old soil. I have a good shady corner in the yard for summer. I'll have to beware of big rain- thats how I lost my last one, drowning. Oh, we may have a drill bit suitable.
This one is pink/ red. Next time I see a peach Xmas cactus I won't pass it up though!

This message was edited Apr 23, 2010 8:10 AM

Doc---
Did you see this? I posted it on another Thread.....

When HD gets in X-Mas Cactus--I look for broken off pieces and bring them home and try to root them.
Sally--one of these pieces that rooted and bloomed was peach....It is still small....

Too cute! Gita

From last Novemebr--

This is my biggest one. it is in a 10" HB. I think it is about 5 years old?

I meant to trim it back but never did.
Would it be too late now, Doc?

Thanks, Gita

Do not trim after mid summer then until after it is done blooming. January to Februrary is likely the best time to trim CC. You can safely trim back a third in one trimming. However I see nothing other than size that is calling for triming. That is a real nice plant as is.

for future reference what is the best potting mix for CC?.. right now the ones you gave me are in pro-mix. just wondering if the cactus / succulent mix would be better

My own observation seems to be that while they can handle some drying out, CC's like water more than most succulents... mine are doing fine in Pro Mix, although sometimes I add extra perlite to lighten it a bit.

ok thanks... at least I picked a good medium to start with

I love Promix.
I lost one CC by leaving it out in the summer rainy spell. Being soaked for three days is understandably beyond their tolerance for moisture!

Sally--

Somwetimes you can rescue an oversoaked plant by removing it from the pot and swaddling the potting mix in paper towels to wick off all that water. Replace them as needed....until it is acceptably dry.
G..