Great job! I'm sure I would have broken much more than that. Wishing you lots of blooms!!

Josh! Great job.

I love this plant as you well know and I love how you did your repot. Did you cut the root back at all, or think about it?

I just love what the mix looks like! What made you decide to use the Fox Farms instead of peat or turface or pumice?

Thank you so much for showing us and that plant will do wonderful for sure!

Talk to you soon:-)

Hello Linda:-)

Josh

Amazing roots. Did you prune them as well?

Inna

Good morning!
Thank you all for the nice comments!
I did prune the roots, but just the longest ones.

Mike, great question! I'm out of Turface, and I've never had any peat moss -
and I didn't want to waste what little Lava rock I have left on such a large
volume of mix (in other words, a mix where it can't be seen and enjoyed!).
I will re-pot within 2 years, so I think the bagged potting soil will be fine -
also, I used much less than would be used in a traditional 5-1-1 mix, and I screened
the fine dust from the bark and perlite, which ought to balance the moisture out.

I was most impressed with the roots. We're so used to hearing/parroting the comment
that these plants have fine or paltry root-systems, that I was excited to share what I knew
was waiting in that old soil. Big healthy plant, big healthy root-system.

Josh

Josh,

A 33-yr-old, actual Christmas Cactus!

I agree, it's roots are large and healthy. A ton of pretty foliage, too.

What size was its current pot and now new container? What about flower color?

Josh, don't know your area temps, but if you keep it outside for a time, perhaps disturbing roots won't matter, hopefully bloom anyway.

You're lucky...a true CC..Toni

Hey, Toni!

This is the same CC that I've posted many times before :-)
Classic colored blooms.

The container is a large terracotta pot, and I put it right back in the same container.
Give me a moment, I'll measure....okay, the pot is 11 inches tall and 12 inches wide at the top.

I brought the plant in last night since the mix was wet and the temps dropped to 42F.
I will take it back out and let the cooling temps and the longer night stimulate budding.

The plant perked up considerably over night.

Josh

Beautiful Christmas Cactus, Josh.

May I ask what size orchid bark do you use? I've been using a mix with fine grade orchid bark as the primary ingredient to root TC/CC cuttings and grow the young plants. Come Spring I'm going to be potting up and I'm considering medium grade orchid bark as opposed to fine. Do you think that's a good plan or would you recommend that I stick with the fine grade bark?

Thanks,
Tim

Josh, yep, I remember you posted pics of your Christmas Cactus before, but wasn't that, last Christmas? :)

It's grown quite a bit since.

Sorry, don't know what classic colored blooms are.

12" pot..think it's time to repot my guys. They've been in the same 4" pots, well a long time..The reason isn't laziness..I'm afraid to repot..after reading tight-fitting roots promote flowers, I'm now Schlum-phobic. :(

Tim, I know you addresed your post to Josh, but where do you find larger-sized Orchid bark? Up until 6-months ago, Orchid bark was sold everywhere. Now, all stores sell an ORchid mix w/tiny pieces.

Wonder if bark for outdoors can be used in place of Orchid bark....Toni

Thanks, Tim!

I use fine-grade Orchid bark, and I screen out the finest bark dust so that the final mix
doesn't retain too much moisture. I would stick with fine-grade, as the pieces are still fairly
large to my eye - averaging around 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch. If the container were very large,
then I might consider a more chunky bark...and I'd just water more frequently to keep the roots
in the upper layer happy. In a small container, I like the smaller bark for moisture retention.

Josh

Thanks, Josh - I appreciate your insight.

The fine grade bark I have is in the 1/4-1/2 inch range. I've finally been able to secure a bag of appropriately sized pumice (a bit of a challenge here in NJ) - my plants are going to be happy come Spring repotting ;)

Toni - I'm fortunate enough to work within a mile of Stony Brook Orchids (http://www.stonybrookorchids.com/default.php). The owner (Susan Gange) was kind enough to show me through the greenhouse and sell me the fir bark I needed.

-Tim

Hello Everyone!!!

MY GOODNESS JOSH!!!

What a beauty!!!

I can't wait to see this awesome Christmas Cactus in bloom...it looks so healthy right now and i will say how impressive the root ball is in the pic.

SOmetimes we have to repot when neccessary and it is the right thing to do. Your CC looks like it is one happy plant!!

Nice Job!!!

As always... : )

Nice to see you and others here!!

Hope all is well out in lovely CA!!

Take Care,

Laura

Josh, not sure what fine grade bark is...:) Is fine grade size or type of bark?

My only choice finding bark is either ordering online, 'which will be costly,' or buy bark for outdoor gardening.

Any suggestions?

Tim, yes, you are lucky living near a nursery that sells bark. I'll check out their prices. Thanks.

Laura!!! Haven't seen you for, months?? How are you? Hope all is well.
Are your Plumes ready for dormancy yet, or still green, flowering and beautiful? Toni

Bump for Karen (Pirate Girl) and Lamora :-)

Josh

I didnt repot mine this year, or the last, cant afford the compost! Next year, once flowering has finished its getting restarted!

Hey, Larry, you won't be sorry!
Mine is bursting with new growth, which had slowed considerably in the old soil.
If you can find "Orchid Bark" or a bark mulch that is primarily Pine or Fir bark in
small pieces (1/8 to 3/8 inch), your jungle cacti will thank you. A mix of mostly bark
is lightweight and free-draining, and allows you to water copiously and frequently the way
these plants are "watered" (rained upon) in their natural environment.

Josh

Well when I say restarting I mean starting the plant again from a cutting abd discarding the parent plant. I already have a cutting that has rooted in the pot with it- thats gonna be the next generation. I did the same with my big peperomia that was past its best.

Oh, man, just prune the Mother Plant back, and re-pot it! You'll have a stout and woody bonsai.

Is there some reason you're going to toss the Mother?

Josh

Josh, your Christmas Cactus is absolutely gorgeous!
The flowers are huge.

Josh, I went to several stores looking for bark, but nobody has it.
Guess I'll have to order on Ebay or Amazon.

It's amazing how manufacturers stop shipping items in certain locations. Bark isn't the only product they stopped selling here.

Just got too big and i lack space. Its not an attractive plant when not in flower anyway. Itll make good compost tho!

Greenman, how the heck do you prune a forest cactus? There's no stems to cut to!

Thanks, Toni!
I'm sorry you can't find bark. It's shocking that the Orchid bark isn't available anymore.
Even hardware stores/Building Supply chains carry bagged bark for Orchids out here.

Larry, I cut back to the node, and then the stem usually branches at that point.
Often, I have five or six branchlets emerging from a stem, so I'll thin out two or three
to alleviate the weight at the end of the branch. This helps the plant have a more upright
habit.

Here are some pics of a woody cutting that I rooted to grow as a bonsai specimen -
I prune this plant quite often. When I prune, I leave a stub of the node that I cut,
which will dry up quickly and fall.

Before pruning:

{{gwi:109817}}


After pruning:

{{gwi:109835}}


After pruning, closer view:

{{gwi:109836}}


With judicious trimming, the plant will be strong enough to support its branches.
Once the woody main branches have "set" in position, I will allow the tip-growth to
extend and become pendulous (as most mature plants are).

{{gwi:109837}}



Josh

Josh thats interesting, I might just give it a try. My missus will say I've been butchering the plants again, lol

The first cut's always the deepest... ;-)
Go for it! You won't be disappointed in the lush growth that results.

Josh

Kind of excited to try this now! Of course its putting out flower buds at the moment, not gonna interfere with that!

Yeah, don't cut off the buds ;-)
After the bloom, cut back on watering for about a month (while the plant goes through
a recuperation period of lower activity). Then, toward Spring as growth resumes, give
the plant a proper trim, hit it with a dose of half-strength fertilizer, and watch the results.

Josh

The only trouble with my plant, compared to yours, is its all lopsided. Cant see it in pics but if you could look from above youd see no 'branches' at the back.

Hey Josh,

Thanks for the examples of the pruning into a Bonsai.

Looking good!! ;-)

I also cant believe Toni cant find bark.. that is so frustrating.

Toni.. Thanks for asking about me. I have been around. Had a little grandson which has kept me busy.. Yes, the other treees are being put to bed!! : )

Take care all!!

Josh.. i forgot to mention. Your DR is probably looking great.. Everything you grow does well..

Thanks for the nice comments tho..

Laura

Hey Josh! What a fine looking CC at this point, and the trimmed one has given me an idea with mine.
Thanks for addressing my comments and questions.

You know how scared I am to make any cuts on my plants, that is until I see what you do and get the confidence. I really appreciate the time you spend here pal.

By the way, I would love it if you got a hnadful of the bark you use and maybe post a close up of it next to lets say a dime, so some can get a better grasp of the size you use and what the bark looks like.
You are wonderful at show and tell and showing the bark you use would surely tell:-)

Beautiful and have a great night all my good friends here.

Thanks again for everything:-)

Mike

so beautiful Josh =) you know that I have always respected yours and Mike's knowledge and wisdom. you truly have one beautiful lush plant, I love seeing it year after year =)

Thank you, Laura, Mike, and Silent! ;-)
Sorry I'm late in responding...work has been busy and I haven't logged in here for a few days.
Mike, your request is duly noted...and I'll try to get a pic of the bark I use sometime today...

If you consider how these plants grow in nature, you'll realize that they are constantly losing
branches to wind, water, and animal activity - and so they tolerate "pruning" very, very well.
Broken segments are probably the plant's primary means of "reproducing" (cloning) itself.

Josh

Left to right: Easter Cactus, jade, christmas cactus cuttings, and some other succulent not sure got it from lady at my jobs's desk.

I took christmas cuttings from my moms plant which is in the starter pot but today is the first time a flower bloomed on easter cactus since I got it on my birthday May 12, 2013 this mothers day, here the flower closed since sun is going down and didnt know they do this NEAT. I was so happy to get one of these, my sister surprised me and got it for me. I have all of these in my cactus room along side desert rose, aloe, Wheeping blue ginger, and a succulent/cacti arrangement I Did. All of them are potted using orchid bark, perlite, very small amounts of soil (logees soil), and only just recently I did the same treatment but started using bonsai soil on the newly potted plants, more orchid bark on top, and top dressed with pebbles. Mix is very fast draining majority only get watered 1x a month but some get 2x a month watering. I keep all my plants on dry side. Its warm here but since this room only gets Morning sun & afternoon sun goes to the back so its reflected light and the plants get used to it.

Earlier today this is what the Bloom looks like and in the above pic its closed sun is going down. Nature is amazing an there's more buds but they'll prob. open later this week. Just happy this plant adjusted to my house easily because the desert rose took a beating. All leaves came off and I just said ok fine, and did a hard pruning. Cut the stems back. So now new growth is appearing. But this cactus is fun and its small/cute :)) hope my cuttings of christmas cactus grow. Some have roots, well more areial ones, but there are tiny pink buds on them, time will tell

That is fantastic!
These jungle cacti ought to root very easily at this time of year. When using a bark based mix, feel free to water and lightly fertilize on a regular basis.

Josh

Hello All,

Just wanted to take a moment to thank the author for having this site. I do like to see how others are doing with their Christmas cactus. I too have one that I started from just 2 leaves, dried out and dying on my friends window. I took it home, cared for it and saved it from an early demise. Here she is 7 years later. :)

Kind regards,
Saxamo

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:109812}}

This post was edited by saxamo on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 9:57

Good morning, Saxamo.
What you have there is a Thanksgiving Cactus, and a nice one. Thanksgiving Cactus can be identified by the angle of the flower and the "points" on the margins of the leaf segments (phylloclades).

Josh

Josh, I missed this post last year but glad it got bumped back up...your Christmas Cactus is truly amazing!! Sooo beautiful and healthy!!

Saxamo, your Thanksgiving Cactus is very pretty! Look at all those blooms!

greenman,
i'm glad this post popped up, if a little late, but it reassured me. smth came over me and i repotted my old xgiving cactus in the beginning of oct, knowing full well it will delay the flowering if not abort it all together. AND i pruned it too considerably - and popped the cuttings in a plastic and forgot about them.
i also trimmed the roots by half - and was queazy about that too :0!
but now that i know yours flowered in jan ? i am hoping for similar results. mine is setting some flowers on untrimmed brunches now.
but what is hilarious is the cuttings!
i discovered that they started air-roots in the bottle. i had no time, was going away, so i wrapped the roots in moistened coir fiber, bagged them and left for 2 weeks.
i come back - and i see that they are budding! there's barely any roots at all....and they're budding! more then mama...
have you had smth like this happen?
am not sure if i should let them flower or pop the buds off?

Hey, Pug and Petrushka! Thanks!
Yes, be re-assured, a little out of season work isn't gonig to ruin the plant or the bloom necessarily. Truly, the improvement in mix will do them much good.

As for the flowering cuttings...I would just pot them and let them go. Sure, it takes a lot of energy, but why not enjoy them?

Josh

I realize this is a very old thread, but am going to post some questions anyway. Is the fine bark necessary? Has anyone tried Black Gold cactus soil? I am a holiday cactus collector (ahem, becoming a crazy cactus lady) and plan on repotting my oldest Thanksgiving cactus plant with either or a combination of the following: Fox Farm's Happy Frog potting soil, Black Gold Cactus mix, and Black Gold's perlite. I have three Thanksgiving cacti and two Easter (or Spring) cacti plants. Thanks!

PS - I am hopeful I'm not repotting too late in the season, but I think this will allow them enough time to adjust to their new home and get ready to bloom this Fall. Also... Does anyone know how I can see photos on here? Thanks again!

I'm not familiar w/ these brands of mixes, but mostly soil doesn't seem the best idea (like the 2/3 you're suggesting).

I see you've collected others, so if it's working for you ...

But pls. consider that in nature, these grow in crotches of tree branches, rather than soil, they're in leaf litter & debris, wastes & whatever else blows their way. So bark makes more sense that way, it's much lighter & more airy.

(Indoors) I've mostly used soil w/ perlite myself thru the yrs. & have recently added a good portion of bark to my own holiday cacti. Am happy to report I've been able to keep an EC alive for a few months now in just bark & it's doing well. I've often struggled w/ECs 'til now.

I've been using Repti Bark, from a pet store. Smaller (than Orchid bark mix), evenly sized pieces, nice.

Perhaps try using that in place of your potting soil. So it'd be: bark, perlite & Cactus mix.

Reviewing this old thread reminds me of Josh's point that bark mixes allow the copious watering these plants often get in nature.

I use black gold cactus mix, it is peat free and very well draining, although it feels like it's heavy. However, my rhipsalis, which is a lot like a Christmas cactus, does much better in a bark, perlite, coir mix, similar to the one Karen mentioned. I have a Christmas cactus cutting that took off in this mix as well.

Before adding the coir, I just used bark and perlite. It really seems to thrive in that mix as well.

also, seconding Karen again, I use reptibark sometimes when I don't feel like driving all the way to the place that sells bark fines. It works just fine.

Hello!

I really feel that bark makes the best base for a holiday cacti mix. As Karen said, you want the water to flow right through...but you want to be able to really soak the plants, the way a tropical rain would in Rio. The bark in the mix will also make future repotting much easier on you, and much less traumatic on the roots of your plants.

The photobucket photos are gone, unfortunately. But here's an updated picture of my Christmas Cactus, basking in the morning sunlight yesterday. I water it with a hose, dousing the entire thing liberally.

Amazing Josh!!!!!!!!!!! Do you use ALL bark or do you add anything else to the bark when you repot. Just a gorgeous and healthy plant :o)

I love that this thread popped up again. I love all jungle cactus. I would say they are my absolute favorite plants. Im bored to death because I had surgery last week and can hardly move, and have not been able to do much with my plants.

Greenman, I love that big Christmas cactus you have. Awesome.

I managed to get some off season blooms on one of my Raster Cactus.

'Sissi'

How pretty chipped!!! Love the colors, sorry to hear about your surgery...Well wishes and speedy recovery!

Thanks for sharing about Christmas Cactus, I have searched for a forum before with no luck. I have a collection of 'real' Christmas Cactus. They generally bloom from Thanksgiving to Easter. They got mealy bugs several years ago but I was able to save them finally. Some are a little scraggly at the moment - a chipmunk had a feast while they were out in the yard. I am hoping they survive (he did leave some leaves). I just repotted half of the collection in regular potting soil with worm castings. Some of these have already set buds. I plan to do the rest in the spring and use the orchid bark. I also plan to give a heavy pruning to the ones the chipmunk did not prune already .

Has anyone ever treated them like an epiphyte?

Thanks!

How do you mean that pls? Treated them like an Epi in what way exactly?

Hope you're using the worm castings outdoors only, they're not really recommended for container gardening.

I meant an Epi by attaching them to a tree branch or piece of wood rather than using a pot.

Yes I am using the worm casting in my potted plants. The website where I bought them said they could be used in containers and potted plants.