I just thought I'd share some pic of my plants, obviously some were taken a few months back. Now as usual, they're all exploding with new growth, and I've been experimenting with pure bark thanks to Josh ;-) I swear that guy knows everything on succulents. Both Mike, and Josh have been real helpful, with utmost kindness, with very interesting insight past last and this year. Sometimes I seem to forget that plants really don't need my full 100% undivided attention because in the wild they don't have human contact, and manage to flourish vigorously all by themselves. I think we as humans forget this, and so try to over pamper everything and that's how most plants die (or just in life in general) then we wonder why nothing is happy with everything we've given it. There is a reason why rain water gets everything much greener than tap water, and why plants in the wild can go longer periods without water than they can inside; that's why I put my plants out under a big tree. Here in NE we get really high humidity, and very warm days/nights with southern breezes; the plants love that.
Most people's issues with the holiday cacti are, they don't know that they grow high in the crotches of trees only in the coastal mountains of south eastern Brazil, meaning that regular potting soil isn't going to work; you're going to have to ditch it completely or (like I always used to do, until using Josh's pure orchid bark method, as it clearly makes sense) mix it with a good amount of perlite. Sure, everyone has methods that work really well, and just as good, but why make things even more complicated? *Second* The whole "closet your plant/cover it, blah blah blah" to get it to bloom is all stupid, sorry but it is. If you just leave it in a south facing window (also the east, and west windows work good) they will cycle the months just fine without any issues. They are photosensitive, so they will sense the sun's shift as the earth shifts. *Third* is the watering, if it's in pure bark or perlite, you can water quite often (as again, it rains often in the rainforest) since that medium is quick drying, if it's more in the potting soil then do the finger test, and if the first inch/inch 1/2 is dry water it. (I find that it's bi weekly, to 3 weeks during the growing season..though I find that the soil stays damper during flowering and about a few weeks after flowering, as if they go into a quick rest period) and I honestly do not think water causes the rot, but the bacteria in soil from being too moist, this I've noticed when I rooted in pure perlite (now in pure bark)vs soil. In the perlite and bark mediums, I was able to water quite often, and the base to the middle of the pad never turned mushy/rotted, Vs sticking it in soil and having it all turn to mush and rot. I've also found that water rooting then putting into perlite works just as good. Water roots seem to come faster than ground roots, and obviously I know that there is a difference in roots.
I fertilize from about March all the way through August, then starts the budding in September when I back off on watering and watch the buds appear on all the new growth that grew over the summer. With fertilizer, less is more (meaning dilute it good) you don't want to burn the roots!
All my plants outside mostly are on their own, they get watered by nature(unless we really have a dry spell, which at times does happen) and subjected to natures other phenoms. I take no pity on them, they're on there own ;) they do however come indoors before the nights first frost, and usually go out a few weeks after the last frost (just so I'm certain that a freak frost or cold spell doesn't hit)
My orchids are treated in the exact manner, as they also grow on trees. Though my orchids have always been in pure bark, I just never thought to do the same for the holiday cacti till Josh.
Remember folks, plants (as well as everything living)do/does so well in the wild, the more that you try to manipulate every situation, and pine over every little thing, and the best way to do it. In nature there isn't any human to pollinate, propagate, water, fertilize etc etc. Don't over think, the simplest ways are really the best; especially if you know exactly what the plant is like in the wild. You really don't have to decorated your potting mixes with a piece of a little everything from each bag that stores have on their shelves. The best way is for the humans to butt out for the most part, let the plants grow, and admire the beauty in front of their eyes.
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emerald1951
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