Anna,

I don't know about the CC (I don't grow them), but about Aloes, there are a few pieces of information you can use from the FAQ on Aloes - see the link and heal the plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aloe FAQ

cactusmcharris, I have reviewed the Aloe FAQ and have not found much information about my particular situation. I do appear to be doing everything right by the pups. Although I don't know what "fully formed" means (I don't know how big they should be), I removed them, let them callous for 2 days, set them on the soil, and misted every few days. They are still appearing to be sort of like deflated leaves. I don't know how long it should take for them to be established and healthy looking.

Ah, I think I see what your pup problem may be. Aloe pups, unlike other offsets/cuttings, prefer to be slightly into the soil, rather than on top of it. In certain situations, you can root an Aloe offset / limb by laying it on the ground and doing as you wrote, but not usually.

So this is what I'd do - insert them slightly into a gritty-type soil and mist, as you already do, every few days. Ensure the pups are in a warm environment, with about half-day direct/indirect sun, and make sure you have air movement in the area. Your pups (as long as they're still viable - a picture would help to confirm) should be showing those delightful little yellow roots in a month, I should think.

I think when I wrote that I meant 'fully formed' to be a pup which is identical to mother, except in size (leaves, roots, etc).

Hi Anna,

What you might have been told is (pardon the short version), but soft & mushy in Aloes = rotting &/or dying. It is definately from overwatering &/or poor drainage.

Since you may not know this, when it comes to succulents, when in doubt about watering, don't. They can usually come back to health after prolonged periods w/out water, but can't usually recover from overwatering. Their fat, fleshy leaves hold water in reserve, so you need not be so concerned about watering them. This holds true for most succulents, not just Aloes.

As to the rest of the Aloe questions, I'd say if the pups are brown & dried out they're likely gone. The pups you still have left w/ the mother should be fine now, since you say they're 3 times the size of the ones you'd removed. FYI: You need not separate them if you don't wish to. That's your decision & no Aloe Police will come ticket you if you don't pot the pups up separately (jokey reference we quilters make to the Quilt Police).

I'd augment that C&S soil w/ about 1 third perlite or pumice whichever you can get. This will help make for faster draining mix & if you water a bti less than you were, perhaps you won't have any more mush. By the way, if you haven't already, you need to pls. cut off all the mush w/ a sterile blade. If mush has penetrated the crown of the plant (the central point from which it grows), that rosette is likely a goner, throw it out (sorry).

Generally speaking, one posts separate questions here for different plants like Aloes vs. Xmas cactus. I happen to grow them both so I can speak about both.

Xmas cactus do not like being kept moist all the time, they need to dry out btwn waterings. Otherwise, the moisture interferes w/ the roots' ability to get air & it sort of suffocates in a way, soggy soil doesn't let the plant breathe.

I have several pots of these w/ humidity trays also (indoors only). I let them dry thoroughly btwn waterings & all have lovely all green, healthy growth. No thin leaves or dropping segments. The symptoms listed as you mentioned, indicate overwatering & bad drainage.

I'm sorry to tell tell you this, but those tiny bits of buds are goners & it's not possible to bring them back.

On a brighter note, if you bone up on some CC reading you'll learn better by their next blooming season, likely next winter.

This is a long post already, so let me wind up by saying pls. search for 'Holiday Cactus' article & look particularly for the post which has the line drawings on graph paper. Sorry, I don't know how to post a link, but that particular article covers pretty much the important stuff.

Are you growing this out in direct sun? What mix are they in pls?

Thank you for all of the great, detailed information pirate_girl! Sometimes I feel bad for my poor plants for having to live with someone who is as clueless as I am, although I do try very hard.

I am sure you are right about overwatering my Aloe. I had read in the past about underwatering being better than overwatering, but with the potting soil that it used to be in, he thrived with maybe a little more water than the average aloe. But he is in cactus soil now and I will adjust accordingly. I have been testing the soil a few inches down before I water it and the newest growth is fat and healthy, so I will keep that up. Luckily the mushy bits are only at the tip and part way down the older leaves, nothing at the crown yet.

Cactusmcharris, thank you. I think I also had the pups in sunlight that was too direct and too long throughout the day. I will rectify the situation and keep hoping I can bring them back, they do have some green life in them yet.

Pirate_girl, thank you also for the useful information regarding my Christmas Cactus. How frustrating that I have been keeping it too moist, especially since I did look up care information! I had read that since they grow in tropical regions, they prefer to be slightly moist. I reckon that is probably my problem. I'm sorry to hear about the buds, I got so darn excited when I first saw them!

The Christmas Cactus is just growing in the potting soil that it came from the store in, I have had it for just about a year now. Also, it is not in direct sun. It sits on a bookshelf in a brightly lit room, but not in the direct path of the sun coming through the sliding glass door.

Christmas Cacti do grow in tropical regions, but then so do many cacti. Just cause it's tropical doesn't mean they get water all the time, first of all... it does mean it usually doesn't get very cold, though. And Christmas Cacti are often epiphytic so no matter how much it rains, their roots dry out very quickly, so sitting in moist soil for weeks on end is a very abnormal situation for them (many don't grow in 'soil' at all). I personally underwater mine (maybe once a month) and they look stressed for it, but I am lazy... by they are alive. Hard to kill succulents by underwatering, though I have done it a lot... way easier to kill by overwatering, though.

Anna,

I believe this - http://cactus.biology.dal.ca/paulS/christmas/christmas.html - may be the link that pirate_girl was referring to. There's a ton of great information in this article regarding the care and culture of holiday cactus.

At this point, I'm growing several new Thanksgiving Cactus plants from cuttings that I started this spring. I had given away my larger plants a few years ago. I've found that success with these plants directly relates to the two questions that pirate_girl asked - what kind of mix is your plant in and how much sun does it get?

I hope this helps,
Tim

Here is a link that might be useful: Holiday Cactus

Anna,
a great technique for growing Christmas Cacti is to use Orchid Bark (fir bark).
By using a bark-based mix, you can water frequently and without fear of root-rot.

Josh

Thanks much TNF for providing the link - that's exactly the article to which I was referring.

Hi Anna & you're welcome,

I don't have much time right now to write more, but mush can spread, you need to pls. cut it ALL off. If as you mentioned, some of it is on the older leaves, simply remove the entire leaf as it will not recover & mush/rot could spread from there too.

One needs to think in terms of better safe than sorry on this.

More later

Hi, Anna -

I just came across your posting and wanted to share my experience with growing Aloe in Zone 6 (NYC).

For years, I just could not understand what I was doing wrong with my Aloes. Year after year, new plant after new plant, they all died. Until this last one, that is.

I brought home several cacti & succulents from my parents' home in the caribbean - Sort of a piece of home! These were special to me. Here's what I've learned:

1. Never use regular potting soil for any succulents. The soil stays too wet and rots the roots. Double jeapardy during the winter when it's excessively cold in the Northeast - The soil just stays wet. Use a good, quick-draining succulent mix - You've already received excellent advice to that point on this post.

2. For those of us with climates that fall into the single digits, there is a science to keeping our plants intact over the winter. We have radiators & heaters that come on too high in a blast of steam, dryness, windows that leak if not properly insulated, causing humidity problems (and potential problems with spider mites if unchecked), and a host of issues maintaining neutral internal temperatures during the season.

3. Only place your plants on window sills that are properly insulated, with no drafts. Never let your plants touch the glass of your windows. Also, never leave your plants on a sill that is adjacent to a radiator. The heat will kill them. Aha! There is an exception - My cactus love it - Echinopsis, Cereus, Euphorbia - These all do just fine on the window sill that has a radiator right under it - Go figure! They must think they're in the desert.

4. Now for the beloved Aloe. That original sapling I brought home kept dropping its lower leaves, never seemed to grow, and lost all its green color and turned white every time I placed it near a window. Believe it or not, this went on for two years. It was a constant battle, but I HAD to save THAT Aloe - It was from mom's house!

Well, ultimately, I understood that this one didn't like its leaves touching soil. I learned to pot it with stones at the bottom for drainage, just its roots in 1/2 pot of cactus mix just to the neck of the base of the plant, then filled in the pot with stones to prop up and stabilize the Aloe plant. That was magic - The leaves stopped dropping off!

Water requirements: About 1/4 cup of water once a week during the summer and 1/8 cup once-twice a month all other times - I'm not joking. The leaves will tell you if you need to up the water level. Oh, and NEVER let the Aloe sit in a saucer of water.

Now, I took on the daunting task of acclimating that Aloe to indirect sunlight. I brought the Aloe closer and closer to a window until it, again, began to turn Albino. Then I'd move it away. I know full well that Aloes need some indirect sunlight, so I continued this process over a full two year period until, one day, it just said, "Uncle" - Just like that, the plant stopped turning white.

Last winter, I left that Aloe on a corner of my livingroom window sill (morning sun only) and didn't touch it. I watered it very sparingly, in droplets, every two weeks during the entire winter and didn't even look at it too much. What happened? It grew and when I looked in there in the spring, there were three large plants and tons of pups. I now have 2 pots of Aloes and have shared 4 with my sibling...a little piece of mom's house!

I have traded these same Aloe Chinensis right here on this forum. The moral? Patience & lots of loving care...Also, who the hell really understands plants? They do whatever they want to do. They've been here since the beginning of time and will be here long after we're all gone...still doing whatever they want to do! Isn't that why we love them? They can do some incredible things that allow us to validate our own nurturing skills!

God bless!