Hi Folks, I live n Edmonton, Alberta and have a red blooming Christmas Cactus, I think. I haven't seen it bloom yet, just little buds forming now. I've had it for about eight months. I am wondering if anyone can help me with getting it to bloom, and tell where to place it when it starts blooming. I have kept it in a cool room for the past six weeks and in the dark after sunset, allowing no articial light to enter the room, and did not water it until today. Small buds have started to form. I think I made a mistake today by watering it and moving it into my living room. I did that because yesterday I bought a small young Christmas Cactus from a plant centre and it was blooming three flowers and forming small buds. It had just been watered and was under bright lights in the store. Just now, I moved both back into the bedroom, with a fan blowing the cool air in their direction from and open window. It rarely gets below 61 degrees in there. Any help would be greatly appreciated. You can email me at ronrobjoe@shaw.ca if you wish to help, many thanks, Ron
Try increasing your light intensity. Don't change the duration now or it will get the wrong idea. Bob
If you think some the buds might abort in the display area wait until flowers are opening, then move it out there. I leave all mine in the same place all the time, with the same casually applied watering all the time. Most of them bloom every year, sometimes twice. I think the main cause of bud loss is the roots drying out at the wrong time, maybe a room getting too hot could also contribute. Mine don't get anything special, just ordinary indoor conditions - no covering up or coolness. They're all or mostly the Zygocactus (Thanksgiving cactus) type, with the crab's claw stem segments, and not the Schlumbergera (Christmas cactus) type, with the rounded edges to the segments. Easter cactus I have found to definitely not flower under ordinary indoor conditions. Probably most bringing those home and trying to manage them as regular house plants have no idea that they will never see another flower unless they give them special treatment.
Thank you Bob, What you described as your treatment of your Zygocactus - which is what I know know is the one I bought yesterday - is the answer I think I have been looking for. I am going to bring them both back into the living room and, hopefully will see the little buds on both start to bloom. Thank you or the quick reply, Ron
Thank you Ron B and Bob, Guess I mistakenly replied to Bob what I meant to reply to Ron B but found both of your relies helpful. I will leave them in the living room, where it brighter, and move them back into the darkened bedroom when the sun goes down. Regards ad thanks to you both, Ron
Thank you Ron B I will leave the one that has some full blooms on it in the living room. The one in the bedroom that is just beginning to form small buds - I would be safe to move into the living room when the flowers have blossomed, yes? Ron M
I see that the Sunset Western Garden Book has the two common types split into Schlumbergera x buckleyi, Christmas Cactus and S. truncata, Crab Cactus. Special treatment "To ensure bud set" is decribed under S. x buckleyi but not under S. truncata. So maybe only the one needs it, and that's why mine bloom without being coaxed - I looked at them and they are in fact all the crab type.
Thank you for the info. I need to have a closer look at my two cactuses to be sure which type they are. The one I bought yesterday had only one bloom on it and it shrivelled up in the process of moving it home from the store - strong winds here yesterday. I think it looked like the crab variety. I hope both are. That would make things easier. Thanks for looking up the info for me, Ron. I appreciate that, and your advice has been very helpful.
