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Hello, again!
In case you missed it in last week’s enewsletter, we talked about how special generational gifts can be. Briefly we mentioned the Christmas cactus and how they can be passed down from generation to generation - continuing to grow and flower each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The timing of when the plant flowers actually depends on which variety of holiday cactus you have. The earlier flowering cactus is called a Thanksgiving cactus, and has stems that have an open branch habit and the leaves have soft points or teeth. A true Christmas cactus will have stems that arch downward with a closed habit. These leaves will have small, visible points or nubs. The flowers on a Christmas cactus will be more rounded than the Thanksgiving variety and follow the stem, pointing downward.
How do we know this?
We know this through the story of horticulturist William Buckley and his experiment crossing two species of Schlumbergera. You can read more about his horticultural detective work here.
All this to say, if you have a Christmas cactus that always blooms around Thanksgiving, it’s probably because it is actually a Thanksgiving cactus (or it blooms early due to growing conditions). Regardless, both plants have a similar look and require the same care.
If you are picking up a ‘Christmas’ cactus, poinsettia or any other plant this season at the garden center, here are a couple of tips for keeping it doing well for the winter, or even for the next generation to enjoy:
1. Keep the plant out of cold or hot drafts.
2. Give the plant good, indirect lighting.
3. Fertilize it every 2-3 weeks at half strength with your favorite indoor plant food. I like ferti-lome All Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food, a water soluble plant food that’s easy to use.
There are still plenty of shopping days left to pick up gifts for the gardener or plant enthusiast on your list this holiday season!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
In case you missed it in last week’s enewsletter, we talked about how special generational gifts can be. Briefly we mentioned the Christmas cactus and how they can be passed down from generation to generation - continuing to grow and flower each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The timing of when the plant flowers actually depends on which variety of holiday cactus you have. The earlier flowering cactus is called a Thanksgiving cactus, and has stems that have an open branch habit and the leaves have soft points or teeth. A true Christmas cactus will have stems that arch downward with a closed habit. These leaves will have small, visible points or nubs. The flowers on a Christmas cactus will be more rounded than the Thanksgiving variety and follow the stem, pointing downward.
How do we know this?
We know this through the story of horticulturist William Buckley and his experiment crossing two species of Schlumbergera. You can read more about his horticultural detective work here.
All this to say, if you have a Christmas cactus that always blooms around Thanksgiving, it’s probably because it is actually a Thanksgiving cactus (or it blooms early due to growing conditions). Regardless, both plants have a similar look and require the same care.
If you are picking up a ‘Christmas’ cactus, poinsettia or any other plant this season at the garden center, here are a couple of tips for keeping it doing well for the winter, or even for the next generation to enjoy:
1. Keep the plant out of cold or hot drafts.
2. Give the plant good, indirect lighting.
3. Fertilize it every 2-3 weeks at half strength with your favorite indoor plant food. I like ferti-lome All Purpose Water Soluble Plant Food, a water soluble plant food that’s easy to use.
There are still plenty of shopping days left to pick up gifts for the gardener or plant enthusiast on your list this holiday season!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
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Christmas Cactus
