Schlumbergera -trucatus &bridgesii

Cactus Christmas Multi colors

                                          ID#575

 
 

Additional Information: At least one plant is a present from Dan & LuAnn Reinecke while leaving in Indianapolis, IN . Others purchased during holiday season or from cuttings.

Schlumbergera known widely as Christmas Cactus has two main varieties:

trucatus - flowers around  Thanksgiving

bridgesii - flowers around Christmas

Flower color ranges from Red, pinks/fuchsia to white. Leaf color also varies from deep green to purple red.


I have several plants, some of them have traveled from Indianapolis when we moved to Mooring Hitch in 2003.

HEIGHT X SPREAD: 18-24 inches PLANT TYPE: Evergreen - Succulent GROWTH RATE: fast TEXTURE: medium LIGHT: part shade WATER: moist, well drain depending on season. Reduce water after flowering is complete. SOIL: high Organic & gravel
As observed in Coastal NC. BLOOMS: Appear around mid november to Mid december depending on variety. Last 2- 3 weeks and are abundant. Pendulous at end of each branch. FRUIT AND SEED: propagated by leaf cutting. I have not observed fruit or seed ever. KEY FEATURES: Careful not to burn leaves by moving from indoors to outdoors full sun. Plant needs time to adapt. Easy to propagate.
A year cycle in the life of ...... at Mooring Hitch I have several potted plants that are kept indoors, outdoors in summer and/or in Glasshouse. Plants will burn in full summer sun. They do like fertilizer about every 2-4 weeks. Keep plant moist but not wet. I re-potted some plants in 1/2 compost / 1/2 gravel to provide good drainage. So far the majority of the plants like it. They drain very fast but there is no danger of over-watering. The Glasshouse lowest temp has been 48F degrees with outdoor temp. 17F. Plants located at window frames touching the glass have some leave damage. Cutting from leaves are easy: remove leaf by twisting end of branch. Let leaf in counter for a day or two, this seals the leaf’s end. Place leave in a clay plate of coarse sand or gravel, moist gravel and keep adding water as needed to maintain a moist but not wet environment. A double clay plate works well for me. May be cover with a glass bell. After few weeks when roots have formed on the leaves, plant leaves close to each other in organic soil/gravel mixture, topping with coarse gravel. Emerging time, Fertilization, Pruning, Thinning, Seed Collecting, Cutting, Roots, Division,.......
          Mooring Hitch Gardens       
 

December 2010

12/2010