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Holiday PlantsCaring for holiday plants
Christmas cactus, blooms early
Christmas cactus, flowers drop
Christmas cactus, odd growth
Christmas cactus, pruning
Christmas cactus, repotting
Christmas cactus, rooting
Christmas cactus, shrivels
Holiday plants
Holiday plants okay outdoors?
NM Christmas tree care
Poinsettia, leaves fall early
Poinsettia leaves fell
Poinsettia, place in dark room?
Poinsettia, summer care
Treat holiday plants for flowers
When to bring in Christmas Cactus and poinsettia
Caring for holiday plants 1-00
Q. I have a poinsettia and Christmas Cactus. Do I leave them in the pot, transplant them into another pot, or plant them outdoors? Are they plants that grow all year round and only bloom in the Christmas season?
A. Both the Christmas cactus and the poinsettia are not hardy outdoors and will freeze if planted outside. They should remain in their pots and not be planted outdoors in the garden if you live where it freezes in the winter.
Repotting is a good idea for the poinsettia especially. Poinsettias can become rather large and need a large pot. Christmas cacti should be repotted when they become large. The Christmas cactus will tolerate a small pot better than the poinsettia.
Following flowering, the poinsettia may drop its leaves and become dormant if it is too cool or if other environmental factors cause stress. If it is too dry, it will drop its leaves. If the humidity is too low, it may drop its leaves. If it is in a room that doesn't receive enough light, it may drop its leaves. By lowering the temperature of the room and reducing water, it will enter a period of dormancy. This makes it easier to maintain until growth resumes in the spring. Once it begins growing, resume watering on a regular schedule and raise the temperature of the room in which it is growing.
Once the chance of freezing has passed, it may be placed outside in well-lighted location in the garden. Full sunlight may be too much for it in New Mexico, but it needs a well-lighted location. Grow it in its pot outdoors until it is necessary to bring it indoors to prevent freezing in the autumn.
The Christmas cactus has no leaves to drop. The plant consists of flattened stems that look like leaves. This plant is dormant in the fall before flowering and will be ready to resume growth soon after flowering.
During the fall, reduced watering (not eliminated) and cool temperatures favor the development of flowers during the long nights of autumn and winter. While it is flowering, don't overwater, but it will need some watering. Following flowering, growth will resume and it will use even more water. Remember that this is really a cactus and will be injured by too much water more easily than too little water.
However, it is a cactus native to tropical rainforests where it is never as dry as the desert where we expect cacti to grow. Allow the soil to dry between waterings, but then once the soil is dry, water again.
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Christmas cactus bloomed early 11-01
Q. My Christmas cactus has already bloomed! What is wrong?
A. Yours is probably the Thanksgiving cactus rather than the Christmas cactus. There are two common species and many varieties in the genus Schlumbergera. This is an interesting group of cacti native to New World tropical rain forests. Because they vary in their natural geographic habitats, some are genetically programmed to bloom earlier, others later. Therefore, there are some that will bloom early, at Thanksgiving, and others that bloom later, at Christmastime. There are also many different color forms, and if you look at the different species, you will notice that their flattened stems (which serve as leaves) vary in appearance. Some will have points on the lobes along the edge, others will be rounded. The Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) often have pointed lobes, while the Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera bridgesii) are more often rounded. By having both Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, you can extend the period of bloom of these exotic tropical cacti.
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Christmas cactus drops flowers 12-99
Q. I recently bought a small Christmas cactus. It was really pretty with all the buds about to bloom; I could tell it was going to be beautiful. The instructions that came with it said it needed bright light, so I placed it under my wide spectrum plant light. Within about a week of bringing it home, the buds dropped off and the leaves look kind of peculiar. I did spray the plant with something called "bitter apple" because I didn’t want my cat to get poisoned, but it’s supposed to be safe for all plants. Do you have any idea where I might have gone wrong, and is there a way I can save the plant? I haven’t overwatered it as the instructions said to keep it quite dry. I can see that little tiny buds are starting again, but I don’t want to lose them this time. HELP!!
A. Christmas cacti often drop their more-fully-matured flower buds prior to opening when they are moved from one environment to another. When greenhouse-grown Christmas cacti are removed from the greenhouse and transported to a home, they is very likely to drop the flower buds. Open flowers may persist for a few days and then also drop. A home provides a very different environment from that of the greenhouse. Watering schedules will change, and the humidity is very much reduced in a home. Even if the Christmas cactus is placed in a sunny window, light conditions are different.
In the greenhouse the light is bright for many hours each day. In a home there is much less light, and the bright light is available for a much shorter period of time. Finally, while a greenhouse may become quite warm in the day time, the humidity helps plants deal with the temperature. At night the temperatures in a greenhouse often drop, especially if the greenhouse is growing a crop of Christmas cacti. Home temperatures (except right next to a window) rarely drop to the low temperatures that induce flowering in Christmas cacti.
The result of changes in the environment, moisture, humidity, light, or temperature is the loss of the larger buds on the plant. Smaller buds may survive the changes. As you noted, new buds will often form to replace those which were lost if conditions are proper. The conditions to encourage flower bud formation are long nights and cool (not freezing) temperatures. Although we often keep our house warmer than a greenhouse, if we protect the plants from exposure to light at night, flower buds will form. Many of those you see forming now were probably induced to form while the plant was in the greenhouse. If they continue to form, or if they develop next year, then your home environment is proper for development of Christmas cactus flowers.
Now that you have the plant at your home and buds are forming, don't move it again until after it is finished blooming. Do water it when the soil is dry, but you are right to be careful to prevent overwatering. Underwatering will be better than overwatering. Once new growth begins following flowering, you may begin to apply a diluted flowering houseplant fertilizer according to the directions on the container. I don't know what effect the bitter apple spray would have on the plant, but without other evidence I would trust the instructions on the label.
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Christmas cactus, rooting 3-02
Q. A month ago I bought a Christmas Cactus. It was rather funny because I didn’t know what it was and it didn’t come with a name tag. So while I was searching the internet for another plant’s name I didn’t know, I came across this beautiful Christmas Cactus and I thought "Wow, so that’s what it is!" I had wondered why it was in gold paper and on clearance at the end of January. Now the problem: it had a chunk missing at the base when I got it and now that area seems to be getting bigger and is getting mushy. I also noticed that roots seem to be developing between every section on the plant. Can I just cut them at the section and plant it? How do I save this plant?
A. The mushy area at the bottom sounds bad. Yes you can break (or cut) between segments and plant them. These segments are actually stem pieces (there are no leaves), so the segments will be stem cuttings which do root easily. I have had good luck planting them in cactus potting soil, in sand, and have even had roots form by placing them on moist sphagnum moss sealed in a re-sealable plastic bag. (Don’t put the plastic bag in direct sunlight or it will overheat and cook the plant.) Once the plant has rooted well, it may be potted in the container in which you will be growing it. Use a well-drained potting soil.
When taking the cuttings, I would make cuttings of the segments as far from the mushy area as possible. It is possible that the mushiness you described is due to bacterial infection that can spread rapidly and quickly kill the whole plant. Pieces close to the mushy area may already be infected, so the farther from the mushy area that you take cuttings, the better.
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Christmas cactus shrivels
Q. My Christmas Cactus is shriveling, and I am afraid that it will die. What is wrong, and what can I do?
A. This is not an uncommon problem. The plant has received too little water or has had something kill its roots. Root loss may be due to overwatering or salt accumulation in the potting soil. Sometimes a houseplant that is watered frequently will dry out and suffer desiccation because the soil does not get moistened when water is supplied. This occurs when the soil cracks or pulls away from the side of the pot so that water just runs through the cracks or around the soil. When the water passes through the pot rapidly, the soil doesn't absorb the moisture and the plant dries out.
If the soil stays too wet, especially in the case of a succulent plant such as the Christmas cactus, the roots are very likely to decompose. Without an active root system, the plant shrivels for lack of water. In New Mexico, and other areas with high levels of salts (calcium, sodium, or other salts) in the water, salt accumulation in the potting soil can cause damage to the root system. Again, this results in a shriveled plant. All of these are possible causes of the shriveling that you described. You will need to determine which is the most likely cause under your growing conditions. Have you been keeping your Christmas cactus very dry, or is the soil cracked or pulled away from the pot so that water runs quickly through the pot? Does the potting soil stay soggy for several days between waterings? Is there a salt crust developing on top of the soil or around the edge of the pot? Once you identify the source of your problem, you can work to remedy it. In all cases, repotting will help. Replacing the soil will eliminate the cracks and allow better water absorption. Repotting will replace the salty soil with fresh soil. By choosing a potting soil with a high sand content, you will increase drainage and prevent water logging. If the problem is due to lack of water absorption as water rapidly runs past the soil, it is possible to moisten the soil by placing the pot in a dish pan of water so that water may be slowly absorbed into the soil. Once the soil is moist, however, allow the surplus water in the pot to drain away. This draining is important, whether you water from the top or the bottom, to slow the accumulation of salt in the soil. As water drains from the soil, some of the excess salts are washed away.
When you are preparing the potting soil, consider the fact that the Christmas cactus is a true cactus but not native to the desert. It is native to the tropical rain forest where there is frequent rain in the rainy season and a definite dry season. Even though there is rain every day for part of the year, the roots of the Christmas cactus dry rapidly because this unusual cactus grows in compost formed from decayed leaves in the branch crotches of trees. This location high in the tree allows the water to drain away rapidly, so the roots are never soggy for very long. This is the type of condition you want to create in the soil you use in our pots - a soil which is high in organic matter to hold moisture, but one which drains rapidly and doesn't remain soggy. Addition of sharp sand to potting soil allows us to create such a soil.
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Holiday plants 10-99
Now is the time to begin "long-night" treatments for poinsettias, Christmas cactus, kalanchöes, and other plants for holiday display indoors. Information regarding these long-night treatments may be found in the "Yard and Garden" archives of the NMSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Cooperative Extension Service World Wide Web site: <http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/yard/>
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Holiday plants okay outdoors? 1-00
Q. I received many flowering plants for Christmas. Can I plant them outside? How long should I wait to plant them outside? I am afraid I will kill them indoors.
A. Some of the plants given for the holidays cannot be planted outdoors, though they may be grown outdoors in their pot through the summer. Other plants are hardy enough to survive outdoor conditions. It depends on your weather and on which plants you have received. Of those plants commonly given for the Christmas holidays, chrysanthemum, paper white narcissus, tulips, and lilies are good candidates for outdoor planting. However, it would be best to delay until after the worst of winter has past, or until the flowering bulbs have gone dormant. If it is necessary to plant it outside soon, chrysanthemum plants (once flowering has ended) may be preconditioned by placing them in an area with lower temperatures.
At this time, light is not critical, the object is to induce it to become hardy by exposure to low temperatures. Moisture is critical, so don't over water, but don't forget to keep the soil a little moist. After a few weeks, even colder temperatures may be tolerated. By mid-February in Southern parts of New Mexico, it may be planted outside (a month or so later in the northern parts of the state and in the mountains).
The top may freeze, but if the plant is hardened, the crown and roots should survive and begin growing as the weather warms. The flowering bulb plants (narcissus, tulips, daffodils, and such) may be hardened as described above once the leaves begin to die back. If the soil is not frozen to prevent soil preparation, you may then plant these bulb plants in a well prepared site to which some organic amendments and phosphate fertilizer have been added.
Lilies should be kept until after the cold weather has passed and planted in a well-prepared site as described for the other bulb plants. Plants such as poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and other tropical plants should not be planted outside. They may be placed outside in their pots over the summer but must not be exposed to freezing, or even near-freezing temperatures.
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NM Christmas tree types 12-00
Q. What types of pines grow in New Mexico, and what is the typical pine tree used locally for Christmas trees?
A. There are several pine tree species native to New Mexico. The most common are the pinon and ponderosa pines, but there are also bristle cone pines, limber pines, and Western white pines. Of the true pines cut for Christmas trees, pinon pines are the most common. Many people don’t distinguish between true pines (genus Pinus) and other evergreen conifers. Many junipers are cut for Christmas trees in New Mexico as are many spruce, Douglas firs, and white firs. There are good books in the library to help you distinguish one species and genus of conifer from the others. Regardless of the type of tree, be sure to keep it moist while inside and out of direct heater vent airflow. To prevent any fire hazard, do not keep it inside too long. Of course, do not put burning candles on or near the tree. Make sure the tree cannot fall over into an open flame or heater which can ignite the very flammable tree. Have a joyful Christmas with your safe, New Mexico Christmas tree.
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Odd growth on Christmas cactus 11-01
Q. We grow Christmas Cactus of various flower colors, and one day we lightly rubbed two flowers from different color plants together to see what would happen. A large oval bulb developed at the end of the stem and has been there for over two years! We tried it again, with the same results on another set of plants. If this is another method of propagation, what is necessary to make the bulbs develop into plants? We tried snipping one off and planting it, to no avail.
A. Based on what you have told me, I suspect that your Christmas cactus is trying to produce seeds. The "bulb" you described is probably a fruit containing seeds. I don’t know how long it takes for the seeds to mature inside the fruit, but once the fruit matures, the seed may be removed from the fruit and planted to produce new plants. After two years I would expect the seeds to be mature.
Since the Christmas cactus is from tropical rain forests the seeds may not tolerate drying before planting, so plant the seeds immediately. The seed may need a scarification treatment (scratching the seed coat with sandpaper or a file) to overcome seed coat dormancy. These seeds probably pass through a digestive tract of birds or other rain forest animals, so mechanical scarification may be necessary to simulate the natural scarification accomplished by stomach acids.
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Poinsettias in darker room? 12-01
Q Is it necessary to leave my poinsettia in a south window throughout the holidays, or can I move it into a relatively dark dining room to use it as a centerpiece?
A. It is okay to move it to use as a centerpiece. If it remains for too long (a week or so), the green leaves and red bracts will begin to fall. Another consideration is the room’s temperature. The plant will be injured more rapidly if the room is quite warm. Lower temperatures will reduce respiration and transpiration rates (the rate at which stored foods and water are lost). The best idea is keep the room cool (not cold) and return the plant to the brighter location as soon as possible. Also, remember to water the plant while it is the centerpiece. As usual with houseplants, if you have a container under the pot to protect the table and table cloth, place some gravel or a piece of brick in the bottom of the container to keep the pot holding the poinsettia from sitting in water after watering.
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Poinsettia leaves falling too early 12-01
Q. My poinsettia’s leaves are turning yellow and falling off. What is wrong? What can I do?
A. Falling leaves from a poinsettia may be due to drying or to an episode of cold exposure. If the stems still look okay, the plant may survive, but the appearance of the plant may suffer. The drying may have occurred before or after you bought the plant. The poinsettia is adapted to dry climates and adapts to drought by dropping leaves. This may not occur immediately after drying but may take several days or a week. Anytime the plant wilts, leaf loss is possible. If the plant was exposed to cold air while in your car, while being carried indoors, or while being moved into the place where you bought it, there is a chance of leaf drop. Again, this is the plant’s response to stress. If only a few leaves are lost, you need do nothing. If a lot of leaves fall from the plant, you may want to put some artificial greenery in the pot to cover the bare poinsettia stems. The red bracts (modified leaves) should be the last to fall, so adding artificial greenery should allow you to keep the plant attractive through the holidays.
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Poinsettia leaves fell off 12-99
Q. I have a question about poinsettias. What do you do when the leaves fall off? Will they grow back? Will they be the same color, and should they be stored in a dark place?
A. If the leaves have fallen at this time of the year, it will be of little use for holiday decoration. The plant will begin to grow after several weeks to a couple of months depending on the environment where it is kept. However, it will not produce the red bracts (the red leaves that surround the little yellow flowers) in time for Christmas. If this is a new plant that has lost its leaves, the cause is environmental stress - temperatures which were too low, or the plant was allowed to dry too much. It would be best to replace the plant. It is also important to determine the cause of the leaf drop so that the problem may be remedied.
It is possible that the plant was stressed during shipment; however, the problem occurs more commonly once the plant has been brought into a home or an office. It was grown in a greenhouse until it was ready for sale. Once it is purchased, it is often taken to a warmer, darker, drier, environment. Under cool conditions, less than 80 degrees during the day and down to about 60 degrees at night, moisture and light are of less importance (though still important). As temperatures increase, light and moisture in the air become more important.
Of course water in the potting soil is also important. At higher temperatures the plant dries more rapidly, so a warm, dry, dim environment is the worst possible situation and may result in loss of leaves. Too much water can also cause problems. The poinsettia is adapted to dry conditions and readily drops its leaves to reduce dessication; however, overwatering can quickly cause root rot which results in too little water getting to the leaves. This will also result in leaf drop and is much more likely to cause the death of the plant.
If possible, provide for most of the time the poinsettia is kept for decoration - keep it in a cool, humid, brightly lighted room. For parties and other times when it is used for decoration, it may be brought into the warmer, drier, and dimmer environment - just don’t try to keep it there too long. If it must stay in this less desirable environment, pay special attention to watering before the soil dries completely, but not too often. If possible, place other plants nearby so that collectively they may increase the humidity around the plants.
Another solution is to purchase the plant only a day or so before it is needed for decoration. It is possible to keep the plant and regrow it for next year. Instructions for doing this are available from your local County Extension Service office in New Mexico. Ask for the publication "Poinsettias: Year After Year" NMSU Extension Service Guide H406, or download it directly from the NMSU College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service website < GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h406.html>. There are also other Yard and Garden articles on poinsettias available from the NMSU College of Agriculture website.
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Poinsettia Summer Care
Q. What should I be doing to care for my poinsettia at this time of the year?
A. You can “summer” your poinsettia outside during the summer. Choose a bright but shady location. Full New Mexico sunlight is not necessary and may burn your plant.
It should remain in its pot so that you can take it inside before frost in the fall, but that means you must take care to prevent drying. Plants in pots dry quickly. Water it often to prevent wilting. A liquid fertilizer may be used occasionally when watering the plant. A slow-release fertilizer may be added to potting soil (if not already included) if you need to repot.
You may prune it early in the growing season to remove leggy growth and encourage formation of new branches. As the poinsettia grows, you can also pinch the tips of the new growth to encourage branching. The greater the number of branches, the more “flowers” you will have next winter. Stop pinching the tips of growths in August to allow the growths to mature and prepare to form flowers. In general, just treat is as you would any houseplant that you are “summering” outside.
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Pruning Christmas cactus
Q. I have a lovely Christmas cactus which which has bloomed beautifully both last year and again this year. It has grown quite large, and the stems at the bases of the stalks have become somewhat woody. Is that normal? Would pruning benefit this plant? I have just learned what I should have done to promote blooming and growth (thanks to the Internet) but nowhere could I find information about pruning.
A. We normally don’t prune Christmas Cacti unless we want to propagate them (make new plants). It will sometimes "self-prune," that is drop some branches. This usually happens after drought stress or if it has been overwatered and the roots have been damaged. Even after stress, the plant can recover if it is properly treated. If necessary, you can remove some of the stem segments at the end to make the plant smaller if it becomes so large that it is unmanageable. Pruning in this manner will not harm the plant. Just cut the stems between the "joints." At the time you remove some stem segments, or if they fall naturally, it would be wise to allow some of them to root to start new plants. In time, the large plant may suffer root rot and need to be replaced. You will have a new plant ready to grow. The woody base you described is normal and indicates a healthy plant. It is not a cause for worry.
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Repotting Christmas cactus 2-02
Q. I am ready to re-pot my Christmas cactus and am wondering what the proper soil is for it. Would it be best to use a potting soil such as Miracle-Gro, or would it need a more acidic soil such as that for African violets?
A. Now is a good time to repot Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera spp.). Following flowering they should have begun growing, or will begin soon. The soil into which you transplant them is important, but the Christmas cactus is tolerant of various conditions. It is very important that the potting soil be well drained. This is one of the plants that will not tolerate soggy conditions - it needs air around its roots. Having said that, I have seen Christmas cacti growing very well in garden soil used as potting soil.
The ideal potting soil will contain a high proportion of organic matter such as peat or well-decomposed compost. Addition of coarse sand, or even aquarium gravel, will provide the necessary drainage and aeration. There are commercially available cactus potting soils that are designed to be well-drained soils.
The reason for such a need for aeration is that these plants are native to tropical rain-forests where they grow as epiphytes high in the trees. The "soil" in these locations is just composted tree leaves and whatever else gets caught in this "compost pile." There is a distinct dry season, but even in the wet season when it rains daily, the location of these plants high in the trees causes drying of the compost around the roots each day. Roots in a pot will not dry as completely, but a well-drained potting soil allows adequate aeration for healthy root growth.
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Treat holiday plants for flowers 9-00
Q. When should I begin treating my Christmas cactus to make it flower in time for the holidays?
A. Now. Late September is the time to begin flower induction in Christmas cactus, poinsettia, and other plants which are grown for flowers during the holiday season. Most of these plants flower after being exposed to a prolonged period of long nights. This treatment may be accomplished by placing the plants in a dark closet from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. each morning. Do not leave the plants in the dark from now until the holidays. They need light to continue growing, to form their flower buds, and to remain healthy.
Another method is to keep the plant in a room which is not entered during the night. As long as lights are not turned on in the room and the window is not brightly lit by a street light, flowering should develop properly. If you must enter the room or if there is bright street light, you can cover the plant with black cloth or a black plastic garbage bag each night. Just remember to remove the covering in the morning. Some of these plants also need cooler temperatures during this period. Night temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit are adequate to speed flower development. Day temperatures are less critical, just keep them from getting too hot. That is, don't keep the plants in a room which will consistently be above 85 to 90 degrees. Enjoy your home grown holiday flowers.
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Bringing Poinsettias in at night
Q. I know you have answered this before, but when should I bring my poinsettias and Christmas cacti indoors to begin putting them in the closet each night?
A. As long as the plants are in an area away from porch lights and street lights that would interfere with the process of floral induction, they do not need to be indoors until temperatures drop to near freezing. The process of floral initiation begins as the days shorten (nights lengthen beyond 12 hours) at the autumnal equinox. Lowering temperatures are important in this process as long as the temperatures are well above freezing. Indoor temperatures tend to be warmer, so being outdoors is beneficial as long as the long night requirements are not interrupted by lighting. However, when temperatures begin to drop below 50 degrees at night, bring the plants indoors and continue the long night treatments by placing them in a dark closet at night or by covering them at night with a dark cloth. Return them to the light once the sun is up.
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