My Christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata) which I got in 2004 bloomed
nicely in this past December, its second Christmas, and is now about to
have a secondary bloom with fewer and paler buds.

Is a secondary bloom common? My usually reliable houseplant book says
nothing about them reblooming.

"Robert" wrote in message
. 11
My Christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata) which I got in
2004
bloomed nicely in this past December, its second Christmas, and
is
now about to have a secondary bloom with fewer and paler buds.

Is a secondary bloom common? My usually reliable houseplant
book
says nothing about them reblooming.

Mine usually blooms anywhere from Halloween to Thanksgiving and
it did and now it is blooming again. Its all about the light.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

On Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:10:00 GMT, Robert wrote:

My Christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata) which I got in 2004 bloomed
nicely in this past December, its second Christmas, and is now about to
have a secondary bloom with fewer and paler buds.

Is a secondary bloom common? My usually reliable houseplant book says
nothing about them reblooming.

Yes, they can bloom 2 or 3 times especially if given good care.

Hi,
I have several different kinds of Christmas catcus and have had them for
several years. They will bloom several times a year if you keep them in a
sunny place. I live in zone nine and keep them outside in the summer and on
a sunny window sill in the winter. They get lots of blooms about three or
four times a year. Just don't overwater them. Sandy
"Robert" wrote in message
. 11...
My Christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata) which I got in 2004 bloomed
nicely in this past December, its second Christmas, and is now about to
have a secondary bloom with fewer and paler buds.

Is a secondary bloom common? My usually reliable houseplant book says
nothing about them reblooming.

You say you keep them outside in the summer and you live in zone 9. Do
you put them in full sun? I live in zone 7 so I'm wondering where
they'd do well. Thanks for any help. Mine have not bloomed in 2 years.

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 13:15:06 GMT, "Road Runner"
wrote:

Hi,
I have several different kinds of Christmas catcus and have had them for
several years. They will bloom several times a year if you keep them in a
sunny place. I live in zone nine and keep them outside in the summer and on
a sunny window sill in the winter. They get lots of blooms about three or
four times a year. Just don't overwater them. Sandy
"Robert" wrote in message
.11...
My Christmas cactus (schlumbergera truncata) which I got in 2004 bloomed
nicely in this past December, its second Christmas, and is now about to
have a secondary bloom with fewer and paler buds.

Is a secondary bloom common? My usually reliable houseplant book says
nothing about them reblooming.

MK wrote in
:

You say you keep them outside in the summer and you live in
zone 9. Do you put them in full sun? I live in zone 7 so
I'm wondering where they'd do well. Thanks for any help.
Mine have not bloomed in 2 years.

i'm in zone 5b/6 & put mine out for the summer as soon as
it's reliably above 50*F at night. i harden them off in
dappled shade & then move them to full sun (don't go directly
from indoors to full sun or they sunburn something awful). i
leave them out until September. mine usually start blooming by
Halloween & bloom heavily through Christmas, then again in the
spring. they sometimes bloom lightly outside, too.
indoors they're under lights or in south or west facing
windows.
lee
--
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
1984-George Orwell

do you fertilize them and if so, when? do you have pest problems with
them? do you just keep them in their pots and stick them wherever?
about how long do they need to harden off before moving into direct
sun? thank you soo much for your patience with all my questions.

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:56:50 +0000 (UTC), enigma
wrote:

MK wrote in
:

You say you keep them outside in the summer and you live in
zone 9. Do you put them in full sun? I live in zone 7 so
I'm wondering where they'd do well. Thanks for any help.
Mine have not bloomed in 2 years.

i'm in zone 5b/6 & put mine out for the summer as soon as
it's reliably above 50*F at night. i harden them off in
dappled shade & then move them to full sun (don't go directly
from indoors to full sun or they sunburn something awful). i
leave them out until September. mine usually start blooming by
Halloween & bloom heavily through Christmas, then again in the
spring. they sometimes bloom lightly outside, too.
indoors they're under lights or in south or west facing
windows.
lee

MK wrote in
:

do you fertilize them and if so, when? do you have pest
problems with them? do you just keep them in their pots and
stick them wherever? about how long do they need to harden
off before moving into direct sun? thank you soo much for
your patience with all my questions.

i use a weak fertilizer solution every 5-6 weeks during the
winter. i don't fertilize them in the summer at all. they get
watered once per week if i need to water the garden (if it
hasn't rained).
i take about 2 weeks hardening them off, gradually moving
them from shade under a spruce tree (pretty shady) to full sun
most of the day. the area they spend summers is somewhat shady
in the late afternoon.
i haven't had any insect problems with them, but sometimes
slugs nibble on them. you can put copper tape (wide) around
the pots to stop the slugs.
oh, one other thing... Christmas cactus like being slightly
potbound. don't keep potting them into bigger pots until you
really have to.
lee
--
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
1984-George Orwell

Thanks, everybody, for your good advice. The cactus is now in bloom and
really lights up my small white kitchen when the morning sun hits it.

On 2006-03-19 19:56:50 -0500, enigma said:

MK wrote in
:
You say you keep them outside in the summer and you live in
zone 9. Do you put them in full sun? I live in zone 7 so
I'm wondering where they'd do well. Thanks for any help.
Mine have not bloomed in 2 years.
i'm in zone 5b/6 & put mine out for the summer as soon as it's
reliably above 50*F at night. i harden them off in dappled shade & then
move them to full sun (don't go directly from indoors to full sun or
they sunburn something awful). i leave them out until September. mine
usually start blooming by Halloween & bloom heavily through Christmas,
then again in the spring. they sometimes bloom lightly outside, too.
indoors they're under lights or in south or west facing windows.
lee


I put mine under a roofed back patio in bright light but no direct sun.
I leave them out until the fall, until the temps get close to freezing.
By then they have set flower buds. Then I bring them in.

Tom

On 2006-03-20 10:24:31 -0500, MK said:

do you fertilize them and if so, when? do you have pest problems with
them? do you just keep them in their pots and stick them wherever?
about how long do they need to harden off before moving into direct
sun? thank you soo much for your patience with all my questions.


I fertilze mine every other watering or 2 with half strength miracle grow.