On Nov 22, 9:14*am, gardengal wrote:
On Nov 21, 10:51*pm, Ewa Szulc wrote:

Simple rule for making them bloom is not moving the pot starting from
summer befor ethey start to set to buds.
If you move the pot, all buds will drop - no excuse and no help.
Many years of experience with this plant.
Greetings,

I don't think I'd agree with this advice :-) I had one equally as aged
as the one described - inherited from my mother - plus grew several of
my own. They got moved constantly.....in fact, they would regularly
summer out of doors then get moved back inside when cold weather
threatened. As soon as they came back inside, they immediately set
buds and started blooming. And they would rebloom after a period of
time - around 6 weeks - following their initial bloom sequence. Moving
them has no direct effect on blooming unless other conditions are
limiting factors.

If you look at various sources on zygocactus, they will all tell you
that blooming is triggered by daylength and/or temperature. They need
an uninterrupted period of darkness (much like a poinsettia) OR cool
temperatures (50-55F). Excessive light or too warm indoor temperatures
will retard or delay blooming. Water only enough to keep the stems
turgid but allow the soil to dry in between waterings. Bright indirect
light and keep out of drafts or exposure to sources of heat. And feel
free to move it as much as you want as long as the rest of these
qualifiers are met :-)

See thats the thing, I have read all of this and have no where in my
house to make any of this happen. My Mom had hers in a fairly cool
room with little light and never moved it. I have it in a room that
gets morning light and is at an average of 75 degrees all year (air
and heat)
There is no draft that I can detect. I am very careful about watering,
letting it dry out and watering through. I will say that I haven't
fertilized it much., how often should I do that? I use a basic generic
form of Miracle Grow.Plant stakes maybe? The plant is probably 2 feet
around and I have started another one. (my poor daughter)/ I guess
what I am asking for is simple advice, My Mom kept it real simple and
it sure worked for her. Thanks for the help.
MJ