"Lady Blacksword" wrote
Why, oh why, would anybody complain about having a Christmas Cactus so old
it had developed woody stems???!!
Murri ( Very confused & in disbelief. )

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I thought I was confused.

Giselle (when this plant dies I'm going to cry for a year no matter how many
2nd generation cuttings I have of it)

"David Ross" wrote
Instead of trimming them, take cuttings. Cut right at a joint,
taking cuttings that contain at least two segments. You should
take 3-4 cuttings from each plant.
[..]
If you get rooted cuttings, discard the
parent plant
[..]

ARGH!!! WHY??

What's the reasoning behind throwing away the parent plant? I have a Xmas
cactus that started from a cutting my Grandfather gave me in the early 70s.
It's about 3' in diameter right now and it blooms for four or four and a
half months out of the year. I can't imagine throwing away the parent
plant.

Giselle (about every four years I move it to a slightly larger pot and
change the soil, that's it)

Volfie \"WackoURaSmallKnob\" Jackson wrote:

"David Ross" wrote
Instead of trimming them, take cuttings. Cut right at a joint,
taking cuttings that contain at least two segments. You should
take 3-4 cuttings from each plant.
[..]
If you get rooted cuttings, discard the
parent plant
[..]

ARGH!!! WHY??

What's the reasoning behind throwing away the parent plant? I have a Xmas
cactus that started from a cutting my Grandfather gave me in the early 70s.
It's about 3' in diameter right now and it blooms for four or four and a
half months out of the year. I can't imagine throwing away the parent
plant.

Giselle (about every four years I move it to a slightly larger pot and
change the soil, that's it)

The original message in this thread was about an overgrown plant
that the owner wanted to cut back. Replacing it with newly rooted
cuttings will result in a more vigorous plant.

I have several potted plants that originated with gifts (especially
from my mother). Although I cherish the plants, they are cuttings
from cuttings from cuttings . . . I cherish them more because they
grow so nicely. And my mother had been doing the same before she
gave them to me.

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See http://www.mozilla.org/.

"David Ross" wrote
The original message in this thread was about an overgrown plant
that the owner wanted to cut back. Replacing it with newly rooted
cuttings will result in a more vigorous plant.

I understood the original post and your reply but I still don't understand
the reasoning of taking cuttings and tossing the original. My plant blooms
4-5 months out of the year. That seems to be pretty darn vigorous to me.
Are you telling me cuttings would do better than that?

But, again, why not simply divide an overgrown plant or cut it back? Why
must the whole cycle begin from scratch? But, hey, I love the size and the
natural spreading droop that old plants have so maybe it's just me...

Giselle

In article , "Volfie"
wrote:

"David Ross" wrote
The original message in this thread was about an overgrown plant
that the owner wanted to cut back. Replacing it with newly rooted
cuttings will result in a more vigorous plant.

I understood the original post and your reply but I still don't understand
the reasoning of taking cuttings and tossing the original. My plant blooms
4-5 months out of the year. That seems to be pretty darn vigorous to me.
Are you telling me cuttings would do better than that?

But, again, why not simply divide an overgrown plant or cut it back? Why
must the whole cycle begin from scratch? But, hey, I love the size and the
natural spreading droop that old plants have so maybe it's just me...

Giselle

An old, big christmas cactus is a wonderful thing, it can bulk up its
center & almost become bonsai-tree-like, & as long as the tips are pruned,
it blooms fabulously & couldn't do better. The only conceivable reason I
can think of to toss the parent would be if someone didn't want a bulked
up big plant that needed a much bigger pot, as eventually the roots do
outgrow a smaller pot.

I wonder if the advice isn't misdirected from the recommended care of
orchid cacti, which bloom all along their scalloped edges, but only once
at each dent. After a few years, an old plant dominated by old leaves will
have hardly any place left that hasn't already used up its one-time-only
flower spots, & the most common method of restore the blooms is to start
from scratch with a couple of cuttings & get a completely new plant, even
though pruning out old leaves will encourage the parent plant to produce
just as many new leaflike stems for new flowers.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

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"paghat" wrote
An old, big christmas cactus is a wonderful thing, it can bulk up its
center & almost become bonsai-tree-like, & as long as the tips are pruned,
it blooms fabulously & couldn't do better. The only conceivable reason I
can think of to toss the parent would be if someone didn't want a bulked
up big plant that needed a much bigger pot, as eventually the roots do
outgrow a smaller pot.

I love it huge. It can grow until I have to plant it in kiddie pool, I
don't care.

I wonder if the advice isn't misdirected from the recommended care of
orchid cacti, which bloom all along their scalloped edges, but only once
at each dent.
[..]

Okay, I have never heard of those but I wonder if it's what I saw one time
in a lawyer's office. He had a HUGE plant that had enormous flowers on it
that looked like the Christmas cactus' flowers but were much bigger. And
this plant was on a stand about four feet tall and it almost draped to the
floor. Is that what an Orchid cactus looks like? I always wanted one of
whatever that was but I never got to ask him.

Giselle (who just lost my 35 year old jade tree and almost had a stroke
about it)

In article , "Volfie"
wrote:

"paghat" wrote
An old, big christmas cactus is a wonderful thing, it can bulk up its
center & almost become bonsai-tree-like, & as long as the tips are pruned,
it blooms fabulously & couldn't do better. The only conceivable reason I
can think of to toss the parent would be if someone didn't want a bulked
up big plant that needed a much bigger pot, as eventually the roots do
outgrow a smaller pot.

I love it huge. It can grow until I have to plant it in kiddie pool, I
don't care.

I wonder if the advice isn't misdirected from the recommended care of
orchid cacti, which bloom all along their scalloped edges, but only once
at each dent.
[..]

Okay, I have never heard of those but I wonder if it's what I saw one time
in a lawyer's office. He had a HUGE plant that had enormous flowers on it
that looked like the Christmas cactus' flowers but were much bigger. And
this plant was on a stand about four feet tall and it almost draped to the
floor. Is that what an Orchid cactus looks like? I always wanted one of
whatever that was but I never got to ask him.

Sounds like that's what it was. Here's my page on orchid cacti:
http://www.paghat.com/orchidcactus.html
They're super easy to grow in diffuse light.

-paghat

Giselle (who just lost my 35 year old jade tree and almost had a stroke
about it)

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

On 23 Jul 2004 11:15:45 -0700, (A. Turner) wrote:

Hi Fellow Gardeners:

I have 2 Xmas Cactus plants inside my home that are growing wild!
They bloom beautifully, but are really overgrown for the size of the
pot. Very difficult to manage/water them.

What is the safest way to trim these plants? Where should the cut be
positioned? Anything I need to watch out for?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Adam

I have several varieties of zygocactus. Mine become lop-sided if not
pruned. At the end of the rest period, I cut back the plant perhaps 3
or 4 nodes and make the plant symmetrical. That is a good time to
repot the plant, if needed. I would not trim the plant at this
(actively growing) time. I don't understand how a plant can be
difficult to manage or water (?)

Thank you all for the advice!

I'm intrigued by David's idea of new growth from cuttings. FWIW, the
central/original stems of my 2 Xmas Cacti (pardon the layman term) are
very hardy and woody, so it might not be a bad idea to start a new
growth from tender cuts.

A.T.


Peltigera wrote in message ws.com...
Cereus-validus wrote:
*Cut the joints at the nodes.


"A. Turner" wrote in message
om...
Hi Fellow Gardeners:

I have 2 Xmas Cactus plants inside my home that are growing wild!
They bloom beautifully, but are really overgrown for the size of
the
pot. Very difficult to manage/water them.

What is the safest way to trim these plants? Where should the cut
be
positioned? Anything I need to watch out for?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Adam *

Depending on where you live and when you take the cutting, they can
produce roots in a few days. I wouldn't use a rooting hormone for two
reasons - 1) it's a waste of money 2) rooting hormones can slow down
rooting on plants that root readily without.

"A. Turner" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for the advice!

I'm intrigued by David's idea of new growth from cuttings. FWIW, the
central/original stems of my 2 Xmas Cacti (pardon the layman term) are
very hardy and woody, so it might not be a bad idea to start a new
growth from tender cuts.

Sent them to me and I'll buy you new ones.

Giselle (I like the old ones)

"paghat" wrote
Sounds like that's what it was. Here's my page on orchid cacti:
http://www.paghat.com/orchidcactus.html
They're super easy to grow in diffuse light.

Oh, I LOVE it! I have to find one somewhere. I've never come across them
anywhere.

Giselle (and I'm 600 miles away from the only one I ever saw!)

"Volfie" wrote in message ...
"A. Turner" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for the advice!

I'm intrigued by David's idea of new growth from cuttings. FWIW, the
central/original stems of my 2 Xmas Cacti (pardon the layman term) are
very hardy and woody, so it might not be a bad idea to start a new
growth from tender cuts.

Sent them to me and I'll buy you new ones.

Giselle (I like the old ones)

When i pinch off i can hardly toss the pieces away, like the Xmas
cactus, pencil cactus, Jade plants et..etc.. i just stick them in a
pot or even in the garden and let them grow and when someone comes by
needing one, there is one for them. right now i have an extra
Artemesia about ready for someone, several jades, monkey or Spider
plants, Jews, have several Latanas rooting, oleanders, rabit ear
cactus, begonias, ... ice plants.. i think i am going to have to have
a sidewalk sale to get rid of them as i am running our of space. most
of my family and friends are already well supplied by now. what to
do??? I am a compulsive propagator! I swore that this next winter i
would not have so many potted plants to move into the garage... duh!
lee h

On 24 Jul 2004 20:37:51 -0700, (Lee) wrote:

"Volfie" wrote in message ...
"A. Turner" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for the advice!

I'm intrigued by David's idea of new growth from cuttings. FWIW, the
central/original stems of my 2 Xmas Cacti (pardon the layman term) are
very hardy and woody, so it might not be a bad idea to start a new
growth from tender cuts.

Sent them to me and I'll buy you new ones.

Giselle (I like the old ones)

When i pinch off i can hardly toss the pieces away, like the Xmas
cactus, pencil cactus, Jade plants et..etc.. i just stick them in a
pot or even in the garden and let them grow and when someone comes by
needing one, there is one for them. right now i have an extra
Artemesia about ready for someone, several jades, monkey or Spider
plants, Jews, have several Latanas rooting, oleanders, rabit ear
cactus, begonias, ... ice plants.. i think i am going to have to have
a sidewalk sale to get rid of them as i am running our of space. most
of my family and friends are already well supplied by now. what to
do??? I am a compulsive propagator! I swore that this next winter i
would not have so many potted plants to move into the garage... duh!
lee h

I like to propagate my plants too. I use Dixie cups, peat pots,
yogurt cups, or anything I can find and punch holes for drainage.
When my church has a plant sale, I donate the plants and they make a
lot more money from that than my miserable $5 weekly donation.
However, I do enjoy trading plants and cuttings! (Maybe someday
Madgardener and I will get together.)

"Volfie" wrote in message
...

"A. Turner" wrote in message
om...
Thank you all for the advice!

I'm intrigued by David's idea of new growth from cuttings. FWIW, the
central/original stems of my 2 Xmas Cacti (pardon the layman term) are
very hardy and woody, so it might not be a bad idea to start a new
growth from tender cuts.

Sent them to me and I'll buy you new ones.

Giselle (I like the old ones)

Ditto...........
Why, oh why, would anybody complain about having a Christmas Cactus so old
it had developed woody stems???!!
Murri ( Very confused & in disbelief. )

"Lady Blacksword" wrote
Why, oh why, would anybody complain about having a Christmas Cactus so old
it had developed woody stems???!!
Murri ( Very confused & in disbelief. )

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I thought I was confused.

Giselle (when this plant dies I'm going to cry for a year no matter how many
2nd generation cuttings I have of it)