I'm in mourning....

My poor Christmas Cactus died! :( It was a good size and over 20 years old, and I don't have the faintest idea what happened to it. A few years ago, one big section died off, but the rest of the plant thrived. Then this summer it started looking sick, and finally just succumbed to whatever ailed it. :(

I think I'm going to have to pay Maggie (Pinot's Mom) a visit, and make off with one of her huge ones! :D If that doesn't work, I'll be forced to pay a visit to a local nursery that sells them, and actually buy another and try again.

RIP pretty cactus. I'll miss you.

Oh my, 20 years, that is sad.:(

Aww, that's a shame, Ellie. I can't imagine what happened.

I've told you before, though, you're not big enough to carry mine out! ;)

Maybe that was his normal life expectancy...he had a good run...rip christmas cactus.

If you wanna drive a bit further North, Dad has a huge one, and always has extras to give away!

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Originally Posted by Pinot's Mom

I've told you before, though, you're not big enough to carry mine out! ;)

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You got that right! I was planning on bringing a helper to assist with one of those monsters. They sure are gorgeous! :)

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Originally Posted by Karen

If you wanna drive a bit further North, Dad has a huge one, and always has extras to give away!

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Hmmm --- is it lavender? Most are the pinks and reds, and every time I see a lavender one I've been tempted to buy it, but of course I never did. :( Guess now I have a valid excuse to do it.

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Originally Posted by pomtzu

You got that right! I was planning on bringing a helper to assist with one of those monsters. They sure are gorgeous! :)



Hmmm --- is it lavender? Most are the pinks and reds, and every time I see a lavender one I've been tempted to buy it, but of course I never did. :( Guess now I have a valid excuse to do it.

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Dad's are a peachy pink.

Wow, 20 years old. That's a record isn't it? It had very pretty flowers.

I can't have plants inside, sigh.:( I have cats that go after any plant they see. I have to hide my cut flowers in my bedroom until the cats are asleep.:)

I don't understand what could have happened either POM..my mom had one as far back as I can remember and it always thrived at Christmas time but would have another spurt during summer. It would go dormant for a few weeks at a time but that cactus still lives on. When my mom passed my brother asked to take it or take a clipping but I told him plants didn't do well with me so he could take the whole thing. I have heard some people say that if you handle certain plants and you happen to be on certain medications the plant will die... I really don't know if there's any truth in that, I don't have the greenest thumb...

Goodness, after 20 years, it is no longer a plant it is FAMILY!

No idea what happened, as anytime I buy a plant we start planning it's funeral. :rolleyes: So I'm not the one to ask, fur sure!

Sorry for your loss, Ellie.

Good news: this is the time of year to pick up a replacement!

These plants can get quite old - so 20 was middle age compared to some that I know of. When I was still working, a co-workers mother had one that was 35 - don't know if it's still around 6 years later, or not.

Before this one that just bit the dust, I had another very big one that was about 15, and in the course of moving and letting a former relative plant sit it for a month, she killed that one for me by watering it daily after I gave her specific instructions on how to care for it. I was furious!!!! :mad:

Ellie ours are, at the very least, 35 years old; probably over 40. They are members of the family and we try not to upset them.;)

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Originally Posted by Pinot's Mom

Ellie ours are, at the very least, 35 years old; probably over 40. They are members of the family and we try not to upset them.;)

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Well - if you put it that way - I'll cancel the plant-nap attempt and let them stay in their happy home. :)

Aw so sorry to hear that =<

i have a philodendron thats somehow managed to survive my not-so-green thumb for many years. its not growing in new shoots as fast as it used to. i hope its not dieing on me. if it does i will be sad.

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Originally Posted by Freedom

Goodness, after 20 years, it is no longer a plant it is FAMILY!

No idea what happened, as anytime I buy a plant we start planning it's funeral. :rolleyes:

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You are so funny!:D

Pomtzu:
Don't be sad.
Yesterday I bougth a pair of christmas cactus and looking for information about them, found out that the span of life of these plants are between fifteen and twenty years old.

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Originally Posted by koxka

You are so funny!:D

Pomtzu:
Don't be sad.
Yesterday I bougth a pair of christmas cactus and looking for information about them, found out that the span of life of these plants are between fifteen and twenty years old.

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See post 11 & 12. They can really live to be seniors! :D

It seems they can get quite old. I have a huge one I got from my mother, and she got it from her mother. It hasn't bloomed since I've had it, though - but it's alive! :)

I've had a few smaller ones in recent years, with lots of flowers, but they have died. I may have watered them to much.

In 1979, I had a huge Philidendron, it was much too big for where I lived at the time, so I gave it to my sister and BIL. They still have it, but they have cut it down a bit. Some plants just seem to thrive.

Pomtzu:

Maybe you can give me some advice how to keep them that long.:)

From growing up with them, dunno how old the one Dad currently has is, but ... O think it was from one of my grandparents, originally, and they were all deceased by the time I was 12 ...

Water enough, but not every day. They are not cactuses, despite the name, they are succulents. Make sure the pot has good drainage. Every few years, repot it so it has good fresh dirt, fertilize a little after blossom time is over, but not too much ... If you don't want it to get too huge, trim it back, you can always root the trimmings and give them away ...

They prefer benign neglect to overwatering or fertilizing. And to get blossom, put them in a window that gets some light but not direct sunlight in the summer. The changing length of days is what triggers the blossom cycle. I had one in a West-facing window where I worked, and it blossomed every year from about Halloween to Easter!

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Originally Posted by koxka

Pomtzu:

Maybe you can give me some advice how to keep them that long.:)

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I found the best way to take care of them, is to ignore them! :p They are not fussy plants that require a lot of maintenance.

The worst thing you can do, is to over water. Generally, I watered no more than once each week, but not a saturating watering so that water is standing on the top and not absorbed. The top of the soil should be very dry to the touch before giving any more water, but still that doesn't mean that it isn't moist further down in the bottom section of the pot, and the bigger the pot, the more difficult it is to judge what's going on toward the bottom. I have a little gadget that came in handy - it is a meter that reads the amount of moisture in the soil. It looks like a meat thermometer and you just stick the end into the soil and it gives readings anywhere from dry to wet and everything in between. This was especially handy in checking to see if the soil at the bottom was wet, even when the top was very dry.

A pot with good drainage is a must, since you don't want the plant sitting in a soaking wet soil. Don't put them in an area that gets a lot of heat and and direct sunlight all day. The one that I had that I just lost was in a window that got early morning sun, and it bloomed twice each year - in November & December, and then again in early Spring. The one before that one that my former relative killed, got the mid to late afternoon sun, but I think that only bloomed once each year.

And you can start new plants by breaking off a branch (3 or 4 leaves long), and just putting that in a cup of water so that the bottom leaf only is in the water. When you see roots sprouting on the bottom, then just plant it in a good potting soil, and you have a new plant started!

Good luck. :):)

Question:

Should my cats decide to nibble, are Christmas Cacti poisonous?

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Originally Posted by mrspunkysmom

Question:

Should my cats decide to nibble, are Christmas Cacti poisonous?

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No - they aren't toxic to dogs or cats. I always kept mine as hanging planters anyway, since nibbled on leaves aren't too pretty! :(

Thank you Karen and Pomtzu.:)

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I had one in a West-facing window where I worked, and it blossomed every year from about Halloween to Easter!

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If west is better they will go to my office. Now I need a good heavy kitty-proof pot as the two youngters daredevils like to "clean" it.

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And you can start new plants by breaking off a branch (3 or 4 leaves long), and just putting that in a cup of water so that the bottom leaf only is in the water. When you see roots sprouting on the bottom, then just plant it in a good potting soil, and you have a new plant started!

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I have tried this method to grow other stuff like turnip greens for Magda the Iggy but the water always get rotten and I've never succed.:(

Glad they are not poisonous to cat though!

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Originally Posted by koxka

I have tried this method to grow other stuff like turnip greens for Magda the Iggy but the water always get rotten and I've never succed.:(

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Just change the water when it gets stinky!!! :eek::D

:) So sorry to hear about your deceased plant.. The plant was a very pretty plant.. Wow 20 yrs is a pretty old plant.. Was there any little tiny white mites at the bottom of the plant next to the soil??