Sherry I am the same way, I just let them go and treat them as all the other plants. I have blooms constantly. In fact, I noticed the one my daughter has on her south window is starting to push buds. Doesn't surprise me, it has been very cloudy and it seems like it is dark most of the time. Days seem shorter due to this stupid weather.
Steven, whatever works for you is what you should do. You will find we all have our own way of doing things and sometimes they do not work for others. Sometimes a combination of some ways work. Good luck with yours.

Oh, I never meant to suggest that there was only one way of doing things. Obviously if you are getting flowers, you are doing something right! So many people have a hard time getting a Christmas Cactus to rebloom, that I just thought I'd mention that it's the long night, short day treatment that is the main trigger for bloom formation.

I'm guessing it probably has to do with how far north or south you are too. Not to mention what zone you are in. Believe it or not, here in Arizona, we have to do it completely different than all the rest of you. If I left my Christmas Cactus outside during the summer, shade or no shade, it would surely die. It just does not like our extreme heat. So here, I bring it inside in the summers hottest months, late June through mid to late September, and then I move it outside until it sets buds, which believe it or not, is usually right around Christmas. Then I bring it in till it's done blooming, and then put it outside again till June. And sometimes if I am really lucky, I'll get another set of buds before it gets to hot to enjoy. I still love reading about how 'everyone' treats their various plants, because it gives me ideas on what I might be doing wrong, if I am not succeeding. It took me a couple of years to realize that leaving them out in the summer here in the desert just does not work for the Christmas Cactus. Now my friend Robin, who I had lunch with last night. She lives in Kingman, Arizona. She does the opposite of me. But they are at a higher altitude and cooler than we get here in the low desert. So even within a state you can have differences. The magic is what you learn works for you. I like hearing everyones methods, and no one is wrong or right :)

Alan

Oh, Sherry, I did not take it you were meaning there was only one way, please forgive me if you thought I did. I found when I bred birds so many people had set ways of doing things and it just did not work for others, I have always been one to agree that if it works for you do it. But, that does not mean there is not a right way of doing something. I am rambling and not making much sense. Anyhow, what I want you to know is that I did not take what you said to be the only way. if I sounded like I did throw something at me.

I just got two more schlums from Logee Monday. Aspen and Christmas Fantasy...they are really tiny starters for the price..One was $11.00 and the other $9.95....they also shipped them on a Friday and they laid in the post office all weekend. That made me so angry. I also had a begonia and a Rhipsalidopsis 'Sirius' in the box. Fortunately all survived but they were not happy when they arrived. They all picked up after a day and I am sure they will make it. I am also noticing some negative feedback on Logees lately. I wonder what is going on. I never had a problem with them before. Maybe they are getting too big for their own good.

Off to get busy. Have a great day.

Acorn fight! LOL! Just kidding of course

Bad Alan......I am trying to be nice here and you are egging me on. You are naughty.

Weather is just perfect. Cool nights rather warm days and the plants are loving it. I need to have the shade cloth taken off the greenhouse because the plants really need sun. I find on the old Schrum x buckley new growth is more pinkish this year than I remember it being before. The stems seem lighter and I feel it was the lack of sun over the winter. The new growth is beautiful on these starter plants and of course the flowers are fuchsia. I am worried if the shade cloth comes off there may be too much sun. Any suggestions from those who propagate schrums will be appreciated.

I was not mad at all, but I know sometimes I can write in a way that sounds "sharp" and I don't mean it that way at all! When I reread what I wrote, I thought maybe it sounded rather "know-it-all" and that was not my intention.

I have to laugh at this. This past summer I bought a sun tea jar at a local flea market and started making sun tea. I had my way of doing it, and it usually resulted in pretty good tea. My husband, however, kept saying "When my parents used to make it they did this....or they did that....."

I finally looked at him and said "Of course there is only one way to make sun tea, and it was your parent's way." He never said a word to me after that.

If you are successful, and it works for you-- it's the right way!

We finally got some rain on Tuesday, and it is cloudy and looks like it could rain right now. A rare sight for our Arizona deserts. I have the windows and doors open for the first time since the heat let up. So nice to have the smell of rain in the house. It's going to be a beautiful day. Still not fall here yet. Fall moves in much later here, around November. My Bradford Ornamental Shade Tree has not started changing colors. It is so beautiful when it does.

We had the windows open here today too because it was carpet shampoo day. Breeze blew in, sun was shining and you can have your smell of rain. It did nothing but rain here for weeks and I am moldy. Not caring if it does smell good.

The Fall weather is here but it is warmer than usual I think. There are cool nights, down to about 50 and days up to above 70. It really should be cooler. Sometimes it snows in late October but it never lays.

I made sun tea a few times and I had no idea there was really more than one way to make it. I can just hear that little family discussion. Don't you know Mother's always right??????? At least I tell my kids that, but since they are all grown and on their own, I don't think it will work anymore. They all know it all and have their own ways of doing things. Does that sound familiar?

The weather here has been alot warmer then usual too, we've barely even had a frost yet with warm temps and sun forcasted for the next week or so.

I'm not familiar with sun tea, but it sounds quite intriguing!

I didn't know there was more than one way to make Sun Tea either. I have always put 4 Family size teabags in a gallon glass jar with a lid, and put it out in full hot Arizona sun. Makes the best sun tea ever. In winter months I usually make tea in my coffee pot. Chill it, then pour it over ice.

Alan

I am lazy, I just pop a cup of water in the microwave, if I have Twinings Tea bags I put one in the cup because Twinings does not have the metal staple in the bag and it is o k for microwave cooking. Two minutes later I have a great cup of tea. I buy bottled tea in the summer. Guess I outlived my energy to make tea.

I do the same thing, only I start with really warm tap water. If you start with really warm tap water, you can make sun tea on your kitchen counter. The argument was over whether or not the correct way was to start with very cold water, or every warm water the way I was doing it.

LOL! Sherry, out here in AZ, you but a gallon of cold water out in full sun at 115 degrees F, and in no time you have HOT water. Not kidding, sometimes, with the gallon jar sitting on the cement, I've had to grab a pot holder to bring the sun tea in.

Alan

Got two new Schlumbergeras last week. Aspen and Christmas Fantasy. Now I have a dozen. I keep promising myself I will not get anymore.