Dear, Dear JB! I will NEVER stop loving you! Even when you act like an onry, stubborn Broad.
You are--and have always been a source of so much information to us all on how to take care of CC's.
(for those not familiar with this acronym--(CC=Christmas cactus). Shorter to write "CC".
And--this description is used loosely by most people--as there really is a REAL Christmas Cactus.
There is a difference in the "leaves" and blooms.
The other ones we all call" Christmas Cactus" are actually the Holiday Cactus aka as Thanksgiving Cactus.
OK! To proceed...On DG we had a Thread going for several years on all kinds of information, education
and teaching going on by JB. She is a Gem! One of a kind! Her knowledge was amazing!
ATP-you should be proud to have her over here now!
JB--My CC's all spend the summers out under my roofed over patio--on a rack right up against my house wall.
The light is ~bright shade. NO rain ever falls on these--so i do have to hose-sprinkle them.
There is also NO total darkness at night--as I have a big, round light on a pole (I call "The Moon"
that is on 24/7 in a far corner of the patio.
They ALL come inside in mid-late October. I DO leave them out to get a cold nip and when I bring them in-
there are tiny bloom buds on each CC. It has been like this "forever"....
Inside--I try to give them some "presentable" light--but that would only be right on sunny days.
I try my best to give them a "rest" period after they bloom--but when I see them dry as caked clay--I just have to
water them a bit. They, actually, perk up after some watering.
Guilty as charged!!!! I tend to water EVERYTHING as long as i am watering. This may be the problem.
But--I do not go hog-crazy watering the CC's. Just 1/2 cup or so....JB--I like the idea of watering from the bottom!
Thank you for that suggestion.
I am trying to think of some reasons why the CC's are rotting, dropping whole section, getting
desiccated-looking section, etc....When they get like this--they won't root either. The fresh. plump sections all root well.
Besides the issue with watering--could it also be the KIND of water I use? Our water is highly Chlorinated.
You can smell it! Most of the time--I have water bottles sitting ll around so the gasses can evaporate.
I have many, many Spider plants as well--and this helps to keep the tips going brown if i do this.
JB--Should I make an effort NOW to take tip-sections of the White one as well as the salmon one?
You said you cut yours back and "ignored it" and it lived. Mine are still living....just some of them get
this lower stem rot/fungus/ whatever it is....
Do you think sprinkling Cinnamon powder on top of the soil would help? Lot of people talk about this
too use when growing seedlings. Any ideas out there, Folks???
JB-re the Aphid eggs all over the grape stems--there are NOT fruit trees. They are small, roots packaged, new plants.
I will attach a picture of the rack. There are also Blueberries, Strawberries and raspberry plants on the same rack,
but none of them have this Aphid egg problem. ONLY the grapes.
I already explained this either here--or on another Thread---ALL plants that HD carries are on consignment
with the HD. This is called "Pay by Scan". When the plant is scanned (bought)--we get the $$$.
IF plants are sick or infested, or any other reason not suitable to be displayed--the vencor culls them out.
HD does not cull or throw out any plants. That is the Vendor's job. BUT!! We have to water & maintain them all.
MOI--that is what i do all summer long. Just me and the hose--and wet feet....
If this rack of grapes and all the other berries were to die--the vendor "should" come and take care of this.
BUT--I don't think the garden people have any idea WHO the vendor is. So--the rack will sit there with dead plants.
Also NOT the best idea. Usually--these individual racks are located away from any other living plants.
In this case--the rack sits by the big exit doors at the end of the Greenhouse.
I have been wiping the stems and leaves down as best I can with sanitary wipes. It is helping--but I am not
there every day to follow up. No one else does these kind of things except me. They are All my "babies"....
JB--I never buy plants from a Nursery. I have plenty of my own. SO? They are not rare on the latest...
Sorry this is so long--But I just cannot write 3 lines and call it quits. Now--Pictures.
1--JB--This is where my older CC's spend the winter. By my LR window, in a corner on a big plant stand.
So-So- light....unfortunately. It it is really gloomy--I turn on the big light over the sofa.
2--The not-so-old CC's usually sit on this rack by my unused kitchen side door. E. facing window in the door.
OK light---but it does not reach all the plants equally well.
3--My tiny, newly rooting CC's and Easter cactus in small cups under my light set-up.
They do really well here. Will need the lights soon for my seeds. I am late as it is...
4--Here is a "infant", new baby plant of my Beefsteak Begonia. Rooting it from a leaf.
They really grow large, with big leaves. Very pretty!
Here is my OLD, OLD Amaryllis doing it's thing again. These bulbs are about 25 years old. Bloom every year.
OH, yeah! I uproot them and clean up the roots a bit, and re-pot them in fresh soil--but they are the same old bulbs.
5--This is my TRUE Christnas cactus--blooming a bit on my LR window shelf.
6--Last picture- JB--here is the rack of Grape plants as well as all the other berries bt the baack GH door.
Now you know they are NOT fruit trees.....
