Growing seeds from your own plants is usually a lot of fun, and right now, during the winter, your Schlumbergera cacti, sometimes referred to as holiday, Christmas, or Thanksgiving cactus, may be in full bloom.
It’s the ideal time to have fun pollinating the flowers on your Schlumbergera cactus while they are all gorgeously flowering to see if you can get seeds. The process of pollinating the flowers is really simple, and I’ve included a few films I’ve created for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon where I demonstrate the process in detail.
All you need is a Schlumbergera cactus that is in bloom, preferably with at least two flowers on it. In my personal experience, I have always found it more successful to cross pollinate the flowers on the same plant or if you have two different Schlumbergera that are flowering at the same time, for example, a red flowering one and a pink flowering one.
Although I have had wonderful luck pollinating Schlumbergera blossoms and have typically had seed when I have done so, I have discovered that many of my more recent Schlumbergera purchases have not been successful in producing fruit and seeds for me. I’ve heard that some of the more recent hybrids on the market are more difficult to pollinate for seed, but I don’t yet have enough proof to support that. Please let me know if you have had success pollinating the flowers on the more recent Schlumbergera hybrids that are currently available.
If you have only one flower, it is best to take the pollen from that flower and gently dab it onto the stigma of the other flower or flowers. If you have more than one flower, it is best to take the pollen from the one flower and gently dab it onto the stigma of the other flower or flowers. All you need to do is use a clean, tiny brush, such as a tiny paintbrush, lip brush, or q tip cotton bud, and load the pollen from the flower.
Here is a picture of one of my Schlumbergeras, Schlumbergera ‘Golden Charm,’ in bloom with the bright pink stigma hanging out. The stigma is the portion of the flower that hangs out almost like a tongue, hehe. Hopefully, this will demonstrate what the stigma looks like.
Here is a step-by-step video I prepared on how to pollinate Schlumbergera Christmas and Thanksgiving Cactus flowers for my cactus and succulent You Tube channel, Desert Plants of Avalon:
Simply dab the pollen from the one flower or flowers from one Schlumbergera cactus onto the other stigma on the other cactus flower if you wish to cross-pollinate two distinct flowering Schlumbergera cacti, such as a white one crossed with a red, pink, or orange one.
Here is a video I made on how to cross-pollinate Schlumbergera cactus blooms for my Desert Plants of Avalon You Tube channel:
If pollination was successful, the base of the flower where it emerges from the end of the leaf segment will start to swell up and turn a darker green color within a few days. If not, the blooms will naturally begin to droop and dry up before falling off ( see photo below )
The fruit may not fully mature for several weeks, months, or even a whole year. When the fruit is ready to be harvested for its seeds, the fruit pod will typically become very soft and frequently turn a dark crimson color, resembling a delicious tiny berry.
Here is a video I made on how to determine whether your Schlumbergera flowers have been pollinated for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel, Desert Plants of Avalon:
Here is a video I made on how to harvest Schlumbergera fruit to collect seeds for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel, Desert Plants of Avalon:
Once the seeds have been harvested, it is time to sow them. Growing these plants from seeds rather than cuttings takes much more time, but it is also far more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Cacti can be grown from seed in a variety of ways, but I prefer to grow my seeds in pots that are then put into “baggies.” This keeps the seeds and young seedlings moist at all times without having to worry about the soil drying up. Depending on their size, I remove them from the clear bags in around 3 to 6 months and treat them like young seedlings, ensuring sure the soil is always moist but not waterlogged.
All cacti seeds should be sown in the spring, but if you have grow lights and additional warmth, you can start sowing them at any time of the year.
Here is a video I prepared on how to grow cacti from seed for my cacti and succulent YouTube channel, Desert Plants of Avalon, which features Schlumbergera and other varieties of cacti:
Good luck pollinating your Schlumbergera cactus blossoms, and please let me know if you are successful in growing these stunning cacti from seed in the comments section below.
Here is a video I prepared for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel, Desert Plants of Avalon, detailing the progress of the Schlumbergera Christmas Cactus seedlings I started from seed in June 2018.
Happy Sowing and Growing Guys, and loads of love and plant power from around the Emerald Isle.
Can cacti cross-pollinate?
Because cactus blossoms don’t persist long, wind or insect pollination is more challenging. Cacti are unable to produce fruits and seeds without pollination. When you self-pollinate cacti, you have complete control over the outcome, whether you’re aiming to develop a novel hybrid or develop a particular cactus variety. Hand pollination is the only way to guarantee that the two types you are attempting to cross pollinate, as hybrid pollination does not always result in the production of viable seeds.
Once flowers start to develop, put your two cactus plants next to one another. You can try to create a hybrid with the same type of cactus or with two different types by crossing them. Choose which plants you want to pollinate if the cacti are outside. Although more pollen can be transported when the plants are close to one another, this is not necessary.
Check your flowers every day for pollen. The stamens, which are frequently fluffy threads encircling the part of the flower where the stigma are located, are where pollen grows. The flower’s petals show a thin dusting of pollen.
The second cactus flower’s stigma should be painted with pollen. The stigma, which resembles tiny fingers in appearance, are thicker than the stamens. In order to help them capture the pollen, the tops are typically slightly open and sticky. Wait another day before attempting to pollinate if the stigma tops are not yet open to give them time to do so.
Wait for the brush to dry after cleaning it. The second cactus bloom should be used to complete the process, with the pollen being applied to the stigma of the first cactus after dusting the stamens for pollen.
Nylon stockings should be placed over both cacti to stop pollination by other cactus plants. Only if you want to try and influence the kind of seed the plants produce is this important. If your primary objective is to induce the cactus to produce fruit or seeds, keep the plants exposed to attract insects and wind, which will aid in additional pollination.
Can Christmas cacti be combined?
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi, originally Zygocactus x buckleyi), a real cactus that is native to Brazil and is frequently offered for sale throughout the winter, thrives outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 11 through 12. Christmas cactus is a low-maintenance plant with few pests and diseases that is grown for its vivid, tubular blossoms. If neither plant has a disease or pest infestation, you can put an old Christmas cactus and a new plant together in a single container.
How are Christmas cacti multiplied?
Christmas cacti are relatively simple to grow from seed. Cut segments of one to four and leave them to dry out for two to four days in a cool, dry location. Plant a sand/peat mixture an inch deep in fresh soil. Prior to the development of roots or new growth, water sparingly.
Can cacti self-pollinate?
There is no need for even two blossoms if a species is self-fertile. Some plants may self-pollinate on their own without any help, while others require an intermediary to move pollen from the anthers to the stigma. For instance, even if only one flower opens at a time, my Echinopsis ancistrophora always sets seed when it blooms outdoors because hover flies visit it. When I took it indoors to bloom, it occasionally failed to produce pollen (and the flowers lasted longer).
How are succulents crossbred?
Cross-pollination is therefore required using a plant that has already blossomed. The best part is that every variety of succulent you’re trying to cross-pollinate will be subject to the following restrictions and recommendations.
The succulent of your choice must first be crossed with another succulent of your choice. This method is rather straightforward.
Take one blossom’s pollen and transfer it to the flower of another succulent by using a soft, little brush (like a paintbrush) or Q-tip inside the first flower. Additionally, this should result in a cross-pollinated seed pod from which you can plant the seeds. You can repeat this for every blossom on your succulents if they have more than one.
To prevent it from becoming infected with pollen from other plants, you should maintain your “new” plant in semi-isolation (unless you’re feeling very adventurous!).
Sadly, you won’t be able to know whether the cross-breeding was successful straight away. You’ll need to wait till the plant has some maturity before you can judge your success by how it appears.
Are Christmas cacti tolerant to crowds?
The information that I’ve been fortunate enough to get from my grandparents is what inspired the moniker “Heirloom Lady.” That information is my most valuable heirloom. I cherish more than simply the stories, recipes, gardening tips, and life lessons though. One item that my grandmother left in my care after she went away last year means the world to me: her Christmas cacti.
These Christmas Cacti are not your typical plants. The original plant belonged to a woman who only only appeared in Gram’s stories and gave it to her. Mom Moesche was her name, and she was great. All I know is that she gave our Gram the responsibility of taking care of her Christmas Cactus when it was already well over 75 years old. When Gram was in her late thirties, she gave her the plant.
Please keep in mind that Gram passed away at the ripe old age of 98. This Christmas Cactus has been growing for well over a century. a plant with multiple families and generations. Do you realize just how amazing that is? a living legacy. There isn’t anything better, in my opinion.
However, I also have her two eldest children in my care in addition to the elderly woman. And there are at the very least hundreds more scattered far across the east coast. On window sills, in jars, cups, pots, and anywhere else that could contain water, there were always babies developing. When they were old enough, Gram would pat friends, relatives, and uninvited guests on the back, leading them to the door with bits of care instructions for the plants and reassurance that everything would be okay.
Since I’ve had these amazing plants, I’ve given babies I’ve raised as gifts to at least three other individuals, and I have more that are almost ready to sow. Knowing that I’m giving someone a present that will keep growing and foster a sense of family in every person who travels with a Christmas Cactus thrills my heart. This assignment I’ve been assigned has extra special qualities, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Unfortunately, one of the younger plants was knocked over last week by a blast of wind, destroying the pot and a portion of the plant. I was inconsolable and broke down in tears about it. But soon after, I remembered Gram, who would have advised me to shake it off and develop the leftover portions of the stem into a plant for a special someone.
That’s what I’m doing, however the mother plant needs to be repotted in the interim. Christmas cactus repotting is not a difficult process, but it must be done carefully, especially with mature plants.
For the repotting of a Christmas cactus to be successful, you must be aware of the following:
1. To start with, you should be aware that Christmas cacti are tropical plants. They are not your typical cactus, and they favor hot, humid climates.
2. The holiday Cactuses don’t have leaves; instead, they have flat, segmented stems that produce chlorophyll much as leaves would. Older stem segments will eventually turn woody and resemble tree bark as they deteriorate.
3. You must be extremely cautious while removing your Christmas cactus from its current container for repotting if it is root-bound. Rootbound denotes that the plant has outgrown its container. If the soil is firm, the roots are extending through the pot’s drainage hole, or the plant’s stems are becoming yellow or brown (which can also be a sign of overwatering, so you just have to keep an eye on the plant), you can usually tell. It turned out to be a lucky break for me because the clay pot cracked when it dropped, making removal relatively simple. Sincerely, I’d rather you break a clay pot than put the plant’s health in danger by attempting to turn it up on its side.
4. Christmas cactus roots actually enjoy being somewhat packed. Plant parents struggle with this because, despite the fact that they thrive in crowded pots, it can be difficult to keep them from becoming root-bound. The best general rule is to pot your Christmas cactus in a pot that is 2 inches bigger than the one it is currently in every 4 years. I’m moving this guy from a 6-inch pot to an 8-inch pot, as you can see.
Before you start removing the plant from its current pot, fill the new pot with dirt. In order to avoid wasting time and place the root ball into new, nutritious soil as quickly as possible, you want to have its new home ready. You’ll see that I’m using dirt that has been specifically designed for cacti. Despite being a tropical plant, Christmas Cactuses need soil that allows for quick water drainage, thus you should still use this soil. You can begin by adding enough dirt to the bottom of your new pot so that the top of your root ball is about one inch deep from the top.
6. Gently scrape away portion of the root ball’s old, dry dirt. You might need to wet the roots to remove the old soil, or even rinse them. I believe that my plant benefited from the fall because the soil just sort of slipped away from the root system without really breaking it.
7. Insert your plant into its new location and carefully add fresh dirt to the area around the root ball. I was very careful to remove any stems that were becoming yellow or dried out as I proceeded.
8. To help it adjust to the new soil and container, give your repotted Christmas cactus a deep drink of fresh water and place it in extra shade for a few days.
9. I keep mine on the porch, close to the house, all summer long, just like my grandmother did, so they can get some indirect sunlight and fresh air. I can’t even begin to describe how much these plants have expanded and revived this summer. Fresh, vibrant green stems are sprouting out everywhere. Picking up a few branches to establish new plants won’t harm them and will actually encourage new development.
10. It will be time to move them inside in the fall, when the first frost is expected. They prefer to be in a dimly lit area that is away from direct sunshine (which is, if at all possible, somewhat humid). In October, you should water your plants only once a week. Instead of watering your plant once a week, reduce it to a light watering once every three weeks in October to encourage flowering during the holidays. For a few weeks, some people even cover their Christmas cacti to promote blooming.