My cactus is currently in bloom. What will happen to this fruit from last year going forward? The wilted blossom is still attached, as you can see.
Your instinct was right—there are seeds within. According to one source, you should snip the thin end of mature (bright pink) pods, squeeze the pulp into some sand in your palm, then rub the seeds about to separate them (seeds should be chocolate brown to black). In small pots, scatter over moist soil mixture (1 part perlite to 3 parts peat). Keep moist and shaded. It takes seeds about a week to grow.
When will Christmas cactus cuttings begin to bloom?
Whether they have a green thumb or not, many Christmas Cactus owners have had success in maintaining their plants, but getting them to bloom is frequently a different story. Christmas cacti are renowned for requiring extremely precise maintenance in order to produce blossoms.
Christmas Cacti often bloom around the holidays, as their name suggests. Once in flower, you’ll have a total of four to six weeks to enjoy the lovely blooms.
You must first permit your Christmas Cactus to go into dormancy in order to promote blooming. Around October or November, you’ll start to reduce the amount of water you feed your plant. You don’t want to fully cease watering, in contrast to other animals that hibernate.
Instead, water your Christmas cactus less regularly, but longer. The soil should continue to be just barely damp. This is essential because, if your plant already has buds, overwatering or underwatering can make them fall off.
The next step is to ensure that your Schlumbergera receives 12 to 14 hours of darkness each day. Darkness is more essential for the growth of flower buds the warmer the nighttime temperatures. The typical bright, indirect light is fine during the day.
You must keep your Christmas Cactus away from drafts during this time. Extreme temperature swings have the potential to shock the plant and cause the flower buds to fall off.
Before buds start to form, you’ll need to maintain your Schlumbergera’s care for around six to eight weeks after you start doing so. You’ll need to continue your therapy once the buds have formed for another 12 weeks or more before the first flowers start to bloom.
If all went according to plan, you’ll soon be savoring a tropical delight during a typically chilly time of year. This is a fantastic chance to pollinate your plants if you’re interested in growing Christmas Cactus from seeds. These plants are naturally pollinated by insects and birds, but they are also simple to pollinate by hand.
Can cactus be grown from seed easily?
Some people are interested in learning how to cultivate cacti from seed due to the rising popularity of succulent plants and cacti. Anything that produces seeds can be propagated from them, albeit not all seeds are capable of doing so. If the conditions are ideal, cactus seed growth might proceed without your assistance, but this is uncommon. It may take many years for certain seeds to germinate once they fall in their natural environment. You might have to initiate the procedure yourself to get them going. More cactus plants are produced when cactus seeds germinate successfully, increasing your collection.
What do the cactus’ red bulbs represent?
The tasty red cactus pears, which are categorized botanically as belonging to the genus Opuntia, are annual plants that grow on the flat pads of cacti and are part of the Cactaceae family. Cactus pears come in a wide variety of colors, from yellow to red to orange to green, and are also known as prickly pears, barbaries, tuna fruit, and Indian figs. Red cactus pears are not actually members of the pear family, despite their name, which refers to how similar they look. Red Cactus Pears are widely grown in both small and big plantations, as well as in the wild throughout Mexico and Central America. They are prized for their sweet flesh and may be used both raw and cooked in a wide range of culinary preparations.
Can I grow another Christmas cactus from a damaged piece?
Stems that branch to the side are produced by multiple joints on a single piece. When multiple-joint sections are used, the number of sections for rooting should be kept to five or less.
The holiday cactus family includes the Christmas cactus (Schumbergera bridgesii). The plant’s blooming season is influenced by the brief daylight hours and the chilly fall weather. The cactus blooms in December as a result of the combination of low temperatures and diminished sunlight. By placing the plant close to a window that receives sunlight and keeping the room’s temperature between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit in October or November, you can encourage the cactus to produce buds for a bloom in December. It is simple to grow Christmas cacti from a broken stem fragment.
The stem should be broken or chopped into two to three portions that are joined end to end. Each portion of the stem has a pointed end that joins to the section before it and a flat end. Approximately six months after the plant blooms, in May or June, collect the stem portions. The plant will replace nutrients drained over the bloom cycle throughout that six-month period. A Christmas cactus stem fragment that has been accidently broken can be rooted at any time, however it might not bloom the first year.
- The holiday cactus family includes the Christmas cactus (Schumbergera bridgesii).
- By placing the plant close to a window that receives sunlight and keeping the room’s temperature between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit in October or November, you can encourage the cactus to produce buds for a bloom in December.
Connect the portions at all times. Each paragraph should be complete. Disconnect the torn section at a joint if the break happened via a section. By holding a section in each hand and keeping your thumbs close to the joint, you can detach the segment at the joint. Pinch and pull the pieces apart gently. The portions should be placed on a saucer to dry overnight.
- Connect the portions at all times.
- By holding a section in each hand and keeping your thumbs close to the joint, you can detach the segment at the joint.
Look at the Christmas cactus section’s joint. Dry and hard at the end is ideal. Allow the portions to rest for a few additional hours if the joint is not dry. Insert the end into the moist perlite to a depth of about 1 inch if the joint is dry. The same container can be used to root many cuttings. Cuttings should be spaced about an inch apart.
To keep moisture within, cover the container with a plastic bag. Wrap the container in the bag and secure it. A food storage bag that may be closed from the top can contain a small container.
- Look at the Christmas cactus section’s joint.
- To keep moisture within, cover the container with a plastic bag.
Put the container in a spot with filtered light. Do not dry out the perlite. There should be very little moisture within the bag. Open the bag to let the extra moisture out if the moisture is heavy and covers one-third of it.
Check one of the cuttings’ roots six weeks after it was placed in the perlite. The cutting is prepared for transplantation into potting soil if the roots are at least 1 inch long. If the roots are too short, put the cutting back in the perlite. After around two weeks, reseal the bag and inspect the roots once again.
Can a piece of Christmas cactus be rooted in water?
One of the simplest plants to propagate via stem cuttings is the Christmas cactus. Propagating new plants from your existing plants is an easy DIY gardening project.
- 1. Select the appropriate season. Propagating your Christmas cactus plant early in the growth season will improve your chances of success. Start the propagation process in late spring when the cactus is ready to develop again after its winter dormancy.
- 2. Gather the stem cuttings. Make sure each cutting has between two and five stem segments when you take your Christmas cactus cuttings from the parent plant (the flattened leaf sections). You can either use scissors to cut off the section or your hand to pinch and twist it off at a joint. To improve the likelihood of successful propagation, gather several stem cuttings.
- 3. Permit your cuts to heal. For two days, keep your stem cuttings in a cool, dry location so the cut edge can heal. Be sure to stay out of the sun. Your cuttings’ risk of acquiring stem rot will be decreased throughout this healing phase.
- Root the cuttings, step 4. Christmas cactus cuttings can be rooted in either water or a solution made of coarse sand, perlite, or peat. To root in water, put a two-inch layer of pebbles or small stones in the bottom of a glass jar, cover the pebbles with water, then add your cuttings so that just the bottom tip is submerged. Use a pot with drainage holes and wet your rooting media before planting the cuttings if coarse sand mixed with perlite or peat is your preferred choice. Plant your cuttings into the rooting media about a fourth of their length once the excess water has been drained from the pot. Pack the rooting material tightly around the stem to firmly anchor the cuttings. Water the clippings only lightly.
- 5. Give your cuttings six to eight weeks of care. Put your cuttings in a spot with indirect sunlight that is bright. If you placed the cuttings in a water-filled container to root them, keep an eye on the water level and top it off as needed. If you used a sand mixture to root the cuttings, make sure not to overwater it. Overwatering might cause root rot. It will be time for repotting in six to eight weeks (or when the roots are about half an inch long).
- 6. Plant cuttings in a mixture of potting soil. Your cactus has to be replanted in a little container with drainage holes filled with succulent potting soil. Cuttings should be inserted into the soil about an inch deep, and the soil should be kept moist but not waterlogged.
- 7. Keep on giving attention. A Christmas cactus plant requires a location with high humidity levels and strong, indirect light in order to thrive. When the top inch of soil on your Christmas cactus becomes dry, water it. If your air isn’t humid enough, sprinkle the leaves with a spray bottle. Maintain a temperature range between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal flower bud growth. Use a houseplant fertilizer two to three times year, but don’t fertilize for at least three weeks after transplanting, and hold off until mid-October (you may resume once the plant is no longer blooming).
A node on a Christmas cactus is what?
This popular holiday dish is simple to begin from cuttings. Simply cut off a section of stem at the node, which is the place that was pinched. For optimal results, make the cutting one or two no longer than three sections. Give the cut end a day or two to callus over. Then insert the cut end into a potting or cacti mix that has been extremely well drain. Till the roots develop, keep the young plant in a bright spot but away from direct sunlight. Keep the rooting media slightly damp, but stay away from too much moisture, which can cause rot. For insurance, take more cuttings than are required. You will have plants to give your family and friends if you are very successful.
How are Christmas cacti bred?
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.