Very Old Christmas Cactus

[Carol Dee]

from what i had been told from a student tending to the 'special' specimens at UNH that there are 2 types of Christmas Cacti. i have 2 different types.

Buckleyi are considered the actual Christmas Cactus and this is what you have @Carol Dee. they have a weeping form and rounded segments. my Albert (connection to Albert Einstein) is currently in bloom along with my white form (which has no important history other than it came from a holiday craft fair and bought for about $2)

the other Christmas cacti seems to have 'points' on the segments, tend to grow more upright and is from the Truncata side of the family. i guess this one is called a Thanksgiving Cactus since it blooms earlier than Christmas. mine didn't bloom this year.

Thank You @Chickie'sMomaInNH for the lesson in cactus! Something I never knew. I think mine blooms because I DO stress it before bringing it indoors! LOL When MIL had it, it stayed in the DR year round. She would put it in a darker room for a few weeks then bring it out to bloom.

 

[seedcorn]

from what i had been told from a student tending to the 'special' specimens at UNH that there are 2 types of Christmas Cacti. i have 2 different types.

Buckleyi are considered the actual Christmas Cactus and this is what you have @Carol Dee. they have a weeping form and rounded segments. my Albert (connection to Albert Einstein) is currently in bloom along with my white form (which has no important history other than it came from a holiday craft fair and bought for about $2)

the other Christmas cacti seems to have 'points' on the segments, tend to grow more upright and is from the Truncata side of the family. i guess this one is called a Thanksgiving Cactus since it blooms earlier than Christmas. mine didn't bloom this year.

Thanks for info

Thanks to this thread, has me thinking about going out and buying one to pass on to generations. Love that idea

 

[Carol Dee]

@seedcorn. Do it! They can be bought in small pots cheaply or after Christmas clearance!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

as long as they get over 12 hours of dark it will force them to start blooming. mine's kept in the kitchen where it gets in the mid 50's during the winter unless there is lots of cooking going on. it gets some natural light from the windows but also the dark when the sun sets. i know mine can tolerate cooler temps but i won't let it freeze.

 

[Nyboy]

Anyone remember the 1 st Waltons tv show? A Walton Christmas, family is going though very hard times, Mom goes into cellar for something and finds her Christmas cactus that she forgot about blooming.No money for xmas yet a flowering plant made her happy.

 

[seedcorn]

I hope we are made to smile over smallest of gifts.

Sorry Nboy, couldn't stand that show........ Middle of depression in south but yet gas to go everywhere in new, clean clothes. Didn't ring true with my relatives. By depression standards they were rich or at least well off.

 

[Nyboy]

seedcorn wow rich or least well off.

 

[Jared77]

For those if you who have 1 you should pass it along. For those of you who haven't yet GET ONE & pass it along.

My Dad has a few CC that all came from the same plant that HIS Grandmother started with. His mom kept them and she gave him cuttings. Now that he's a Grandfather he's hinted at passing along cuttings to me because I know how much they mean.

I keep telling him "there's no rush" because I'm in no hurry to be taking family heirlooms. I keep reminding him he needs to stay around to care for them before they are my responsibility.