It Happens But Once A Year
We have a cactus growing in our office. Actually it is more of succulent plant, native to the coasts of Brazil. We don't pay much attention to it, we water the plant when we remember. It does not have any spikes or needles, it is just a kind of thin, if somewhat jagged looking member from south of the Equator.
And then in the Fall (that would be Autumn to our British fans), we put it outside in the dimming light of the latter part of the year. That diminution of light and the shorter days causes our "Christmas Cactus" to begin forming buds, and within the last few days, they have blossomed into a resplendent collection of waxy white flowers, with just a hint of pink. We were lucky this year, because an overnight frost can actually kill the whole plant, but this year it only got down to the high thirties, and then we decided to bring the plant indoors for safekeeping.
The only problems is that the lights will throw off the flowering mechanism, so we may take it back outdoors as the weather oscillates between hot and cold, as it is wont to do in Central Texas in winter. We can have a balmy day in the 80s as befits a Southern climate, but a blast of cold air from the Arctic can mean ice in the birdbath a couple of days later.
This is probably the best year we have ever seen for our "Holiday Cactus" (for those of you who do not believe in or do not participate in Christmas). It is also called the "Thanksgiving Cactus", and in our case the buds had actually formed earlier than Thanksgiving.
Whatever you call it, the proper scientific name is a member of the genus Schlumbergera, though we have not identified the particular species. It is an epiphyte in its natural habitat, meaning that it is an "air plant" that lives in crooks of a tree. We have it planted in some old soil that has been around for years, and do not pay too much attention to it. Last year we left a flourishing pot of the plant that had grown from a little stubby segment into a pot-full, but we neglected to protect it from frost and the plant dissolved quickly into an unsightly ooze.
Here are some books about science if you are interested in such things. The pictures link to eBay:
And then in the Fall (that would be Autumn to our British fans), we put it outside in the dimming light of the latter part of the year. That diminution of light and the shorter days causes our "Christmas Cactus" to begin forming buds, and within the last few days, they have blossomed into a resplendent collection of waxy white flowers, with just a hint of pink. We were lucky this year, because an overnight frost can actually kill the whole plant, but this year it only got down to the high thirties, and then we decided to bring the plant indoors for safekeeping.
This is probably the best year we have ever seen for our "Holiday Cactus" (for those of you who do not believe in or do not participate in Christmas). It is also called the "Thanksgiving Cactus", and in our case the buds had actually formed earlier than Thanksgiving.
Whatever you call it, the proper scientific name is a member of the genus Schlumbergera, though we have not identified the particular species. It is an epiphyte in its natural habitat, meaning that it is an "air plant" that lives in crooks of a tree. We have it planted in some old soil that has been around for years, and do not pay too much attention to it. Last year we left a flourishing pot of the plant that had grown from a little stubby segment into a pot-full, but we neglected to protect it from frost and the plant dissolved quickly into an unsightly ooze.
Here are some books about science if you are interested in such things. The pictures link to eBay:
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